Cannabis and CBD oil contain medicinal proprieties, with a long list of uses that you can read about here. Nowadays it is fairly easy to buy CBD in several forms, from oil to extracts and crystals, and even soothing skin balms.
It is also possible to make your own CBD oil. If you have a favourite strain that you grow and prefer to make things yourself to be sure about the purity and ingredients or cannot manage to find a good supplier of CBD oil, than making your own CBD oil is the solution.
When choosing your strain, select one with high CBD content. Generally, Sativa and Indica strains have different composition and different cannabinoids contents. Sativa strains usually have high THC and low CBD content, while Indica strains have a tendency to have a lower THC and higher CBD content. At present times, due to breeding aiming at high CBD, you can find several seeds of medicinal cannabis available, which means that the plants will have a higher CBD content, most of them being hybrid: part Sativa and part Indica.
There are several methods used to make CBD oil. Choose one that suits you best and that you can find the supplies for. All methods described should be done in a clean environment.
The Alcohol Extraction method involves the use of ethanol or another high grade grain alcohol. It is a relatively simple process once you have the equipment and it will be not difficult to do.
The plant material should be soaked in the alcohol/ethanol for a few days, to allow for the CBD crystals in the plant to dissolve. After several days, or once you believe you have enough cannabinoids in the liquid, the extract should be filtered using a coffee filter or a piece of nylon (ex. nylon stocking). The result will have a green colour because it will also co-extract the chlorophyll which will give the oil a grassy, bitter taste.
A second extraction is then made to evaporate it down to the CBD base oil. The drained mixture should be heated up to 34ºC, in a double boiler, to allow for the alcohol to evaporate. The temperature should not be higher because higher temperatures might destroy the CBD crystals.
The concentrated oil should then be transferred into a container before it gets too thick when cooling off.
While it is still warm, the concentrated oil can also be diluted in a bit of vegetal oil, the most common being coconut or olive oil, making it ideal for topical application. It is easy, inexpensive and extracts other good compounds from the plants resulting in a more complex extract. Keep in mind that ethanol/alcohol is flammable so extra care is needed. Also, the resulting oil has a green colour and can contain chlorophyll which will give a more bitter taste to the oil and could cause nausea.
The Cold Maceration Extraction is made with glycerin. It is a simple method that preserves the terpenes, and the glycerin provides a sweet flavour (making it a good option to use in baking cakes or cookies).
The plant material should be chopped as finely as possible using a blender or a coffee grinder. Place the chopped cannabis in a glass jar, add the glycerin and seal tightly. It should be left to dissolve for around 5 weeks with maximum sunlight exposure. Shake it once a day to help the cannabinoids dissolve. After 5 weeks the mixture should be drained using a fine mesh cloth (do not use paper filters). Put it in a bottle and keep it refrigerated.
The tincture made with glycerin will be rich in terpenes and will have a sweet taste which compensates for the long time it takes to make it. It will also be a little bit less concentrated that the one made with a alcohol extraction so you’ll just need to increase the dosage a bit to get the same effects.
The Oil Extraction Method is probably the most commonly used method by home growers because it is easy, safe and the end result is free of unwanted residues. It is also clean and inexpensive, making it the ideal choice for someone who is starting to learn how to extract CBD.
The oil extraction of CBD involves the use of a carrier oil (the oil into which the cannibidiol will be extracted). Olive oil is often used but coconut oil, canola oil, almond oil or another vegetal oil can also be used.
There are two ways to make CBD oil extraction: one with the use of an oven and another with the use of a double boiler.
With an oven: chop the plant material and bake it covered in aluminium foil for around 90 minutes at approx 100ºC (220ºF). Take it out of the oven and place the plant in an oven-safe closed container with the oil. Bake the plant in the oil for another 90 minutes so the CBD will dissolve into the oil. Take it out of the oven and strain the oil into a container to sit in the fridge.
With a double boiler: grind the plant into a fine powder. Mix the powder with the oil into a glass jar (a mason jar is a perfect choice). Close it tightly and place it in a pan with water. Use a large pan so the water is high enough and all the contents of the jar are evenly heated. Keep it just below the boiling point for about 3 hours. Shake it carefully a few times. After 3 hours, put the fire out, cover the pan and let it cool down for another 3 hours. After cooling down, repeat the heating process for another 3 hours. After these 3 hours, the pan can be left to cool down overnight. Once it is completely cooled down, thoroughly strain the oil with a cheesecloth to another container to store the oil.
If you wish to have more potency, both of these processes can be repeated several times with the same plant material and can be done over the course of several days to get the most out of the plants and a stronger oil.
The Supercritical CO2 Extraction Method is one of the safest and most effective methods to extract CBD, with the use of pressurised CO2 for the CBD extraction. The Subcritical CO2 Extraction is a similar process, the main difference being that the supercritical extraction occurs at higher pressures and temperatures, while the subcritical method allows the CO2 to remain in a liquid state.
CO2 Extraction is fast becoming the most commonly used method among commercial producers of CBD oil and extracts, particularly among the large scale producers. However, both of these methods are not a good choice to try at home, since they involve the need of expensive lab equipment and some technical expertise.
The Ricky Simpson Method involves the use of hydrocarbons (butane, propane, acetone) to extract the CBD. Although relatively easy to do, due to the low boiling point of hydrocarbons, there is a high risk of fire and explosions. The resulting oil from the extraction with hydrocarbons has a low concentration of terpenes and CBD, and can contain some residues of the hydrocarbon used for the extraction.
There are also some people that like to produce Cannabis Infused Whiskey so they can enjoy taking a shot of whiskey together will all the benefits of cannabinoids. You can infuse a full bottle of whiskey with around 10 grams of high grade CBD cannabis.
The buds should be baked in the oven for around 90 minutes, well covered, at approximately 100ºC (200ºF). Combine the whiskey and the baked cannabis in a glass jar, stirring it for about 5 minutes. Let it sit for another 5 minutes and then stir again. Then let it sit for about one week, stirring on day 3. After a week passes, strain the infused whiskey to a container and close it.
If the cannabis strain used to infuse the whiskey has around 20% CBD, then each shot will deliver around 60 to 65 mg of CBD. Do not forget that the THC will also be extracted to the whiskey, so if you do not want the effects of THC, just choose a high CBD and low THC cannabis strain.
Please note: if you have any issues with alcohol, then this is not a recommended choice for producing or taking CBD.