CBD (cannabidiol) Oil is extracted from the marijuana plant in varying ways by the companies. The process of the extraction though is quite similar in all the methods. These steps are taken to make sure that the CBD oils are safe and non-addictive. The CBD oil doesn’t give a high unlike the marijuana plant. These steps remove any trace of the addictive component THC to make it 100% percent safe and natural.
First Step – Winterization
Winterization process is done to extract all the dirt from the plant. In this method the maker removes all the undesirable things including dirt, mud, dust etc from the marijuana plant. These elements include lipids too. This extraction process is necessary as after this the crude oil of CBD is mixed with 200 proof alcohol. This mixture needs to be devoid of all the waste. The solution is to be stirred continuously. It is then placed in a deep freezer overnight. This leads it to its name winterization. The next morning the liquid is filtered again to remove the alcohol by heating it. Alcohol evaporates on heating.
Second Step- Short Path Distillation
The remaining extract after the alcohol evaporates is now ready for further refinement. Here the extract is heated again to separate each compound in the extract effectively. This is the method to isolate each compound of the CBD.
Third Step- Selecting the Colour
The quality of CBD oil is detected by its color. Thus this step is important. The color needs to be selected carefully. If the color of the oil is dark or greenish it is considered raw meaning the oil hasn’t gone through the filtering process. If it is filtered oil then it will be yellow or golden in color. This is marked as the best quality of the oil and hence the most expensive one. It is used for making oral CBD oil products such as CBD tinctures. The decarboxylated oil is the one which is Amber or brown.