A lot has been said about the potential benefits of CBD and other cannabis-derived products in the production of several activities relating to medicine and recreation. It is true that CBD has moved from being a banned substance to a multi-purpose hemp-based derivative that is gaining more attention in serving as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anticancer and antimicrobial agent. The above-mentioned activities are not possible except the extraction of CBD is possible.
All CBD-based products like gummies, CBD oils, CBD tinctures, and inhalants require an excellent concentration of CBD to achieve their primary aim of administration. These products start out as raw materials obtained from the cannabis plant in the form of kief, marijuana leaf, cannabis leaf, roots, and stems. Although the concentration of CBD in these plant parts may differ from one strain to the other, it is important that formulators and users take out time to understand the CBD content of each strain in order to obtain the best results. To give you a sneak peek into what your favorite CBD products are made of, this article shall take you on a journey on how to extract CBD oil.
What is CBD oil?
CBD oil, as the name implies, is produced by extracting CBD from different parts of the cannabis or hemp plant, including the marijuana leaf, cannabis leaf, root, stems, and seeds. This CBD oil is extracted by hard pressing these plant parts. Just as the name implies, CBD oil contains a high concentration of CBD, which is responsible for the numerous potential therapeutic benefits of the product.
Since CBD is extracted from the cannabis or hemp plant, it is pertinent to note that CBD is not the only compound found in the plant as information from research has shown that the cannabis or hemp plant contains about 100 different cannabinoids and 120 terpenes which give the plant its unique properties while supporting its therapeutic potentials. Apart from CBD, some of the other commonly encountered cannabinoids in CBD oil include but are not limited to delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabigerol (CBG), cannabinol (CBN), and cannabichromene (CBC). The combination of these cannabinoids in a given CBD oil is determined by the cannabinoid spectrum.
Cannabinoid spectrum refers to the combination of different cannabinoids in a given CBD oil and may include full-spectrum CBD oil, broad-spectrum CBD oil, narrow-spectrum CBD oil, and isolates while full-spectrum CBD oils contain all the naturally occurring cannabinoids in the cannabis plant, including THC, broad-spectrum CBD oils lac the presence of THC. Narrow spectrum CBD is often used to describe CDB oils containing just two cannabinoids like CBD and CBG. CBD isolate contains only pure CBD.
The cannabinoid spectrum plays a critical role in determining the best CBD extraction process to employ. Below is a summary of how CBD oil is extracted from the cannabis plant.
How To Extract CBD Oil From The Cannabis Plant
Depending on the potency and spectrum of the final product, several solvents have been utilized for extracting CBD oils, including CO2 extraction, alcohol, and butane hash oil (BHO) extractions. At the time of writing this article, CBD oils extracted from alcohol extractions have been shown to possess one of the best activities. These alcohol derived CBD oils, or Full Extract Cannabis Oil (FECO), are great at producing a wide range of medicinal benefits to users hence their popularity. Due to their importance, we shall discuss how to extract FECO at home.
Full extract cannabis oil (FECO) is extracted from marijuana leaves and flowers. There are also reports where kief is used for the extraction of the oils.
Ingredients
- A measured quantity of dry cannabis buds or kief (for this demonstration, we shall use one ounce for convenience). You can easily scale up the measurement to your desired quantity and yield.
- 500 ml of grain alcohol (this is suitable for one ounce of dry kief or cannabis buds).
Procedures
- Place the kief or dry cannabis buds in a plastic bucket and crush using a stick of clean, untreated wood or any other suitable device.
- Add solvent gradually as you continue crushing the kief or bud until the plant material is completely engulfed and soaked.
- Stir the mixture for about three minutes. This dissolves any concentration of THC present in the material into the solvent.
- Pour the solvent-oil mixture off the plant material into another bucket. It is believed that at this point, you have successfully removed about 80% of the THC present in the mixture.
- Add more solvent to the mixture in the first bucket and stir for another three minutes to remove the remaining traces of THC in the mixture. Please note that THC is highly psychoactive and may get users high when present in Full extract cannabis oil.
- Pour the solvent oil mixture into the bucket containing the first mix that was previously poured out.
- You can now discard the residue from the washed material
- Pour the solvent-oil mixture through a coffee filter into a clean container.
- Place on fire to boil off the solvent. It is highly recommended that you use a rice cooker to boil the solvent off the mixture.
WARNING: Avoid open flames, cigarettes, sparks, red-hot elements, and stove-tops when boiling off the solvent since the fumes can be highly flammable.
- In a well-ventilated area, add solvent to the rice cooker until it is about ¾ full and turn on HIGH heat. You can easily set up a fan to carry the fumes away. Continue to add solvent to the cooker as the solvent evaporates until you have added it all to the cooker.
- As the solvent level in the rice cooker decreases, add a few drops of water (add ten drops for every pound of dry material used). The water will assist in releasing the solvent residue and protect the oil from too much heat.
- With about one inch of solvent remaining in the rice cooker, put on your oven mitts, pick the unit up, and swirl the contents until it has completely finished boiling off.
- After the solvent has boiled off, turn off the cooker to LOW heat. Please note that the oil temperature should not exceed 140˚ C or 290˚ F.
- Keep the oven mitts on and remove the pot containing the oil from the rice cooker. Pour the oil gently into a stainless steel container.
- Place the container in a dehydrator or a heating device such as a coffee warmer. This may take a few hours, but the water and volatile terpenes will be evaporated from the oil. Observe to make sure there is no surface activity on the oil. This is when the oil is ready for use.
- Suck up the oil in a plastic syringe or in any other container you see fit. A syringe is most suitable for the job since it makes the oil easy to dispense. After the oil is completely cool, it should have the consistency of thick grease.
- Your Full Extract Cannabis Oil (FECO) is ready for use.
PRECAUTION
The primary aim of extracting CBD oil is to derive the best CBD concentration that will provide the much needed therapeutic benefits. To this end, it is important that you choose a plant material or kief that contains enough CBD. The CBD yield is dependent on the strain used for extraction.
Uses of Full Extract Cannabis Oil (FECO)?
Just like every other CBD oil in the market, FECO comes in handy in the provision of great CBD which can be utilized in the following ways;
- Pain relief
CBD in FECO can interact with the endocannabinoid system to trigger internal balance, thus reducing the severity of pain. Information from research has shown how CBD can trigger the release of feel-good hormones and also initiate the production of new brain cells via neurogenesis.
- Relaxation
CBD products in the form of THC Juul pods have been utilized for vaping CBD oils. These are great at promoting relaxation. CBD can interact with neurotransmitters like serotonin and GABA receptors to promote sleep and focus as the case may be.
- Antioxidant activities
FECO contains a good concentration of CBD that comes in handy in neutralizing the harmful effect of free radicals. This property is speculated to limit the spread of cancerous cells and also promoting internal balance in the body.
Is FECO safe?
As seen from the extraction process discussed above, FECO oil contains little to no THC concentration, which makes it safe for consumption. IT does not trigger psychoactive activities nor make the user high. It is, however, important that you study the cannabinoid profile of each oil to make sure you are not taking any CBD oil with high THC content.
Don’t forget to contact us if you have any questions about the use of CBD oils, THC Juul pods, marijuana leaf, FECO oil, and CBD oil extraction. We will love to hear from you soon.
