When you are shopping for CBD oil for dogs, one of the many factors you will need to pay attention to is how the CBD oil was extracted from the hemp plant it was sourced from.
There are a number of different extraction methods which can be used. The one that you are probably hearing the most about these days is extraction using CO2.
What is CO2 extracted hemp oil, and why is it superior to hemp oil extracted through other means? This article will answer these questions in detail.
The Problems With Traditional Extraction Methods
When CO2 is not used to extract hemp oil, other processes need to be used. These typically involve:
- Exposure to solvents
- Exposure to high heat
These two factors in turn lead to these two problems:
- Solvents can remain in completed product, contaminating the CBD oil. These solvents may have toxic effects on your dog.
- The high heat used in some extraction processes can burn away important nutrients. This can reduce the effectiveness of the CBD oil and remove some of its full spectrum benefits.
For these reasons, you want to avoid CBD oil which was processed using solvents or high heat. The CO2 extraction process does not involve solvents, and may not involve heat.
What is CO2 Extraction, and How Does It Work?
There are two types of CO2 extraction used to process cannabis: supercritical and subcritical. Let’s discuss each.
Supercritical CO2 Extraction
The CO2 supercritical extraction process involves carbon dioxide in a highly pressurized form. Subjecting CO2 to this kind of pressure causes it to behave in a manner similar to a solvent. The temperature (usually around -70 degrees Fahrenheit) and pressure utilized are able to bring CO2 into a state in which it is a fluid rather than a gas.
After the CO2 has been subjected to this low temperature and high pressure, it is heated up again. At this point, it is supercritical.
Despite its solvent-like behavior, supercritical CO2 does not contaminate a finished oil in the same way that regular industrial solvents would. It also retains some gas-like properties, despite its fluid state.
Exposing the hemp to supercritical CO2 results in the trichomes dissolving. This releases the nutritious compounds so that they can be collected.
Subcritical CO2 Extraction
To create supercritical CO2, remember, the process goes like this: The CO2 is pressurized and cooled down, then heated back up.
To create subcritical CO2, the process is different: The CO2 is subjected to low pressure and temperature, with no heating involved.
Subcritical extraction is great because the lack of heat involved ensures that none of the nutrients are burned away during the process.
This is how you get full-spectrum CBD oil complete with all terpenes and essential oils.
The downside for manufacturers is that this is a time-consuming process. It also can be more costly.
As a result, it is easier to find CBD oils processed using supercritical CO2 than it is to find them processed with subcritical CO2.
To learn about the differences between Hemp Oil and Marijuana, just check out this link!
Let’s Sum Up
As this is a rather technical subject, let’s go ahead and summarize what we learned about CO2 extraction to create CBD oils.
- Exposing cannabis to harsh industrial solvents can introduce unwanted contaminants into CBD oil.
- To avoid the problem above, you can purchase CBD oil which has been processed using CO2 extraction.
- There are two types of CO2 extraction: supercritical and subcritical.
- The supercritical extraction process does involve high heat, but does not involve industrial solvents.
- The subcritical extraction process involves neither high heat nor industrial solvents. This preserves full-spectrum compounds for more nutritious CBD oil. But it is also slower and more costly for manufacturers, and so not as easy to come by.
Full-spectrum CBD oil is arguably the highest-quality product that you will find on the market, all things being equal. But there are other manufacturing considerations to account for as well when selecting CBD oil to purchase.
That is why we recommend both supercritical and subcritical CO2-extracted CBD oils for dogs (and humans).
Where Can You Find CO2-Extracted CBD Oil for Your Dog?
To make it easy for you to find CO2-extracted CBD oils for your dog, we have compiled a list of researched and tested CBD oil brands. Check out our detailed reviews for in-depth information on the manufacturing processes these companies use as well as their CBD oil product ranges for dogs.
Sources: https://www.honestpaws.com/blogs/cbd/co2-extraction
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