Extractions are the key to the future of cannabis, which I shall explore in this edition. The terms “Distillate” and “Isolate” have most likely come across your radar because they are now utilized in a wide range of applications, and I believe that they will become even more common this year as the industry continues to evolve. What these phrases signify and how these refined cannabis fractions are produced will be explained as clearly as possible, in ‘common English,’ by myself. Believe me when I say that molecular distillation is the wave of the future!
DISTILLATE
Crude/Raw cannabis oil (extract) is a complex mixture of terpenes, cannabinoids, and waxes that is extracted from cannabis. All of these chemical compounds (fractions) can be separated from one another using centrifugal force. Due to the varied boiling temperatures (volatility) of the fractions, each of them can be captured and separated from the others. How? This is accomplished by a method known as ‘fractional distillation.’ Put another way, this chemical method separates the cannabinoids and terpenes by heating a crude cannabis oil mixture until it reaches the boiling point (a predetermined temperature) of the appropriate fractions, which is then cooled.
Boiling Points of Different Cannabis Fractions
By chilling the crude oil mixture right after reaching a specified boiling point, you can ‘capture’ a specific individual compound/fraction that is escaping as a vapor from the crude oil mixture (condensation). When THC, CBD, and Terpenes are desired chemicals, distillation is conducted following (whole plant -) extraction in order to further concentrate and purify those compounds.
ISOLATE
THC-isolate or CBD-isolate is the purest form (pure fraction) of cannabis that can be obtained because you are essentially dealing with the pure THC- and CBD-molecules at this point. Distillate, on the other hand, may still include certain cannabinoids that are not found in flower.
To put it another way, isolate is purified distillate.
Some of these pure (CBD-only) extractions are accessible at the Amsterdam Seed Center, and CBD-isolate is available from a number of other brands, including Endoca, Ubuntu Herbals, and Harmony. Due to the fact that THC distillate and isolate are not legal (yet) in Amsterdam, these products are not able to contain any THC.
There are a variety of methods for consuming CBD-isolate. Because it has already been decarboxylated (which means that all of the CBD is active), you may eat it in its purest form to reap the full advantages of CBD. It can be used to dab, cook, vaporize, and infuse anything (food/drinks, massage oil, and so on). Dabbing CBD-isolate produces a menthol- and cherry-flavored vapor that has a relaxing effect on the body immediately after inhaling it.
It’s fascinating to see how all of the cannabinoids, specifically THC and CBD, interact with one another and work against one another. An entourage effect is produced when CBD-isolate is combined with other cannabinoids (for example, smoking a THC-rich joint while swallowing CBD-isolate) and can be quite potent. Because these extracts contain separated chemicals, consumers can consume specific cannabinoids, such as CBD, in its purest form, which is beneficial for a variety of reasons. This is unquestionably wonderful news for those who utilize medical services. Because the distillates have no taste (because they do not contain terpenes), they are an excellent choice for use in edibles as well. In the next months, I’ll be delving deeper into the fascinating realm of cannabis chemicals… read more
CBD has the ability to both augment and prolong a high, as well as lessen a high and restore a state of ‘cannabinoid balance.’ It is all depending on the cannabinoids that you have consumed and their synergetic effects, which when combined equals Entourage! The only thing I can tell is that you must experiment on your own to see what effect the various combinations have and to find the one that works best for you.