CO2 Extraction
Never seen CBD oil in your life? Well, that’s virtually impossible given its popularity, but let’s say you’ve been cut from the Internet all of your life and you’ve just heard about CBD oil for the first time.
During the process, the CO2 changes its state from liquid to gas under different temperatures and pressure levels, resulting in a cold, thick liquid. From there, the oil gets suspended in a carrier oil — usually MCT oil or hemp seed oil — for improved absorption and additional health benefits.
CO2 extraction is the best and safest way of pulling cannabinoids from the original plant.
Alcohol Extraction
While CO2 extraction is used for making CBD oil, alcohol is the best solvent for making tinctures.
The hemp plant is fully soaked in high-proof alcohol (e.g. everclear) from two weeks to several months, depending on the desired potency. The longer you hold the plant in alcohol, the more potent your tincture will get.
The alcohol is then gently evaporated using heat.
CBD tinctures have a longer shelf life than traditional CBD oil, lasting up to 3 years.
Olive Oil Extraction
Olive oil extraction is similar to how you make CBD butter or any other cooking oil. This method calls for combining dried hemp flowers with olive oil in equal ratios and cooking the mixture over very low heat for several hours.
Once the mixture stops simmering, you filter the oil through a sieve or cheesecloth and let it cool down to room temperature. From there, you can pour your extract into a bottle with a dropper for easy dosing.
Olive oil extraction is the easiest to perform at home. It also doesn’t involve any specialized equipment and has a relatively easy learning curve.
Butane Extraction
Butane is the least safe of all extraction methods because butane is considered a toxic substance. When not handled properly, residual solvent may be left at the bottom of CBD oil, causing contamination and posing a direct threat to your health.
As for the very method, it involves pushing butane through a tube filled with hemp flowers. As the butane is dripping through the plant, it strips off CBD, other cannabinoids, and terpenes, leaving behind a dark solution.
Butane extraction also requires precise purging. This part is particularly dangerous because butane is highly flammable and can lead to explosions.