Is cold pressed hemp oil the same as CBD? Before we address this question, we should first discuss what cannabidiol (CBD) is and where it comes from. CBD is a non-psychoactive that is derived from the hemp plant. While hemp has been used for centuries, CBD products have been a hot topic in the United States ever since the introduction of the 2018 Farm Bill being signed into law.
The 2018 Farm Bill outlined that derivatives of hemp products that have below 0.3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentrations by dry weight are legal for use in products under the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) requirements and standards.
Since then, CBD hemp products have slowly become a new part of everyday American life by appearing in shelves as tinctures, balms, and bath bombs. With this new batch of CBD-based products, common questions arise such as “what is hemp, is it better than CBD?”, “is cold pressed hemp oil the same as CBD?”, and “is organic cold pressed CBD oil better?”. The short answer is that it’s a little complicated, with an asterisk. Let’s take a look at how cold press extraction CBD works versus other methods of CBD extraction.
The Processes
Plant and vegetable oil extraction has existed for over eight millenia, when Babylonian society created a method to extract oil from olives. Around this same time, it is believed that hemp oils were also extracted for use in those ancient times. The process was primitive and mostly involved a series of crushing and grinding the mash of olives or hemp until oil was extracted.
Today, oil extraction is modernized and the manufacturing process is carefully quality controlled to meet FDA regulations in the United States. There are three primary methods and practices that the industry uses to extract CBD from hemp: ethanol extraction, CO2 extraction, and cold press extraction CBD. While the exact processes are a closely-kept industry secret, we can provide a generalized overview of the different extraction methods.
Ethanol Extraction CBD
Ethanol extraction is the most common method of extraction for CBD products. Ethanol interacts with water-soluable compounds and can be temperature-adjusted to produce different qualities in the end-product.
Here’s the jist of how it works: it starts with the hemp being soaked in an ethanol solution (the specific percent concentration is usually a secret) and the plant material is filtered. Then the ethanol is evaporated to remove it from the end-product.
Ethanol extraction is a popular method for creating full-spectrum CBD products and the process can be adjusted in a low-temperature environment to preserve some of its natural potency. Ethanol extraction is preferred in the industry because of its scalability and ease of mass manufacturing.
CO2 Extraction CBD
CO2 extraction is less common than its boozy counterpart, but is still used by some manufacturers. CO2 extraction involves the use of high-pressure carbon dioxide to extract CBD from the plant material. The process is referred to as “supercritical extraction” and involves the use of super-pressurized carbon dioxide to turn the gaseous CO2 into a liquid form.
This supercritial fluid then gets pumped/mixed through the hemp, which extracts the CBD and other compounds. The result is a concentrated paste that is filtered and eventually distilled into a CBD end-product. This process can also be used to produce full-spectrum CBD products.
Cold Press Extraction CBD
Modern cold press extraction CBD products have taken the food and drug industry by storm in recent decades. Organic cold pressed CBD oil products are made using organic ingredients coupled with the coldpressing process. This process involves crushing the hemp into a pulpy mash. The machines used to crush the hemp are kept in a super cool state so that the process remains heat-free throughout. Pressure is applied to the mash and oils are extracted for the end product; organic cold pressed CBD oil comes from organic hemp ingredients.
Our Conclusions to Cold Pressed CBD
So, is cold pressed hemp oil the same as CBD? The answer is not really. CBD oil is derived from the hemp plant and can contain an assortment of different parts of the plant. When speaking about “hemp oil”, the FDA typically is referring to “hemp seed oil” which comes from solely the seeds. The seeds do not contain CBD and are used for a variety of food items such as snacks, cookies, bread, etc.
As we covered earlier, the manufacturing process is a closely protected secret for most manufacturers. While Antara Organics cannot disclose our process, we wholeheartedly report that our CBD products are full-spectrum, heat-free extracted, organic, and third-party tested. For more information and about organic CBD products, visit Antara Organics today!