There has been a lot of confusion when it comes to CBD and hemp seed oil, with many people believing them to be one and the same. But while many refer to them interchangeably to mean the same thing, there is a difference between the two. The reason for the confusion is understandable though as CBD oil comes from the flowers, stalks, and leaves of the hemp and cannabis plants, while hemp seed oil comes solely from the seeds of the hemp plant.
When it comes to the best methods for extracting cannabis oil, it is therefore not uncommon for people to talk about a hemp extractor, which is a piece of equipment made by the likes of Houston-based CedarStone Industry designed to accommodate the use of solvents for isolating CBD.
Now that we have dealt with the reasons why hemp seed oil and CBD oil are commonly confused, we can move on to discussing the best ways to extract CBD oil.
Solvent Extraction
For solvent extraction of CBD oil, food-grade ethanol is commonly used; however, a hydrocarbon such as propane might be preferred. The extraction method differs depending on the solvent used. If ethanol is utilized, it is washed over the trimmings of the plant, drawing out the compounds. The liquid is then distilled to separate the oil from the ethanol. With the hydrocarbon method, further refinement is carried out with the method used depending on the required end products.
Although this is a relatively inexpensive way to extract CBD oil, it can be dangerous, and care is required to ensure that the solvent is fully removed from the final product.
CO2 Extraction
CO2 extraction requires specialist equipment, which includes three separate chambers. CO2 is placed in the first chamber and then converted into its liquid state by decreasing temperature and increasing pressure. Once liquid, the pressure and temperature are increased very slowly until the CO2 reaches the point where it is somewhere between its liquid and natural gaseous state. At this point, the CO2 is pumped into chamber number two, which will already contain the hemp or cannabis plant material.
As the CO2 passes through the plant material in this chamber, it works to separate the CBD oil from the plant, which is then passed through to the third chamber. At this stage, the CO2 will evaporate, leaving the concentrated CBD oil behind.
Olive Oil Extraction
No fancy equipment is needed to extract CBD oil from hemp or cannabis plants when olive oil is used. It is therefore commonly done in a home setting. For this method, the plant material is heated to the point where it is decarboxylated. It is then added to the olive oil and reheated until the cannabinoids are extracted. Since the olive oil remains in the substance, the end result is not as concentrated as it is when the other methods of extraction are used.
Cold Press Extraction
Yet another method that can be done at home is the cold press extraction. This is a simple method whereby the flowers of the CBD plant are frozen and then pressed with force to extract the cannabinoids. Although this is a straightforward process, it does have a low yield. It is not suitable for large scale CBD oil extraction because of the amount of plant material needed to produce very little oil.
The best method for extracting CBD oil is a matter of preference but is usually the method that results in the purest form of the oil. That is, the oil with the least amount of impurities.
