CBD shatter has added terpenes that increase the potency of its medicinal properties.
CBD shatter contains no THC and attempts to preserve both the taste and medicinal benefits of the original plant profile.
How is Shatter Made?
The primary ingredient of CBD shatter is CBD isolate. Extracted from the hemp plant, CBD isolate undergoes a rigorous filtration process. This removes any oils, lipids, and waxes as well as other plant compounds.
Extracting CBD from hemp can happen in a variety of ways. While butane, alcohol, and rosin press are popular in the extraction process, supercritical Co2 extraction is the cleanest, purest method.
CBD isolate is a fine, white crystalline powder that boasts CBD concentrations in the range of ninety-nine percent. It’s devoid of flavor, has zero THC, and contains zero medicinal plant compounds, such as terpenes.
To help ensure medicinal benefit from the resulting CBD shatter, the isolate undergoes infusion with terpenes. These terpenes match a particular cultivar and once mixed, the isolate crystallizes into its shatter form.
How to Choose CBD Shatter
As with any concentrate, it’s important to verify proper practices occurred during production. In any form of concentrate, pesticide residues, solvent residues, and heavy metals present in the original plant material will be present in even larger concentrations in the end product. Remember that all forms of concentrates not only distill the concentration of cannabinoids but also the unwanted harmful compounds. Always check for lab analysis results at the time of purchase.
Regardless of which cultivar or chemovar the original extraction came from, CBD isolate is exactly what the name suggests. A high concentration of cannabidiol. But anyone consuming cannabis for its medicinal properties knows what makes it a stronger medicine. And that is the “entourage effect,” or the healing power from the potent synergies playing out between plant compounds.
With CBD-rich extracts devoid of THC, the primary plant compounds helping modulate the medicinal properties are terpenes. This is in effect what differentiates CBD isolate from CBD shatter. And those looking to medicate with CBD shatter should be aware of the terpenes subsequently added to the mix.
Why Terpenes Matter
There are over one hundred terpenes present in the cannabis plant. These hold the key to unlocking many of its medicinal benefits via a process known as the entourage effect. This finding came to the public’s attention thanks to an influential study published in the British Journal of Pharmacology and Chemotherapy (2011). In the study named Taming THC, well-known cannabis researcher Ethan Russo outlines how there is pharmacological interest in “terpenoid components in concentrations above 0.05%.”
The study analyzed in great detail how cannabis’ major terpenes interact with other plant compounds. In a bid to elicit more potent medicinal benefits, this analysis included CBD.
What Conditions Will CBD Shatter Treat?
Due to its non-intoxicating nature, CBD shatter has become a viable solution for many patients. Treating conditions with CBD, like chronic pain, inflammation, epilepsy, insomnia, and depression has become commonplace. With many of the medicinal benefits happening due to the inclusion of several major terpenes.
Limonene, linalool, humulene, pinene, caryophyllene, and myrcene are the major terpenes found in hemp. As a result, these are those most commonly added to CBD shatter.
Limonene and linalool exhibit potent anti-anxiety properties and analgesic effects. In the study conducted by Russo and his team, researchers concluded that the, “addition of anxiolytic limonene and linalool could contribute to the clinical efficacy of a CBD extract.”
When combined with pinene — a terpene known to combat inflammation and promote memory attention and alertness — researchers stated that, “limonene, pinene and linalool could putatively extend benefits in mood.”
Caryophyllene is another common terpene and is best known to treat anxiety and depression. Researchers found that, “CBD and caryophyllene, and possibly other adjunctive terpenoids in the extract, offer significant promise in future addiction treatment.”
If the study highlights anything it’s that the effects of CBD are much potentiated with the inclusion of the major terpenes. As a result, many manufacturers will reintroduce these terpenes into commercially-available solutions after extraction.
What Does CBD Shatter Lack?
The downside of CBD is that it lacks the vast majority of the original plant compounds. It includes only one of the one hundred and thirteen known cannabinoids, while none of the twenty varieties of flavonoids in cannabis are present. And when it comes to terpenes, CBD shatter only contains a select few, and the manufacturer must manually reintroduce these into the extract.
The lack of such a wide variety of compounds means the nullification of many of the cannabis plant’s medicinal properties. But, while CBD shatter does lack many therapeutic compounds, one distinct advantage is that consumers won’t experience any intoxicating effects. This is of particular importance to those who must medicate with high doses of CBD but can’t subject themselves to the intoxicating effects of the full-plant extract that includes THC.
How to Consume CBD Shatter
There are a variety of ways to consume CBD shatter — whether by dabbing, vaping or smoking. Dabbing is the most popular method of consumption, and as always, consumers should opt for a low temperature so as to ensure the preservation of those all-important terpenes.
Furthermore, while THC boils at three hundred and fourteen degrees Fahrenheit, CBD boils at a slightly higher temperature, in the range of three hundred and twenty to three hundred and fifty-six degrees Fahrenheit.
While there’s no danger of overdosing with cannabidiol, CBD shatter is potent stuff. Inexperienced consumers should start out with 10mg dabs and work up. While not everyone responds to it medicinally, those who do often find it shatters their healing expectations.
