How CBD tincture oils are made
CBD tincture oils are made using extracts from high-CBD strains of industrial hemp, which is generally sourced from either the United States or the European Union. Hemp is an ideal source for non-psychoactive CBD oil as it contains hardly any delta-9-tetrahydrocannbinol (THC). In the US, all hemp products must have less than 0.3% THC to be legal at federal level.
There are several different ways to take an extract from the plant matter, but we’re going to focus on supercritical CO2 extraction. This is the gold standard and the method by the companies that make CBD oil tincture products featured here.
Supercritical CO2 extraction is the cleanest and most efficient way to extract cannabinoids from the plant. This is essential considering that hemp is a bio-accumulator. This method avoids using chemicals and solvents, which could potentially contaminate the final oil and be dangerous for health. When carrying out supercritical CO2 extraction, you can decide which cannabinoids you want to extract from the plant. Some companies go for a whole-plant extract to make a full-spectrum tincture, whereas others just pull out the cbd bud, in order to make a CBD-isolate tincture.
As no nasty by-products are extracted from the plant, there is no need to purify the oil after extraction, and this greatly speeds up the entire extraction process. Furthermore, fairly low temperatures are used during supercritical CO2 extraction compared to other methods, meaning that the structure of the plant components remains unchanged. There are also no environmental downsides of this method.
Exploring the benefits of full-spectrum CBD and CBD-isolate tinctures
Full-spectrum CBD oil tincture products don’t just contain Koi CBD oil, but a whole host of other chemicals. These include other non-psychoactive cannabinoids, flavonoids, terpenes and essential fatty acids such as omega-3. These compounds, despite being found in much lower concentrations, offer small benefits which add up to enhance the therapeutic potential of a tincture oil.
And a whole-plant extract is also noted for promoting synergy, or as it’s more commonly known in the industry, the ‘entourage effect’. Research has found that when all the plant components are absorbed into the body at the same time – as part of a full-plant extract – the effectiveness of the CBD increases!
Moreover, certain CBD oil tinctures contain special sets of terpenes, with the products then named after famous cannabis strains. Don’t worry, these products are still totally non-psychoactive. But you may find the flavors more pleasant on your palate, and some terpenes also have therapeutic properties. These are worth checking out if you want to treat a specific ailment.
In contrast, CBD-isolate tincture oils feature just one cannabinoid – you guessed it, the CBD crystals. You may be wondering why somebody would choose a product with only CBD, when full-spectrum oils are purported to offer additional benefits.
However, for those with no experience using hemp-based CBD products, they may feel more comfortable sticking with a single cannabinoid. Also, those who take very high quantities of CBD and are topping up their dose throughout the day may be concerned about THC gradually accumulating in the body. There’s no psychoactive worry here, but people who may face random drugs tests often prefer to be completely THC-free. This may be the case for athletes who are now permitted to use CBD according to World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regulations, but no other cannabinoids. By stocking full-spectrum and isolate tinctures, we have CBD products for everyone!
