Out of all the different types of CBD products available these days, CBD isolate is perhaps the most widely used.
However, despite its appearance on every CBD store shop shelf and every CBD online retailer
there isn’t really a lot of detail surrounding what it actually is.
What is CBD isolate, and what makes it different from all the other CBD products out there? What are its specific effects and uses, and why would you buy it?
What Is CBD?
To be able to understand what CBD isolate is, we first need to look at what CBD itself is, and how it gets made.
CBD, or cannabidiol, is one of the main cannabinoids found in cannabis plants. It is typically present in some concentration within all cannabis plants and cannabis strains, including hemp.
While most cannabis strains that get bred for recreational use tend to be relatively low in CBD, there are some strains explicitly bred for CBD content.
CBD is harvested by collecting these CBD-rich strains and subjecting them to an extraction process known as supercritical CO2 extraction. This process uses carbon dioxide that has been heated and pressurized to a supercritical state, meaning it takes on properties of both a gas and a liquid.
This CO2 is highly pressurized across the cannabis plant material, which acts to "pull" cannabinoids and other compounds from the plant. The end result is a crude, raw oil extract that contains dozens of unique phytocompounds.
From there, a myriad of refinement and filtering processes occur, which help clarify the final product into, usually, a full-spectrum CBD oil.
If you want to CBD isolate, however, you have to go a step further.
What Makes CBD Isolate Different From Regular CBD?
To make CBD isolate, manufacturers need to do a few extra steps - the most important of which is winterization.
Winterization is the process whereby the resulting CBD oil produced from cannabis plants is frozen at specific temperatures very quickly. By selectively controlling the freezing rate in the CBD oil, manufacturers can encourage some substances to be suspended in an unfrozen or frozen liquid.
This allows even more refined control of what the final product will contain, as different compounds and cannabinoids freeze and melt at different temperatures.
(This is also very similar to the process of making brandy, where it is then known as freeze distillation).
Once completed, manufacturers are left with a product that contains only CBD and practically nothing else aside from its carrier oil, such as coconut or hemp seed oil.
But what are the uses of this particular type of CBD oil? Why would users pick this over other kinds?
The Benefits of CBD Isolate
Seeing as CBD isolate doesn't contain any of the same cannabinoids or phytocompounds as other CBD products (aside from CBD itself), it might not immediately make sense why people would choose it.
After all, we know that the entourage effect exists; studies have suggested that when CBD is in the presence of other natural cannabis compounds, its efficacy improves. So why would you want something that only contains CBD, and nothing else?
One of the key issues is drug testing. When discussing the benefits of CBD isolate over other CBD products, the major advantage (perhaps the only one) is lack of THC content.
Since some people are concerned about failing a drug test from the small amount of THC found in most CBD products, they can opt for an isolate and be sure that they're not consuming any THC at all.
The other issue is a personal preference; some people just prefer only to have CBD isolate instead of standard CBD oil. The effects of CBD isolate are still fundamentally the same as regular CBD products, meaning that the choice to go for CBD isolates or regular CBD full-spectrum products is a personal one for many people.
Final Thoughts On CBD isolate: Uses, effects, and benefits
While CBD isolates might seem like an unnecessary product for most people, it caters to a specific group of people that simply prefer it over regular CBD products.
If you are interested in trying CBD isolate products, just head to one of the many trusted retailers that sell them, like Provacan. The critical thing you want to ensure is that they always provide complete and up-to-date lab reports authenticated by a third party.
This ensures quality and that the CBD isolates or CBD isolate powder you buy contains no THC whatsoever.
You can get whatever type of CBD product you like, but if you prefer no THC at all, then CBD isolates are the way to go.