This past weekend my neighbours accidentally found themselves at a local cannabis festival. Yes, accidentally! What they thought was just a local market, turned out to be a celebration of everything cannabis, HTC and CBD. They discovered interesting products but when it came to the CBD and cannabis oil price matter, they didn’t quite know how to make wise decisions. When is a cannabis oil price too high? Which CBD oil products will give you value for money?
For the next time you find yourself shopping for hemp products, CBD oil or any related product, the cannabis oil price doesn’t have to confuse you anymore. Make informed decisions thanks to more knowledge about the CBD industry.
Origin Matters
The first aspect any distributor needs to keep in mind is the source of the plants used for CBD or cannabis oil production. The type of soil determines the quality of the plants, so distributors should be able to tell you where the plants are harvested.
Also discuss how the plants are harvested. You don’t want to use any brand associated with child labour or other illegal activities, right? There are many reputable suppliers across the globe and the brand that sets the CBD or cannabis oil price must be able to show you that it’s money honestly earned.
Different Extraction Methods
A cannabis sativa plant has different parts, like the leaves, flowers, stalks and roots. For production purposes, CBD can be found in most parts of the plant above the soil, while THC rich products can usually be manufactured from the flowers specifically.
Here are some extraction methods of CBD oil.
CO2 Extraction
Science and nature make wonderful partners in this process. CO2 is placed under extremely high pressure while keeping the temperature fairly low. This turns the gas into a liquid which can be forced to travel via plant material.
Experts say this gives you an extraction efficiency rating of up to 90% and it will be very concentrated. Best of all is that it’s pure and doesn’t require much further processing. However, here you’ll be paying for the state-of-the-art equipment as well as skilled workers who need to operate the machines.
Using Ethanol
Another process that results in quality output is using alcohol solvents, with ethanol being a popular option. Since ethanol already exists in many food products today, this shouldn’t spark any health concerns for CBD oil users.
Ethanol is capable of dissolving the compounds in the cannabis in addition to some other water-soluble particles. These particles may need to be removed afterwards, since some of them—such as chlorophyll—can affect the taste of the CBD oil. So, you can see that you’re paying for various steps in this manufacturing process. Still, this is a fairly cheap way in comparison to methods like CO2 extraction.
In some cases the product may be contaminated with the solvent. But, overall, as long as this method is performed by skilled manufacturers, this is a trusted method.
Working with Hydrocarbon
Once again, some knowledge of science helps you understand this method.
There are many different hydrocarbon solvents that manufacturers can use, such as:
- Butane
- Isopropyl alcohol
- Hexane
A manufacturer uses the low boiling point feature of these solvents as a way to do CBD oil extraction. But this comes with some risks and consequences that makes it less favourable—and therefore you shouldn’t be paying as much for these as for some of the other oils.
Firstly, the process risks leaving behind some residue and this isn’t ideal for people with certain health conditions. Also, you can’t expect the same efficiency and high CBD concentration as with the more expensive methods mentioned above.
Lipids Work Too
A lipid or fat can be used and through absorption it will remove the right compounds from the plant products. It’s not the most popular method on the market but at least you don’t risk digesting CO2 or solvents.
Activating and Processing
Apart from extracting the necessary compounds from the plants, there’s also some processing of the raw material. This is to activate acid forms, transforming them to become the cannabinoids we all want.
As mentioned above, certain extraction processes result in impurities mixed with your CBD oil. Manufacturers can remove this through processes like winterization, incorporating alcohol mixing, freezing and filtering. Distillation is another option for purifying the liquid, since each compound will have a different boiling point and can be isolated one by one.
Only after all these steps will your oil be ready to use in a specific product.
What Else is in There?
The healthier the product you consume, the more it can help your body. This is why you’ll often notice sellers mention facts about the following:
- Is the CBD or cannabis oil natural? Only 100% natural products are worth paying high end prices for.
- Are there any contaminants? As shown in the described methods, the extraction and production processes shouldn’t leave any by products in your oil because any contaminant carries some risk for the user.
Instead of listening to marketing jargon at your local market, be a wise shopper. When sellers try to sway you with big words and fancy explanations, simply ask the important questions like the ones above and you’ll know whether the CBD or cannabis oil price is justified.
[Conclusion]
You can see the intricate processes necessary to get quality CBD and cannabis products you can use. Now, does it make more sense why these products are in a class of their own and why your CBD and cannabis oil price options may be a little more expensive than buying herbal tea or other essential oils? It’s worth every cent and at Vitozol you get all the guarantees you need:
- Quality products
- Trusted suppliers
- Decent prices
If you have more questions about CBD oil, its production or its application, browse our articles or leave a comment below.
