why the cbd in your tinctures should be extracted with air

Hexane, butane, propane – these are just a few of the common solvents used to extract CBD from the
hemp plant. Until now.

what is cbd extraction and how does it work?

CBD manufacturers use a variety of techniques to separate cannabinoids from the hemp plant during extraction, and some methods are cleaner than others. However, the techniques used often stray away from the definition of natural solvents, like carbon dioxide, and lean towards chemical solvents that can pose potential health risks. We believe it’s best to avoid chemical solvents whenever possible, especially when using CBD internally. 
Here's why.

In order to produce CBD oil for tinctures, cannabinoids and terpenes must be separated from the rest of the hemp plant. As stated, there are several safe techniques manufacturers use for CBD extraction including steam and carbon dioxide. However, one popular method used to extract CBD is by with chemical-based solvents. These typically consist of hydrocarbons like butane, propane, hexane and even petroleum.

Unfortunately, hydrocarbons are known to cause health problems including kidney damage, respiratory failure and issues in the nervous system through everyday exposure. While these solvents are supposed to be filtered out during the extraction process, this is not always the case. In fact, residual solvent testing has shown residue detected in some CBD products on the market.

Pachamama's proprietary air extraction 

Luckily, there is a highly safe and effective way to extract CBD used in tinctures. The way that we avoid potentially harmful solvents during the extraction method is by using just a little bit of heat and air. All of our tinctures are made this way, so there’s no worry of solvents ever making their way into your body. We also rigorously test each and every one of our products to ensure that they’re both highly effective and completely safe for you to use. We even won the Purity Award from the Clean Label Project for having one of the cleanest lines of CBD products out of 242 products they tested.

why is solvent extraction the most common?

If using heat and air is an option, why are other CBD products made using an extraction technique involving solvents? Simply put, it’s a highly cost-efficient method of extraction. The CBD compound isn’t always plentiful in a hemp plant, which means the extraction process may only yield a small amount of it. Manufacturers use solvents like hydrocarbons to extract CBD as fast as possible, ensuring that a consistent amount of CBD is always extracted from the hemp plant. However, as we noted earlier, these cost-efficient methods of extraction have the potential to contain physically and environmentally harmful solvents if not properly handled during manufacturing. And, unfortunately, some CBD manufacturers do not properly disclose or test their products for residual solvents, something we are always transparent about. This could leave you unaware that potentially harmful chemicals were used during the manufacturing process of your tincture.

There are many methods used to extract CBD and many manufacturers trying to make fast money from the growing potential of CBD. That's why it's so important to know what's in your products and how it got there. While solvents may not always cause harm to those consuming them, there’s always a risk, and we provide the alternatives necessary to avoid the dangers completely.

To learn more about the Pachamama process, visit our Education page here.

Love our blogs? Never miss one when you join our mailing list!