The Benefits of Ethanol Extraction for CBD

What is ethanol extraction? How does it work? What are the benefits? Read our article to discover the answers to these questions and more.

With CBD (or cannabidiol) products clearly poised to become a whopping $20 billion industry by 2024, it only makes sense that people are becoming interested in learning more about it. Between understanding what CBD is, how it works in the body, and how to incorporate it into a healthy lifestyle, it can seem as if there’s just too much information to digest. It can seem overwhelming, but some basics can make a major difference in your CBD experience.

While some people may already be familiar with how CBD works best for them and its list of potential benefits, there may still be some confusion about how CBD actually ends up in a tincture, gummy, or salve. It’s becoming common knowledge that hemp contains this non-psychotropic cannabinoid, but how exactly do you get CBD out of hemp? The answer is extraction. Read on to learn more about one of the cleanest ways to extract hemp: ethanol.

What Is Ethanol Extraction?

There are a variety of ways to extract CBD from hemp and cannabis, but ethanol extraction is a common approach. Ethanol has not only been classified as safe for human consumption, but is considered one of the safest and most-efficient ways to extract CBD from hemp. The grain alcohol that has long been used in many foods and medicines is now being used to extract CBD from hemp by separating the cannabinoid from the plant to produce oil. The process involves either warm or cold ethanol that essentially strips the unwanted lipids, waxes, and plant sugars from the hemp plant by dripping or moving ethanol through packed plant material. The result is a very clean, balanced, full-spectrum CBD hemp oil.

What Are the Benefits of Ethanol Extraction?

Although ethanol extraction is one of the newest methods (compared to butane or CO2, for example), it’s quickly become popular in the industry. Ethanol is considered an optimal choice thanks to its efficiency and safety. Not only is it made from plants, it’s especially efficient for extracting CBD from the hemp plant. Unlike other extraction methods (such as CO2 extraction) that can only dissolve oil-soluble chemicals, ethanol dissolves both water- and oil-soluble chemicals. It can also evaporate easily, which helps to produce a clean, pure extract without any traces of solvent in the finished product.

Why Extraction Methods Matter

Keep in mind that when choosing the right CBD product, it’s important to take a few things into consideration. In many ways, it’s just as important to look at the quality of the CBD product you’re using or consuming as at the method of extraction. What could have been a great product can easily be ruined if care hasn’t been taken to ensure it’s a pure extraction. Organic solvents are ideal and it’s best to avoid solvents like petroleum, butane, or naphtha, which can leave behind toxic residue. CBD products with toxic residues can be harmful and create the risk of side effects when consumed.

At Upstate Elevator Supply Co., we use a proprietary, closed-loop organic ethanol extraction process to create some of our products, including our Organic Full-Spectrum Lemon CBD MCT Oil, Organic Full-Spectrum Capsules, muscle balm, and more. We keep a cryogenic (i.e., ultra-cold) temperature throughout to preserve the phytocannabinoids, terpenes, terpenoids, and flavonoids within the plant — yielding a high-quality full-spectrum product.

References:

  1. https://www.forbes.com/sites/irisdorbian/2019/05/20/cbd-market-could-reach-20-billion-by-2024-says-new-study/#255684f549d0
  2. https://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/your-guide-to-ethanol-extraction/
×
 
Why Choose to Autoship?
  • Automatically re-order your favorite products on your schedule.
  • Easily change the products or shipping date for your upcoming Scheduled Orders.
  • Pause or cancel any time.