Cannabis Extracts: Which Extraction Method is Best?

Cannabis Extracts: Which Extraction Method is Best?

Cannabis concentrates are all the rage, but with so many types available, how do you know where to start? If you’d like to buy concentrates online in Canada, then here we discuss the different extraction methods available.

Butane Honey Oil (BHO) Extractions

BHO extractions were originally used in the food and perfume industries. When used in the cannabis industry, raw cannabis flower is packed into a tube before butane is introduced in a pressurized environment to perform the extraction.

When the initial extraction is performed, the resulting cannabinoid-rich solution must be left so as the residual solvent can evaporate to safe levels. Many producers use a vacuum oven to purge the butane further and meet the regulatory requirements.

One drawback of BHO extraction is that it can be dangerous, so it is always best left to trained experts due to its flammable nature.

BHO extractions are most commonly used in the production of concentrates like shatter, crumble, budder, wax, and sap. With their high capacity for preserving cannabinoid content, BHO extraction techniques often average at around 80% THC.

CO2 Oil Extraction

CO2 extraction is widely used in the cannabis industry. It is both non-toxic and environmentally friendly.

It involves passing supercritical CO2 through raw cannabis buds to strip the trichomes from the plant. A liquid is then passed through a separator to remove the CO2 gas from the extracted material.

CO2 extraction is particularly effective at preserving terpene content in cannabis flower and, as a result, is especially beneficial when making waxes and oils.

An additional advantage is that it’s environmentally friendly. The CO2 gas used in extractions is pushed through a condenser, meaning the gas can liquify again before being recycled for reuse in other extractions.

Ethanol Extraction

Ethanol is widely used as a food preservative and is considered by the FDA to be safe for use. To extract THC from the cannabis plant, the raw plant material is soaked in a bath of ethanol.

The resulting solution is then refined further, where unwanted compounds are removed. It’s this step that helps ensure that concentrates made from ethanol extractions are some of the purest and best-tasting available.

Solventless Extractions

While there are many high-tech extraction techniques available, it’s also worth mentioning that some age-old methods exist that don’t require the use of solvents at all. Many of these solventless techniques have existed for centuries, and they often preserve much of the valuable cannabinoid, terpene, and flavonoid content of the original plant material.

Whether it’s hashish, charas, bubble hash, or rosin, these solventless concentrates require minimal specialized equipment. With some manual labour, along with heat and pressure, it’s possible to create some of the cleanest and strongest concentrates on the market that preserve the entire plant profile of compounds.

Get Ready to Buy Concentrates Online in Canada

Whether produced from BHO, ethanol, CO2, or your very own manual labour as you press the resin out by hand, there are countless ways to make cannabis concentrates.

If you love concentrates, then it’s important to know that each has its own advantages and disadvantages. With so many solvents used in the production of cannabis concentrates, it’s important to remember to always buy them from a reputable source.

Do Edibles Damage Your Liver?

Do Edibles Damage Your Liver?

Edibles offer cannabis consumers with a healthy alternative to smoked forms of cannabis. But is there any truth to the idea that edibles may be damaging to the liver? If you’d like to buy edibles online in Canada, then here we fill you in on the current science.

Do Edibles Damage Your Liver?

There are many different ways of consuming cannabis. By smoking, vaping or administering it sublingually, consumers bypass the digestive tract and hence the liver. The active compounds enter the bloodstream through a direct route meaning that you’ll feel the effects quickly and with the same relative intensity.

When consuming edibles, the active compounds must pass through the digestive tract before then passing through the body’s main detox organ, the liver. It’s these processes carried out in the liver that lead to the notable effects commonly associated with edibles. But just what is it that occurs in the liver? And can marijuana edible consumption lead to liver damage?

The Link Between Cannabis and Liver Damage

In recent times, the link between cannabis and liver damage arose due to an article that appeared on Forbes, where researchers claimed that mice who received high doses of CBD showed signs of liver damage within 24 hours.

It led Martin Lee, the author of Smoke Signals, the well-known book on cannabis culture to label it a case of “scientific fraud.” The reasons given by other cannabis researchers included: the small sample size of 6 mice and the dose they received of 2460 mg/kg of CBD (over 100 times the recommended dose of the CBD-isolate Epidiolex at 20 mg/kg).

The Evidence that Cannabis Protects The Liver

A study published in Liver International investigated the effects of cannabis on the progressive stages of alcoholic liver disease. Researchers found that cannabis consumers “had significantly lower odds than non‐dependent users for developing liver disease.” This led them to conclude that “cannabis use is associated with a reduced incidence of liver disease in alcoholics.”

While the study didn’t indicate how the subjects involved in the study ingested cannabis, the findings certainly don’t raise any red flags concerning cannabis having a negative impact on liver health.

Where the Science Stands on Cannabis and Liver Health

Few studies currently exist on whether cannabis is dangerous to liver health, and even fewer exist on the effects of edibles.

There is currently no credible evidence to suggest that medicinal or recreational cannabis is harmful to liver health. The lack of any credible evidence is what leads almost all researchers involved in the recent studies calling for more investigation on the matter.

While some consumers may experience discomfort after consuming edibles, including bloating, gas, heartburn, or constipation, there’s no evidence to suggest that this is indicative of any form of liver damage.

What Happens In The Liver When You Eat Edibles?

Anyone who has tried smoked or vaped forms of cannabis and edibles will undoubtedly attest to the fact that the effects of each can vary significantly. The reason for this is that the liver plays a critical role in how the THC present in cannabis is metabolized.

When inhaled by smoking or vaping, cannabis enters the bloodstream directly from the lungs, effectively bypassing the liver. This means that you’ll experience a quick and predictable onset each and every time.

Absorption occurs very differently with edibles. Edibles must first pass through the digestive tract and can take significant time to kick in, depending on how much food is currently in the stomach and intestines.

The competition in the intestinal tract for absorption doesn’t explain why the effects of edibles are often substantially stronger than smoked or vaped forms of cannabis. This is due to the role of the liver in how THC is metabolized. When ingested, the THC present in cannabis is in the Delta-9-THC form. The liver then converts it to the more potent 11-Hydroxy-THC. In addition to being more potent, 11-Hydroxy-THC is also more bioavailable, and many scientists claim that it actually crosses the blood-brain barrier more readily.

The Liver and The First-Pass Effect

Sometimes when people consume edibles, they may not feel the effects intensely. This is often due to what’s known as the first-pass effect. This is where an efficient liver breaks down the THC to such an extent that you don’t feel its effects.

If you experience this when consuming edibles, then consider eating a small fat-based meal beforehand to help ensure enhanced absorption and activation.

Cannabis and Our Evolving Knowledge

While there are many respectable scientists investigating the effects of cannabis, there are none who can currently be considered experts like in other fields of medicine. This is because there is comparatively little known about the plant.

Years of prohibition mean that cannabis research is decades behind where it might otherwise be. Given the medicinal benefits of the plant, this is a great shame. As science plays a game of catchup and the cultural stigma slowly wanes, scientists are slowly uncovering many benefits of the plant that treat a whole host of conditions. But while much of the science is positive, this doesn’t mean that cannabis is entirely benign. Only time will tell whether cannabis is 100% safe.

Buy Edibles Online in Canada

If you’d like to buy edibles online in Canada, then why not take a look at our selection of edibles here on My Pure Canna? We have an extensive range of edibles in a variety of delicious flavours categorized into Indica and Sativa, with varying ratios of THC and CBD. This means that no matter what your intention, whether recreational or medicinal, you’ll find just what you need!

The latest science suggests that edibles are quite safe when consumed responsibly at standard doses. However, it’s always worth remembering that edibles are an extremely potent form of cannabis. If you do happen to consume too much, then you may be in for an intense ride. As always, the golden rule with edible doses is to start low and go slow!