HOW IS CBD MADE?
How is CBD Made? Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the many cannabinoids, or natural compounds, found in the hemp/cannabis plant. Cannabis/Hemp plants produce these trichomes, resins, cannabinoids, and other compounds naturally. Humans only extract and/or use these for a variety of uses and benefits.
A lot of people mistakenly believe that hemp is the male version of marijuana, this is inaccurate. Hemp is not the ‘male’ version of cannabis. Hemp is a distinct genetic cultivar of cannabis, but it can exist as either gender, just like any other strain of cannabis. In fact, all cannabis belongs to the same genus and species, Cannabis sativa L. Some purists believe ‘indica’ is a separate species of cannabis, but this is not taxonomically correct. Hemp is genetically different from marijuana mainly THC to CBD ratio/content. It has to have by law a very low THC content, less than 0.3%. As far as where THC and CBD are found in various forms of cannabis, they actually both exist throughout the parts of the plant but are usually most concentrated in the flowers. Almost all strains of cannabis contain CBD, even if only in trace amounts. This includes both cannabis sativa and cannabis indica varieties, as well as hemp.
There are many different extraction methods that have been used for a while both in essential oils and cannabis extraction. They have their own benefits and issues. However, Evercure Farms finds its cold ethanol extracted distillate is the superior in taste and quality.
CO2 extraction uses all 3 forms of CO2 in its states of matter (liquid, solid, gas) This process starts with a solid piece of CO2, that is place in a chamber and highly pressurized to force the CO2 into a fluid-like form. Once it is liquified, it begins to absorb the particles of the plant. Lastly, the new CO2-cannabinoid blend is transferred into another chamber where the CO2 the sublimated into a gas state, leaving behind the extract.
The concept of using a liquid to absorb CBD oil from the plant doesn’t stop at CO2. Substances that are naturally in a liquid state can also be utilized to formulate CBD oil. Such substances include butane, hexane and isopropyl alcohol. Though the process works much like the CO2 extraction, liquid solvent extraction is a more economical, more accessible way to extract CBD oil. Some solvents may leave a bitter taste or even taste like the chemical itself if not purged off correctly.
Still using liquids and going back real old school, is oil infusion. It is simple and easy to do. Many home growers and manufacturers still use this method today. However, it does come with its disadvantages. To start this process the plant materials are decarboxylated. The mixture is then added to a carrier oil and again heated at 100 C for a couple of hours. One of the primary downsides is that some oil can’t evaporate out of the CBD oil, so the process has to have to use a lot of this medium to get the same effect.
Winterization is a crucial piece of formulating refined, quality CBD oil. Whether extracted by CO2 or other solvents, they still have to go through this process to remove unwanted substances from the extract, so you wind up with pure CBD. Once the oil is extracted, it is mixed with 200-proof alcohol and frozen overnight. Next the new blend is run through a filter, eliminating the fats and other substances. When the oil reaches the optimal quality, it’s heated to the boiling point of alcohol (which is considerably lower than that of CBD oil) and steam off the alcohol.
When manufacturers want to further refine the oil, they’ve gotten from any of the methods above, they run it through a process called short path distillation. This process takes advantage of the fact that the different CBD oil compounds each have their boiling point. To get the finest CBD oils, they boil off the various compounds that have a lower boiling point than the oil itself. Short path distillation is initiated by slowly heating the CBD mixture until most of the substances begin to evaporate. The gases produced by this process journey through a distillation tunnel until they reach cooling coils, where they condense. From there, they trickle down into another collection chamber, and the process proceeds until only the finest, purest CBD oil remains.
At Evercure Farms we believe you get out what you put in. We start with the best genetics, soil and agricultural techniques. The end result is the highest quality hemp flower in Kentucky, if not the country. Our high standards require we use only the flower in our premium CBD oil and products, no stalks, leaf or other material is mixed in. The harvested flower is properly cured and stored, until ready to be processed. We only process and extract using a cold ethanol extraction; utilizing an organic ethanol at subzero temps that preserves the taste, structure and compound ratios just like nature intended. Evercure Farms further refines our product through another necessary step, using a process called winterization to further distill the oil into gorgeous gold you see in every one of our bottles. Not all CBD products are alike. That's just one of the many reasons Evercure CBD oil is superior. We proudly bottle our product in clear glass bottles with distinctive shape and a graduated dropper for accurate dosing. The way you can see the correct amount, as well as see the cleanliness and purity our premium oil offers. Our 1ml droppers are marked in .25ml increments, so you can consistently take the right amount for you. For reference, a full dropper or 1ml of the 600mg (black top) is 20mg of CBD. 1ml of the 1200mg (white top) is 40mg of CBD.