Cannabidiol, or commonly known as CBD, is one of the most popular cannabinoid compounds in the world. It is one of the 113 known cannabinoid compounds in the hemp and marijuana plants. The main reason for its popularity is the plethora of health benefits CBD offer. It helps in the treatment of several health disorders that affect the human body.
Cannabis has been used as a medicinal plant for thousands of years. Many ancient texts recorded the use of cannabis plants for alleviating different types of body pain. After the discovery of CBD in 1940, it is now known that it is the presence of CBD that gives the cannabis plant the pain-relieving properties.
A lot of clinical studies have undergone in the past few decades to find out the effects of CBD on the human body. Many of these studies have found that CBD can be an effective alternative for many of the existing medications. Some studies have proven that CBD has anti-inflammatory effects that help in the treatment of inflammatory disorders.
The CBD interacts with the cannabinoid receptors in the endocannabinoid system that regulates many of the body functions including pain perception, mood, appetite, sleep, and other cognitive functions. The interaction of CBD with the endocannabinoid system helps to improve the mood, getting better sleep, promote appetite, etc. These properties of CBD is very effective in the treatment of many health disorders like stress, anxiety, depression, arthritis, nausea, insomnia, migraine, seizures, skin problems, etc.
In this article, we will discuss about the different types of CBD that are used to make CBD products.
What Is CBD Distillate?
Before we talk about CBD distillate, you should know about distillation. It is the process of purifying a liquid substance through heating or cooling. When it comes to cannabis, distillation is the process of creating cleaner concentrates. CBD distillate is one of the most potent forms of CBD available in the liquid form.
CBD distillates are tasteless and odorless and also they do not have any impurities. Around 80% of CBD distillate is CBD from the hemp plant and the rest is other cannabinoids, terpenes, essential oils, and other essential compounds. You do not need a lot of CBD distillate to have a potent effect on the body because they are highly concentrated.
How CBD Distillate Is Made?
Making of CBD distillate is different from that of other CBD concentrates like wax or shatter. Before distillation, there is the process of extracting CBD from the plant material. Usually, solvent extraction or supercritical CO2 extraction is used for extracting CBD from hemp. Supercritical CO2 extraction is most commonly used for extracting CBD to make CBD tinctures, CBD capsules, CBD topicals, etc.
After extracting the CBD, the remaining impurities should be removed to separate the oil even further. For that, there is a step in the process of making CBD distillate known as winterization. In this step, the CBD extract is mixed with ethanol and placed in a cold environment for one to two days. Any impurities remaining in the extract will be separated and fall to the bottom of the container.
Before moving to the next step, the ethanol is removed from the CBD extract using the rotary evaporation technique. The next step in the production of CBD distillate is decarboxylation. It is the process of activating the cannabinoids in the CBD extract with vape or smoke. This process activates the therapeutic properties of the cannabinoids.
The last step in the process of producing CBD distillate is the distillation. The extract is put in a fractional distillation chamber or steam distillation chamber for purifying the CBD. The process will go on until the product reaches a maximum purity.
Way Of Using CBD Distillate
There is more than one way of using CBD distillate. The most common method of using CBD distillate is by vaping. This method is the quickest way of administering CBD distillate into the bloodstream. The effects can be noticed pretty quickly. The vapor produced while vaping CBD distillate is tasteless and odorless.
If you are not a fan of vaping or dabbing, you can just add CBD distillate in your food. Since it is tasteless and odorless, the food won’t taste like weed. CBD distillate can also be used to make topical creams that will be beneficial to our skin.
Advantages Of CBD Distillate
CBD distillate is one of the most potent forms of CBD products available. Since it is odorless and tasteless, it is very easier to consume. You will get your desired therapeutic effect even with a small dosage of CBD distillate because it is highly concentrated. When added to topical creams, you will get quick localized pain relief.
What Is CBD Isolate?
CBD isolate contains only CBD and lacks the other cannabinoids, terpenes, essential oils, and other compounds of the hemp plant. Therefore, it is one of the purest forms of CBD you can find. CBD is separated from all the other compounds of the hemp plant to make the isolate. CBD isolate comes in two different forms; crystals and powder.
Among the two forms of CBD isolate, crystal CBD is the less refined and it can only be used for dabbing. Powder CBD can be used in a number of ways. The main advantage of CBD isolate is that it does not contain the psychoactive compound of the cannabis plant, THC.
How CBD Isolate Is Made?
The process starts with extracting CBD from the hemp plant when it reaches maturity. CBD manufacturing companies utilize solvent extraction or CO2 extraction methods for separating CBD from the plant materials. The end product of the extraction is a concentrated form of CBD. You need to refine the concentrate a little more for making CBD isolate. This process is called winterization.
During the process of winterization, excess waxes along with terpenes, flavonoids, and other cannabinoids from the extract is removed by cooling it for a few days. Winterization is a process that is difficult to do in your home. Therefore, it is ideal to buy CBD isolate from a reputable brand rather than making it at your home.
How To Use CBD Isolate?
Crystal CBD isolates can only be used by dabbing. But the powder form can be used in a number of ways. It can be mixed in food and also mixed with your favorite oil. If you are a coffee lover, adding CBD isolate to your morning coffee will give extra benefits. You can also sprinkle a pinch of CBD isolate in your joint and smoke it for getting the benefits of CBD.
Another way of consuming CBD isolate is by adding it to your favorite vape oil. It is the quickest way to administer CBD into your system. You can also make your own CBD tincture using CBD isolate. All you have to do is to add the CBD isolate to a teaspoon of coconut oil. Another method of using CBD isolate is rubbing it on your skin.
Benefits Of CBD Isolate
Since CBD isolate is free of THC, people who are worried about the psychoactive effects of CBD products can now get the health benefits of CBD. Many clinical studies have shown that CBD is effective for many health disorders that affect the human body. CBD has some anti-anxiety effects that help in the treatment of many anxiety disorders.
The anti-inflammatory properties of CBD help in reducing the inflammation and thereby give relief from pain. Studies have also proven that CBD is also effective in reducing the frequency of seizures in epileptic patients. CBD isolate products are also helpful in alleviating the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
What Is Broad-Spectrum CBD Oil?
Before we discuss about broad-spectrum CBD oil, you should know about full-spectrum CBD. It is the type of CBD oil that contains all the cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, essential fatty acids, etc. present in the hemp plant. It also contains 0.3 % of THC, which is not enough to make a psychoactive effect.
When you separate THC from full-spectrum CBD oil, you will get broad-spectrum CBD oil. Just like full-spectrum CBD, it also offers the entourage effect without causing any euphoric sensations. It can also be made by adding the cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, and other essential compounds of the hemp, except THC, to the CBD isolate.
Benefits Of Broad-Spectrum CBD oil
Many CBD manufacturing companies use broad-spectrum CBD oil instead of CBD isolate and full-spectrum CBD oil for making their products. This is because broad-spectrum CBD oil offers the whole-plant benefits without the risk of causing any psychoactive effects. Many people prefer broad-spectrum CBD oil over the other two forms because of the lack of THC in broad-spectrum CBD oil.
The additional cannabinoids and terpene profile in the broad-spectrum CBD oil give some extra health benefits. The proteins, vitamins, and essential fatty acids in the broad-spectrum CBD oil help to maintain a healthy body. Since the broad-spectrum CBD lacks THC, you won’t have to worry about any legal issues surrounding THC to get in your way of enjoying the health benefits of CBD.
Most of the reputable CBD brands offer products that are made with broad-spectrum CBD oil. It is an easier way to reap the health benefits of CBD without risking the euphoric sensation of THC. If you buy broad-spectrum CBD products, you will get a wide range of health benefits and also removes any legal concerns regarding THC.
Final Thoughts
CBD isolate and CBD distillate are more concentrated than broad-spectrum CBD. But broad-spectrum CBD has additional cannabinoids that will benefit your body. You can choose any type of CBD based on your preference. The important thing to keep in mind is that whichever CBD product you use, start using it in a small dosage, and gradually increase the dosage until you experience the desired effects.