Is CBD Oil Purity That Important?
Not every vial of oil is the same.
Cannabidiol is a legal cannabis substance that bloggers (including myself) have been raving about for it's health benefits. While every pot smoker will get a hefty dose of it, people who seek out CBD oil with a high level of purity are likely wanting to evade consuming any trace of THC.
Considering that CBD oil has multiple methods and levels of extraction, not every product is completely free of THC and other cannabinoids. Not only does it come down to quality control of the producer, the source of the cannabis (usually hemp) and the initial refining method used has the biggest impact.
A Mix of Oils
While oil suspensions or filler oils are not necessarily unhealthy, you may be getting a worse bang for your buck if you don't revise your vials' ingredients. Filler oils can be a suspension in which the CBD is extracted, but shadier folk may put some sort of vegetable oil, olive oil or something that mixes will to add more weight.
Having filler oils present while being advertised as 100% pure CBD would also put into question the quality control of the producer. There are products on the market that are open about having oil, which is fine since some people are looking for that, but it's more about intention than the practice itself.
Trace THC
CBD oil that has impurities or is simply a "high-CBD" hemp extract will still have some THC. This substance can accumulate in your body and the user may start to notice its effects. It can also show up on blood tests over time, which isn't desirable for someone with a drug-tested job.
Many athletes are a fan of CBD, but if a particular sport tests for marijuana, purity is important not to trigger false positives. This can cost championship titles for even top athletes if they're not careful on where they source their oil.
Keep in mind, the Farm Bill from 2018 THC concentrations of up to 0.3%. Some people think that cold-press hemp extract or smoking "high-CBD hemp" is a more economical way to get CBD, but it can be just enough to mess up your blood tests.
Optimal Extraction.
While there multiple ways of getting CBD out of hemp, the preferable method for industrial operations is Supercritical & Subcritical CO2 Extraction. Very expensive and specialized equipment is used to extract the cannabinoid with high heat & pressure. This isn't a feasible method for DIY extractions, but it offers the highest purity and yields possible.
Alcohol extraction is also quite common and relatively efficient. Using ethanol to dissolve molecules like chlorophyll will make the end product more pure & palatable.
If you try out products from each extraction method, you would probably notice the difference in all around taste, smell and potency. There are companies playing around with different methods, like water extraction, but CO2 is the industry standard.
Purification is equally important as the initial extraction method. This can be something quite basic like distillation or running it through a centrifugal partition chromatography system. If you have doubts, you can ask your CBD supplier how they filter their oil.
Bottom Line: Does it matter to you?
Depending on one's lifestyle, having small amounts of THC or other cannabinoids in your system may not be a big deal. If you are already a user of recreational marijuana, the idea of purity is already out of the window. In that case, the sky is the limit to how you source your CBD.
If you are a regular person with little interest in marijuana and has a lot on the line, it is worth the additional investment to get CBD oils from a reliable source. Be sure to read up on reviews, and perhaps have your CBD oils properly tested in a lab for purity for assurance.
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