CBD is so popular that you’ve probably heard of CBD extraction or CBD extracts. Just what those things are, however, is often less clear. Many common terms for extracts make the question even more confusing, and everyone already seems to know what’s going on, making it especially hard for newcomers looking for a bit of basic information.
Not to worry. None of this is as complicated as it seems. In this six-part series, we’ll break down what CBD extraction is, and get you up to speed with the current state of the CBD world.
CBD, itself, can be confusing when you don’t know much about it. Many people wonder just what CBD is, how it’s different from marijuana, is it cannabis, and a lot more. The answers are actually pretty simple.
First, there are two types of cannabis plants: hemp and marijuana. Both are different variations of the same plant, and the difference between them is the chemicals they produce, called cannabinoids.
There are a lot of cannabinoids and many variations of the major ones. You don’t need to know them all. You just need to know that the main two are CBD and THC.
Marijuana is the type of cannabis you’ve heard about forever. It’s the famous form of cannabis that produces intoxicating effects. Marijuana contains both THC and CBD.
Hemp, on the other hand, is a form of cannabis that contains CBD and a very minimal amount of THC. According to the US federal government, hemp can contain no more than 0.3% THC.
As you may have guessed, THC is the cannabinoid that produces intoxicating effects. It’s the one that can get you high. CBD, on the other hand, doesn’t produce intoxicating effects. Instead, CBD has a relaxing effect. It can relieve pain and is known for its ability to reduce stress.
In most everyday conversations, when someone talks about CBD, they usually refer to products that contain CBD rather than the cannabinoid itself. That can be true of just about anything, including CBD “bud” or “flower.” These are just flowers from the hemp plant that contain high concentrations of CBD.
Well, no one’s extracting anything from “CBD.” They’re extracting CBD from hemp. Most people don’t call it “hemp extraction,” but that’s probably a more accurate term. Because most CBD products need the CBD from hemp but not all the plant parts, the CBD needs to be pulled out of the hemp, leaving the rest behind.
That’s precisely what CBD extraction is. A CBD or hemp processing company will take the cured, chopped, or milled hemp plant and feed it into a machine. That machine will separate the CBD from the rest of the plant. Sometimes, they’ll separate the CBD from the rest of the plant. Sometimes, they’ll separate out other parts of the hemp plant that people want, like terpenes, the chemicals in plants that give them their smell, or other minor cannabinoids. There are some advantages to including these other things from the hemp plant, but that’s a topic for another day. What you should know is that extracts that solely contain CBD are called isolates, while extracts with minor cannabinoids and terpenes are called full-spectrum extracts.
Either way, the resulting extract can take different forms. Those forms are usually the result of additional processing. Most extraction systems will produce a thick syrupy liquid at first.
There are a ton of uses for CBD extracts. In fact, it’s hard to think of CBD products that don’t use extracts of some sort. Think of it; does that CBD chocolate bar contain bits of hemp? Probably not. Instead, companies make their CBD-infused products using extracts, so they can get the CBD without all the other stuff you probably don’t want.
That means that most CBD gummies, candies, and infused drinks use some sort of CBD extract. You can also find CBD extracts in tinctures, another popular way to use CBD. If you use CBD in a vape, you’re also using an extract. The vape liquid contains a few things, but universally, one of them is extracted CBD.
You can also use CBD extracts directly, though this is somewhat less popular. These extracts take different forms, but they’re all highly concentrated CBD that you can use directly in a dab rig or other similar method. These include waxes and shatters. There are also distillate and isolate forms of CBD that are useful for making your own CBD-infused food and beverages.
Here at ENTEXS, we make the equipment that CBD processing companies use to create extracts. We know how the process works inside and out, and how to make quality CBD extracts. Great extracts with a high degree of purity go a long way in creating high-quality CBD products, and the industry continues to improve and grow.
Be sure to follow along on our weekly blog journey, further diving into CBD extraction!