There’s no denying the popularity of CBD, with its renowned remedial properties building it a solid fan base around the world. The benefits of CBD range from improving overall temperament and promoting relaxation to reducing inflammation and relieving pain, and combating the symptoms of anxiety and depression.
CBD’s appeal is undeniable, but if you’re a newbie to the CBD word, it’s understandable that you may wish to learn more about the compound before you try it out for yourself. If you’re looking to get started with CBD but would like to know the science behind how exactly it is produced, take a look at the information below.
What is CBD oil?
CBD comes in many different forms, but CBD oil is generally the most popular. It is usually ingested, and travels through the digestive system and into the bloodstream, where it gets to work throughout the body. CBD reacts with the endocannabinoid system, regulating the receptors that control pain, mood, and almost every bodily function. To learn more about CBD we highl recommend reading this guide on what is CBD oil.
How is CBD oil made?
To understand how CBD oil is made, it is worth knowing about the two different types of CBD: full spectrum and isolate. For full spectrum CBD, the whole plant is cultivated and extracted from. CBD isolate, on the other hand, contains only CBD, and no other compounds. This requires the oil to be distilled after extraction.
There are a number of different processes that can be used to extract CBD from the cannabis plant. The most popular, and what is said to be the original method is soaking the plant in a solvent, such as alcohol. The CBD and other cannabinoids evaporate into the solvent, and when the solvent is evaporated, all that remains is the CBD oil.
Another method of extracting CBD oil involves forcing carbon dioxide through the cannabis plant. However, this process is far more complex, and is the less preferred option. A number of tools would be required to carry out the process, and more money would have to be spent in doing so.
What comes next?
Some CBD oil may be left as it is following the extraction process, but it can be further amended at this point to create a more novelty product. For example, flavours may be added to the CBD oil to give it a more palatable taste, or the oil might be diluted or infused into CBD edibles.
Will CBD oil make me high?
There is a false misconception that because CBD is derived from the cannabis plant, which also produces the high-inducing THC, that CBD is also a psychoactive chemical. This is not true, however.
CBD and THC are completely separate compounds, and CBD offers only THC’s benefits, and not its ability to give you a high. The plants used to extract CBD are usually bred to produce as little THC as possible, and though you may find that lots of full spectrum CBD products contain very small doses of THC, the concentration is not high enough to affect the user in the slightest.