The huge rise in the popularity of CBD in the past couple of years is very astonishing. Millions of people around the world are currently using CBD for managing a wide range of health problems. Many doctors these days also recommend CBD as a natural alternative to many prescription medications because it is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid and does not cause any severe side effects like most prescription drugs.
We only know a little about the extraction process of CBD and how it is made into an edible or topical CBD product. There are many extraction methods used to extract CBD from the hemp plant.
In this article, we will take a look at some of the common CBD extraction methods.
Solvent Extraction
In this method of CBD extraction, a solvent is used to separate CBD from the plant material. During this process, ethanol is washed or soaked over the plant trimming and this draws out the desired compounds from the plant. The end product undergoes multiple refinement processes to remove the solvent. Even though the process is inexpensive, it is not commonly used because the flammable nature of the solvent makes the process dangerous.
Steam Distillation
This method is very effective in extracting cannabinoids from the hemp plant. The volatile compounds from the raw plant material are separated using steam. The vapor that contains the desirable compounds is then cooled and condensed. Like the solvent method, steam distillation also does not cost much. However, it is not efficient as most other CBD extraction methods.
CO2 Extractions
This extraction method is similar to the solvent extraction method. The main difference here is that superficial CO2 is used for extracting CBD from plant material instead of solvents like ethanol or butane. Most reputed CBD companies use this extraction method because it is the safest, most precise, and eco-friendly CBD extraction method. Since it is a highly sophisticated method, it is very expensive.
Olive Oil Extraction
In this method, natural solvents like olive oil are used for separating CBD from the plant material. The raw plant material is heated to a certain temperature and then olive oil is added to them. The mixture is then heated again for extracting the cannabinoids. The main benefit of this extraction method is that you can even do it in your home without many advanced devices.