CBD Distillate: Odorless and Purified Extract with Entourage Effect

CBD distillate keeps its terpenes and minor cannabinoids to access entourage benefits.

CBD distillate is an oil extract from the cannabis plant that contains high amounts of CBD along with other plant compounds. It typically contains around eighty percent CBD and includes minor cannabinoids and terpenes, along with other plant oils.

Sourced from the cannabis plant as opposed to hemp, CBD distillate often contains levels of THC above the trace amounts tolerated in jurisdictions where cannabis consumption isn’t legal.

Consumed alone or infused, CBD distillate is a versatile solution providing high concentrations of CBD for patients. Furthermore, distillate oils are free from impurities and ideal for consumption with vaporizers, tinctures, edibles, or dab rigs.

Distillate is not the purest form of CBD available on the market. By refining distillate further, it’s possible to create an isolate that reaches levels of ninety-nine percent CBD.

How is CBD Distillate Made?

The extraction techniques used for cannabis concentrates are wide and varied. While many involve the use of chemical solvents, distillation relies upon heat to vaporize cannabinoids from the source plant material. The two main extraction techniques used are known as “Short Path” and “Short Path Wiped Film” techniques

The Short Path Distillation Process

Short path distillation techniques work by gradually raising the temperature within a vessel to the boiling point of the main cannabinoids.

Packed tightly into an evaporation vessel, a rotating wiper within spreads the source plant material onto heated walls. The wiper ensures even exposure of the plant material to heat, something that helps ensure minimal degradation of the source plant material. The wiper effectively forces plant material along the vessel walls before everything collects in a condenser as a liquid.

The condenser, located at an outlet in the vessel, provides the “short path” for the extracted vapor to collect. The precision offered by this extraction technique ensures that heavier plant materials, such as wax and chlorophyll are left behind. Finally, the non-medicinal compounds are forced into a separate container by the wiper system, thus ensuring that the resulting distillate is pure.

The short path process lacks the wiper that spreads plant material on the vessel wall. Instead it involves the heating of packed plant material within a flask under vacuum conditions. The vacuum draws vapor into fractioning tubing that then separates the different compounds before they hit the condensing tube.

CBD Distillate Versus CBD Isolate and Full-Spectrum CBD Oil

The medicinal miracles offered by CBD are as wide and varied as the market solutions available. Widely consumed as either isolate, distillate, or as part of a full-spectrum extract, each provides the patient with advantages and conveniences.

How CBD Isolate Differs From CBD Distillate

CBD isolate is the purest form of CBD. The extraction process results in the removal of everything except for cannabidiol. As a result, it’s one of the purest forms on the market. CBD isolates contain levels of CBD that reach up to ninety-nine percent purity. These contain no additives, no contaminants, just pure concentrated CBD.

However, while this may sound attractive, the associated downside is the removal of additional plant compounds that enhance the medicinal benefit. Terpenes, flavonoids, and other cannabinoids are not present in CBD isolate. The result is the exclusion of the entourage effect, that web of complex synergies that helps modulate the medicinal properties of cannabis more fully.

CBD isolate is wonderfully versatile. Without plant compounds, pure unadulterated CBD has no taste or smell. This makes it the ideal extract to add to edibles without introducing any flavor.

How Full-Spectrum CBD Extracts Differ

Full-spectrum CBD extracts contain the whole-plant benefits but without high quantities of THC. Full-spectrum CBD contains an array of minor cannabinoids and terpenes that help ensure modulation of the plant’s medicinal benefits.

Accordingly, much of the science carried out of medicinal cannabis suggests that preserving minor plant compounds is beneficial. A study published in the British Journal of Pharmacology (2011), investigated the underlying synergies that play out between plant compounds. After detailing the many potent existing synergies, researchers described cannabis as a “pharmacological treasure trove.”

Full-Spectrum CBD extract contains minimal levels of THC, meaning consumers won’t become intoxicated. While CBD isolate contains cannabidiol in its purest form, full-spectrum CBD contains many other beneficial compounds while remaining THC free. As a result, many patients find more therapeutic benefit from full-spectrum extracts.

How to Consume CBD Distillate

With various methods of effective administration, CBD distillate is a versatile and discreet form of CBD with a wide range of administration options.

Vaporizing CBD Distillate

Vaporizing is the most common way to medicate with distillate oils. Ceramic coils are often preferred as they deliver the purest flavor. They tend to maximize the taste of any terpenes present in the distillate and allow consumers to appreciate the flavor without a burning taste.

Using CBD Distillate in Edibles

Due to their odorless and flavorless nature, high-quality distillates are often combined with food. The addition of distillate to any recipe provides a potent medicinal value without the lingering plant taste.

Dabbing CBD Distillate

CBD distillate also works effectively with a dabbing rig. So, vaporizing the distillate instantly on a hot surface offers an ultra-efficient method of administration that results in little waste.

Smoking CBD Distillate

Even though it’s a liquid, smoking CBD distillate is possible. Accordingly, those who want some added potency often coat rolling papers with some distillate for an added medicinal benefit.

CBD alone is an incredible source of healing, but with the inclusion of additional plant compounds, CBD distillate is the discreet odorless form of medicine that many consumers desire.