CANNABIS PRODUCTS: OIL
Extracts come in a number of forms and are created through different processes of refining the cannabis plant to an essential oil. These cannabis products can aid in medical reasons such as anxiety, chronic pain, PTSD or increased appetite, which is helpful to chemo patients. Another benefit is controlled dosage. This is particularly of use to medicinal cannabis users that do not want to get overwhelmed by a THC high. These users are typically consuming cannabis on a daily schedule and want to lead normal lives; intoxication from cannabis products with high THC can hinder their ability to do so.
FORMAT
Gel caps: Gel caps can contain a few different compounds, but Cannabis Oil is the most common. These pills can contain any number of strains and have a wide range of THC and CBD percentages.
Tinctures: Produced by an alcohol extraction method via ethanol the tincture is prepared by soaking the flowers in the alcohol, then removing the flowers and finally heating the compound to evaporate the remaining alcohol. The resulting liquid is then bottled and administered via eyedropper orally or in some cases topically on the skin (although this has been observed as much less effective depending on purpose).
Sublingual drops: A cannabis extract is combined with honey and administered via an eye dropper or plastic syringe, placing a drop of the substance under the tongue. It is then absorbed through the tissue in the mouth which is quicker than swallowing.
Phoenix Tears: Also known as RSO or Rick Simpson oil, this cannabis product comes from an extraction method using grain alcohol to produce a thick molasses-like oil. It can be ingested in pills or vaporized and has gained a lot of popularity with medical cannabis users with some going as far to claim that it has anti-cancer properties.
STRENGTH
When it comes to determining the most effective THC and CBD Pill product for you, strength is something that has to come into consideration. As most people who are taking cannabis orally are usually doing so to help with certain medical symptoms, not everyone wants to get high. Knowing the strength of THC and CBD if your chosen product can be the difference between finding relief and being uncomfortably high when it’s not appropriate. Always make sure your choice has clearly labelled THC and CBD percentages before you buy online. Not everyone has the same needs so no one formula fits all when it comes to cannabis. Here are a few of the most common ratios that are in use for oral Cannabis products:
RATIOS
High THC: THC has been known to help deal with a number of symptoms and the most widely sought-after of those has been pain relief. Oral consumption has been found to be a better method of using Cannabis for pain relief due to better control of dosage and a more controlled release of THC over a longer period than traditional smoking. Additionally, a high THC formula will produce a high that when taken in the right setting is a great relief of stress and stress-related symptoms.
High CBD: High CBD formulas are for those who would prefer not to get high while treating their medical needs. CBD is a non-psychoactive compound but is still a Cannabinoid and is said to relieve a number of symptoms similar to THC.
1:1 (equal parts THC to CBD): This formula is said to be the best of both worlds. CBD works in concert with THC to moderate some of the more psychoactive effects it has to produce a more balanced experience.
EXTRACTION PROCESS
Heat Press (Rosin): One of the simplest ways to extract cannabis oil from Marijuana is the Rosin method. At its core, all that is needed is heat and pressure. There are a number of ways you can prep the flowers (or not in the case of Live Rosin) to get more out of them but they are all basically the same. The final product requires no solvents so there are no health concerns with exposure to butane or other hydrocarbon compounds and it also appears with a slight greenish hue to the oil produced.
Alcohol solvent extraction: This method uses ethanol or grain alcohol to leech oil the oils from the plant. Typically plant material is soaked in the solvent for a time as the oils are soluble in alcohol. Once the soaking is complete the plant material is removed and the mixture brought up in temperature to evaporate the alcohol leaving only cannabis oil behind.
Butane hash oil extraction (BHO): BHO is one of the most common methods of extraction for cannabis at this time. Butane, as you may be familiar with, is a gas used in cigarette lighters. When under pressure the gas forms a liquid which when combined with cannabis plant material in closed loop system will leech cannabis oil out of the plant. Although this method is generally safe for experienced extraction artists it does run the risk of explosion and serious injury. Post extraction, the compound is released from the pressure chamber and goes through multiple purges to remove the Butane. Not all the butane can always be removed and some prefer not to use this method for Oral Cannabis products.
CO2 Supercritical extraction: CO2 extraction is achieved through the use of high pressure and very low temperatures. One of the more technical ways to extract cannabis oil it requires the use of special machinery to compress and turn Carbon Dioxide gas into its liquid form which is then pushed through the Cannabis Plant material removing the oils from it. This process has a number of benefits over traditional solvent extraction processes but the main one is that it doesn’t use a dangerous solvent. CO2, once it’s brought back to room temperature and pressure just evaporates away on its own with no additional purges needed to purify the oil.
There are over 100 different Cannabinoid compounds across the spectrum of Cannabis Products and as time goes on we will discover more and understand the benefits of them, leading to new formulas with more specific uses for symptom relief.
