CBD Oil

Hemp extract is just what it sounds like: a concentrated CBD product that’s been extracted from natural hemp plants. 

There are a few different ways to make full-spectrum hemp extract:

Ethanol Extraction  

Using a liquid solvent like ethanol is one of the most common ways to create CBD concentrates. Alcohol can be used to pull cannabinoids and other organic compounds from the plant before the alcohol is evaporated.

Butane or Propane Extraction  

These solvents can also be washed over plant material to extract CBD and other natural components of the plant. The butane and propane must be carefully removed from the final product since they aren’t fit for human consumption.

CO2 Hemp Extract 

When it’s kept at exactly the right pressure and temperature, CO2 can force CBD out of the hemp plant. When the solution returns to room temperature, the carbon dioxide becomes a gas again, leaving the CBD oil behind.

Oil Extraction 

This is one of the simplest extraction processes. All it takes is heating the hemp plant material in oil until the CBD can bind with the oil.

When you’re talking about CBD oil, it’s important to make distinctions between different types of cannabinoids:

Cannabidiol (CBD) 

This cannabinoid is legal on a federal level in the United States when derived from a hemp plant. It’s non-intoxicating and users enjoy it when they want to achieve a general sense of wellness.

THC  

This psychoactive cannabinoid is still illegal on a national level in the United States.

To make this distinction, we talk about cannabis as either being hemp or marijuana. Marijuana contains large amounts of THC, which is why it’s still illegal on a federal level. Plants that contain less than 0.3% THC are considered to be federally-legal hemp. This is where our legal CBD hemp extract comes from.

The processes described above extract flavorful terpenes (like essential oils) and other cannabinoids in addition to CBD. Products that include many natural ingredients from the hemp plant are considered full spectrum hemp oil. These products are still legal because we make them with hemp, not marijuana, so the plant material we start with contains less than 0.3% THC.

We’re able to refine our full spectrum hemp oil further to remove some natural ingredients and create our Fresh Mint Zero THC CBD Oil. Some people still prefer to buy full spectrum hemp extract, though, because there’s a belief that the whole-plant approach to CBD is the purest and most natural. In addition to CBD, full spectrum hemp oil can contain other components from the hemp plant, including the following:

• Additional legal cannabinoids
• Terpenes (flavorful natural oils that people like for therapeutic reasons)
• Amino acids
• Magnesium
• Iron
• Calcium
• Zinc
• Omega-3 fatty acids
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin B
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E

There are all kinds of different products available to people who want to buy CBD online. Unfortunately, there is some wild inconsistency in the quality of these various products. Until you’re able to identify the safest CBD brand, it may be hard to determine which products are the real deal. Here are a few things we normally encourage people to be mindful of when buying CBD:

• Are these products made with US-grown hemp?
• Is the CBD oil hemp-derived and therefore federally-legal and able to be purchased without a prescription?
• Has the oil been independently lab-tested to ensure purity and quality?
• Is the CBD tincture made from non-GMO hemp?
• Does the CBD company work with farmers who use pesticides and other dangerous chemicals, or is this pesticide-free hemp oil?

At Harbor Hemp Company, we’re on a mission to be the safest and most trusted CBD company in New England. We offer a variety of different high-quality hemp oil products, including our Full Spectrum CBD Oil and Fresh Mint Zero THC CBD Oil. Also known as CBD tincture, our CBD oils are one of the most simple and convenient ways to enjoy your daily dose of CBD.