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You may have recently heard of an essential oil known as Cannabidiol (CDB) oil. If so, you're probably wondering what it is, how it can help you, and where you can get it.
Well, CBD oil is commonly found in marijuana plants but can also be extracted from industrial hemp. Research suggests that CBD helps with issues ranging from pain, inflammation, and anxiety, to PTSD, seizures, and spasms. What's also great is that all of the above comes without the THC-induced psychoactive effects of marijuana.
The exact effects of CBD on testosterone remain a mystery, though some claim that it won’t cause a noticeable drop in the hormone’s levels. Still, if you’re taking something like black ginger for your sexual health, it would be wise to not take too much of CBD at the same time. Just in case.
Where to Find Hemp?
Most Cannabis oils are extracted from hemp plants. There are currently 39 states that can legally grow and process hemp plants and hemp seeds: these include New York, California, Florida, and Washington.
Understanding the Extraction Process
The four main ways to perform oil extraction from plant material are:
- Extraction Using Butane and Propane
- Extraction Using Lipids
- Extraction Using Supercritical CO2
- Extraction Using Ethanol
However, we recommend opting for products extracted through just three of these methods. Read on to discover why.
Extraction Through Butane and Propane
While this is the easiest way to extract essential oils to make supplements, it also provides the lowest quality cannabis essential oil. This is due to the solvents (propane and butane) still being present in the final products.
Due to these health hazards, please do not attempt to process your hemp this way. It's also recommended to abstain from buying products created throught this method of extraction.
Extraction Using Lipids
This method uses lipids and fats, like olive oil, as solvents to pull out the CBD oil from the hemp. To do this, the hemp has to be decarboxylated or heated to change the CBDA (Cannabidiolic Acid) found in the hemp, to CBD.
The decarboxylated hemp is then mixed with oil or fat over a stove, to a temperature of about 100C (for olive oil at least) for about 1 to 2 hours.
As the final product is an olive oil infused with hemp CBD, it usually takes more oil to get the effects of the more concentrated types of hemp seed oil or other hemp oil products.
Extraction Through Supercritical CO2 (Carbon Dioxide)
This extraction method is currently the most popular way of producing cannabis extracts because it gives the most oil without any extra substances.
Extraction through supercritical CO2 is much faster than producing cannabis concentrates through Ethyl Alcohol.
However, this process involves complex chemistry and expensive equipment, so it's not a DIY project. It’s usually done in an industrial environment since companies have access to the materials and expertise needed.
For a quick overview, the process features chambers filled with carbon dioxide at different temperatures and pressures that isolate cannabinoids from the hemp. This yields a concentrated hemp extract without any other component whatsoever.
Extraction Using Ethanol
This is one of the more common ways to extract CBD. However, it does leave some impurities in the final product, usually chlorophyll, making the CBD isolate green and less concentrated.
When doing this please be sure to use food grade ethanol.
Basically, all you have to do is mix the hemp plant is with the ethanol and bring it to a boil on low heat. Once the mix is full of cannabinoids, you have to heat it to 150 degrees. This will evaporate the alcohol, leaving just the oil.
As stated earlier, this oil contains other impurities, and the resulting product is usually called hemp oil extract, as opposed to CBD oil.
There’s an Easier Way
Yes, it's possible to get CBD extracts from hemp on your own, and there are many ways to do it. The downside is that most of them are expensive, difficult, or provide less concentrated results.
The best way for you to conduct your extraction at home would be through the use of lipids and fats, such as olive oil.
But if you're looking for an easier way to get your CBD oil without all the hassle of hemp extraction, we recommend CBDPure. After checking out many other options, we rated this one as the best among all CBD oils that we could find on Amazon.
What are the benefits of CBD oil for those looking to up their testosterone levels? I am not seeing that in this article. That would be necessary for anyone to know before buy CBD oil.