What is cannabis distillate?
Cannabis distillate seems to be the next step towards this goal. Cannabis products have come a long way from the simple act of lighting a joint filled with dried flowers or hashish. Oils, tinctures and extracts have served as a springboard to a whole new cannabis scene that allows countless ways to get high and have much stronger and more effective experiences.
The cannabis distillate results from a distillation process that produces a final product with a strength and purity of up to 99% cannabinoid content.
HOW THE DISTILLATION WORKS
Cannabis distillation works by taking advantage of the volatility of the target compounds that exist in the plant. The volatility – or boiling point – of terpenes, flavonoids and cannabinoids varies.
This means that they can be extracted in the same final product or accurately separated to create a final product almost entirely composed of THC or CBD. The distillate can be designed to meet different objectives depending on the intended purpose. The temperature ranges for the most sensitive volatiles such as terpenes are around 190°C, while for cannabinoids they are around 260°C.
The distillation process uses heat to vaporize the cannabinoids and a cooling system to condense and separate them. A cannabis extract is placed in glass utensils that are heated. When the correct temperature is reached, the cannabinoids are vaporized and move up into a cooling tube. The vapor then condenses and drains into a separate glass vessel that contains the distillate. This process separates the described cannabinoids from undesirable products and creates an incredibly clear and pure substance.
Since terpenes and other more volatile but useful compounds have a much lower boiling point, they can be destroyed during this process. However, it is possible to extract these useful compounds separately beforehand and then mix them after performing both procedures.
ARE THERE DISADVANTAGES?
The only real downside to such pure substances is that dealing with proportions can be a bit tricky.
In a cannabis plant, there is a certain amount of all the compounds it contains and they all interact with each other (called the “entourage effect”) to create an effect. Therefore, different strains produce different effects: they have different ratios of cannabinoids, terpenes and other compounds. In the production of distillates, it is up to the creator to adjust these conditions as needed. It could be argued that whoever makes the distillate is making a mockery of Mother Nature and if he is wrong, he could make it a very unpleasant experience. For example, pure THC is considered a terrible experience when other cannabinoids fail to regulate and complete the effects. But the distillates also give you important control that professionals cannot obtain.
So whether you want to try the distillate for medical purposes or as a leisure activity, it is incredibly important to know what type of product you want to use and how you can regulate the dose.
