CBD Oil Extraction Demystified: The Critical Role of Decarboxylation

While many are familiar with the benefits of CBD oil, the process of CBD oil extraction - and particularly the step of decarboxylation - remains a mystery to many in the industry. 

Yet the process of decarboxylation is not only central to producing CBD hemp oil, it's critical to producing a high-quality product.

Decarboxylation is an essential step in the process of creating CBD hemp oil, which is a popular daily supplement that can be used to help remedy a variety of ailments.

This process applies to all types of cannabis, and in the use of CBD oil products created from the industrial hemp plant.

So, what actually is decarboxylation?

Decarboxylation is a process and chemical reaction that removes a carboxyl group from a molecule and releases carbon dioxide. Before cannabis is decarboxylated, there isn’t naturally occurring CBD or THC present in the plant.

Instead, these phytocannabinoids are found in an acidic state, better known as cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) and tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA).

The decarboxylation process converts these inactive components in cannabis, which are not psychoactive, into active components - converting CBDA into CBD and THCA into THC.

How does this process work?

If you’ve ever wondered why people smoke cannabis instead of eating it raw, it’s because the decarboxylation process requires cannabis to be heated - and CBD from the hemp plant is no different.

While partial decarboxylation can be achieved to some extent from curing and drying over time, the process of CBD oil decarboxylation can be done in an extraction lab by heating the material at a certain temperature for a certain amount of time.

This process is highly complicated and can’t simply be done in a kitchen. It requires an exact science and specifically-engineered cannabis extraction technology, such as the oil and ethanol recovery systems designed by Maratek.

The benefits of decarboxylated CBD oil

The decarboxylation process is essential to unlocking all of the benefits that CBD oil offers consumers. CBD is non-psychoactive, so even after decarboxylation users won’t receive the “high” of THC products - the process is simply to be able to activate the various therapeutic compounds of CBD.

Scientific studies have found that CBD oil can work as a treatment for various mental and physical illnesses (such as anxiety, cancer and chronic pain), as well as possessing beneficial properties such as antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, anticonvulsants and antipsychotics.

Discovery quality CBD oil extraction with Maratek