Distillate is a cannabis extract from hemp flowers that yields a final product of only one specific cannabinoid after it is stripped of all other materials and compounds. This process removes most of the non-cannabinoid compounds, including terpenes, flavonoids, and fatty acids. Following the extraction process, the CBD distillate will be composed of between 80-90% of CBD and retain plant cannabinoids.
Distillate is commonly used in vape products, edibles and topicals because of its high concentration, purity and lack of odor and taste. This is a highly valued cannabis commodity because its refinement process is tedious and requires a lot of important steps.
First, the cannabinoids must be separated from the cannabis plant material, this is known as a crude oil extraction. The separation can be accomplished through physical or chemical means. The crude extract contains impurities that must be removed before the oil can be divided into its individual cannabinoids. The crude is purified through the process of winterization.
All cannabinoids must be decarboxylated in their acid form. Decarboxylation is the process of removing the carboxylic from a cannabinoid’s chemical compound and this is done through a heating process. CBD is isolated and purified by being heated to a temperature that allows the compound (CBD) to be vaporized, but not completely lost through heat. After the CBD is vaporized, it can be returned to its form as a purified liquid. This process creates a solution that eliminates all the excess and undesired compounds.
There are three different terms that reference the methods of CBD extraction; broad spectrum, full spectrum, and CBD isolate. Broad spectrum is a term used interchangeably with CBD distillate. Broad spectrum distillation refers to the cannabinoid oil that has had one or more cannabinoids removed from the solution. Full spectrum CBD defines oils and other solutions extracted by the hemp plant that haven’t been distilled. CBD isolate is CBD in its purest form. It comes in the form of a powder and only contains the cannabinoid, cannabidiol. Since it only contains CBD it must undergo a more strenuous distillation process than other CBD distillate products.