CANNABIS OIL DISTILLATE: A SUPERIOR KIND OF CONCENTRATE

This precious Cannabis extract is like liquid gold, only more expensive.

  

 

The biggest development within the hemp and Cannabis world these last few years has been the meteoric rise of the concentrates sector. Cannabis concentrates are simply the active ingredients, like CBD, separated out from the raw plant material.

And of all the different concentrates that have been created, it is distillate oil with its unmatched purity and sheer versatility, that has gained more followers than the rest of the market put together.

 

What is a distillate

Distillate is a very clean, honey like, cannabinoid rich concentrate with exceptional purity levels in the 90%+ range. CBD distillate can go into edibles and many other products, but it is most popular in pre-filled CBD vape oil cartridges, CBD pods or all-in-one CBD vaporisers. Carry on reading as we explore how these super potent oils are processed, their application, advantages and what a good distillate product looks like.

 

What is distillation

Distillation itself is nothing new, we have been using it for millennia and at its heart the process remains the same today as it was 1500 years ago. Indeed, it was the isolation of the “spirit”, life force or quintessence from those original botanical or grain-based extracts by distillation that is still the basis for making essential oils or alcohol today.

And while the theory may remain much the same, there have been huge advances in the technology now being applied to the Cannabis extraction and processing industry. Regardless, to make the perfect distillate still requires real expertise, deep knowledge and something verging on alchemy.  

 

How do you make distillate?

Firstly, the active components need to be separated out from the plant material with a solvent, typically this would be ethanol, but supercritical CO2 extraction is now pretty much the gold standard for cannabinoid extraction. This “crude” oil extract then undergoes a series of cleaning up and refining processes before it can even be ready for the distillation stage.

 

The science lesson

Typically, a fractional or “short path” distillation process is used, this manipulates the different boiling points using heat, steam and vacuum pressure, ensuring the targeted compounds are subjected to much lower temperatures.

These volatile compounds may be either fractioned off simultaneously or individually having been separated by their molecular weight and boiling point. This process also separates out any unwanted components or contaminants from the collected distillate oil.    

 

What are the benefits of CBD distillate?   

Distillate oils offer one of the most potent ways to take CBD or THC. That’s because CBD distillate is typically 10x more concentrated than your average CBD tincture and when inhaled, CBD vape may be 10x more bio-available than gummies. With the additional benefit that when distillate is inhaled, it’s also going work almost instantly, whereas you may wait an hour or more for the gummies to kick in.  

This is due to inhaled CBD bypassing the digestive system and directly entering the blood stream, making it by far the most efficient way to consume CBD and terpenes.  High bio-availability means more of what you take is being utilised by the body, with far less going to waste. And that also means far less of your cash is going to waste too!  

 

Broad Spectrum vs isolate

With a distillate, it’s not only possible to super concentrate the cannabinoids like CBD, you can also manipulate the THC levels down to a trace amount. However the process can also target the additional cannabinoids and other phyto-chemicals present in the extract. And this provides the essential broad-spectrum of components so the consumer can access the entourage of all the active ingredients.

Single molecule or CBD vape isolate products will not benefit from the so-called “Entourage Effect”; whereby the properties and effectiveness of each cannabinoid is said to be enhanced when in the presence of others.

And it seems it’s when all the plant's components get together that the real magic happens, even if we are still not sure exactly how[1].

 

 

CBD for optimal health

While we are still to fully understand how these therapeutic components can influence our mood, metabolism, sleep and immune response, there is a large volume of pre-clinical research that indicates how these complex plant compounds may support the body in regulating itself and help it to maintain balance or homeostasis[2]. It's proposed this may be achieved by influencing dozens of targets within the body, not just our cannabinoid receptors[3]. 

 

Distillation drawbacks

There are some drawbacks with distillation, as there are with any refining process:

  1. Any terpenes present in the plant will nearly all be destroyed by heat in the pursuit of CBD: Terpenes will need to be captured in a separate distillation process and then reintroduced at the formulation stage.
  2. Distilling can’t remove all pesticides: Therefore, the raw material must be tested and certified as safe before any processing commences. 
  3. Good quality distillate isn’t cheap: However, the high concentration allows you to use much less.

 

Advanced vape technology

But it is the transformation in technology that has enabled the popularity of distillate vaporisation to take off, leaving combustion in its wake (or vapour). A new generation of porous ceramic core CBD vaporisers, that can manage the viscous distillates have emerged. These are quite different from the old style, nicotine vapes with a traditional cotton wick. Instead, the inert ceramic has a heating element embedded, which when heated by the battery, immediately and cleanly vaporises the distillate for inhalation.

This technology means consumers now have a discrete and healthier way of capturing the maximum therapeutic effects of the Cannabis plant and many users are people who would never dream of inhaling smoke.

 

Is CBD distillate legal

Yes, CBD vape oil of distillate is legal to consume in the UK. It is the presence of controlled cannabinoids (such as THC and CBN) that may or may not also be in a product which will determine its legal status. The law in the UK currently "allows" products with a trace amount of just 1mg of each controlled cannabinoid in the whole product or package. So always check the lab report or “Coa”. THC vape oil UK wide is illegal.     

 

What makes a good distillate vape cart 

From the outside one CBD vape cart or CBD vape pod may look pretty much like the next. So what are the factors you should consider when choosing any filled CBD vape pen or vape pod device? 

  1. The cartridge/hardware quality: There are 100’s of manufacturers in China producing empty vape cartridges or pods for a few cents to $5 a piece. There is obviously a huge difference in how each of these are made, the quality of materials used and the manufacturing conditions employed. Bearing in mind un-tested or poorly produced CBD vape oil cartridges or CBD pods can leach toxic heavy metals, it’s probably best to stick with respected hardware brands.                                                                                  
  2. Terpenes:  Real Cannabis-derived terpenes are always preferable to synthetic, plant or hydrocarbon-derived versions commonly used.                                                                                                       
  3. Concentration:  How much CBD, CBG and other cannabinoids are in your CBD vape cart (you can expect 20-70%+). Does the third-party lab test or "Coa" back this up? No lab test…move on!                                                                         
  4. Does it contain any glycols or diluents such as PG, VG or MCT's, these are not great when heated to high temperatures and are best avoided[4].  

 

To conclude

Distillate may just be the future of Cannabis science and it's no wonder it can be worth its weight in gold. Distillation itself is a timeworn botanical extraction process that has started a new revolution in the way Cannabis is consumed today. So, if you are looking for the cleanest, purest and one of the most potent CBD concentrates available, then Cannabis oil distillate and our CBD vape pen just may be the product for you.    

But with little difference visually you should do your own research to see exactly what’s in your cart or edible. After all, we are looking to improve our health, right?

 

 

References

[1] Williamson EM - Synergy and other interactions in phytomedicines, Phytomedicine (2001)

[2] Whiting P et al - Cannabinoids for Medical Use: A Systemic Review of Meta-analysis, American Medical Association (2015)

[3] Atalay S et al - Antioxidative effects and anti-inflammatory properties of Cannabidiol, Antioxidants (2020)

[4] Song MA - Effects of Electronic Cigarette Constituents on the Human Lung: A Pilot Clinical Trial, Cancer Prevention Research (2020)

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