Winterized CBD oil has up to 65% potency. Winterization is crucial because it is effective in removing cuticle wax from the hemp plant, which, when consumed, can cause respiratory problems. Winterized CBD oil offers greater flexibility in how you consume it and can also be used in the treatment of patients with Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.
What is Winterized CBD Oil
• Winterized CBD oil is processed hemp oil that is clean and safe. During winterization, hemp oil is first soaked in alcohol. It then goes through a heating process of about 120 degrees. Afterward, it is frozen which makes it much easier to remove the waxes and additional phytonutrients like terpenes.
• The final product is high-quality oil with up to 65% potency.
Why Winterizing CBD Oil is Important
• Hemp plants are covered in naturally occuring cuticle wax (layers of lipids – which is another name for fats), which gets burned away when smoked at high temperatures. When that wax is not removed from CBD oil, it reduces overall purity levels and can negatively impact the final product.
• Also, these fats (wax layers) can cause cloudiness in the distillate, thus hurting the value of CBD end products. Notably, waxes and fats can also affect the flavor and smoothness of the final product if its used for consumption.
Benefits of Winterizing
• Winterizing produces CBD products that are completely THC free, and in turn, allows for more flexibility in how consumers utilize the product. CBD oils, even if they were made from hemp which has small THC quantities, limit consumers who have to pass drug tests.
• Winterization produces high purity CBD oil, which is then processed into a CBD isolate. CBD isolates are THC free, thus making them effective when used as add-on treatments on patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome with daily seizures.
• Pure and clean CBD oil can also increse customer satisfaction, profit, and growth for companies that use the oil.
Risks of Consuming or Smoking Non-Winterized CBD
Consuming or smoking CBD oils can health dangers when the product is not properly purified. Specifically, for non-winterized CBD oils, potential health hazards could include wax build-up in the lungs and throat irritation when inhaled. Additionally, when consuming products with CBD some products could have solvent contamination.
Unknown Risks from Unregulated/Untested Products
• CBD oils and other products are currently under scrutiny on many levels by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), WHO (World Health Organization), and multiple other global and US organizations. It is easily available to the public with little research or regulations on accepted extraction methods or purity levels.
• Additionally, the hemp plant used in extraction may also be contaminated with harmful substances (pesticides, herbacides, fungicides, heavy metals from soil, mold or fungus), which can cause health issues. Ensuring that consumers purchase products from only reputable companies with their own research base and proven high-quality methodologies is key to selecting the best oils for consumption.
• Another issue is a lack of clear or correct labeling on CBD products. One recent study in the Netherlands (where all hemp products are legal) showed that “the analyzed cannabinoid content strongly differed from what was on the label,” so consumers may not be able to trust what is actually in the CBD oil they are consuming.
• Although this does not apply strictly to non-winterized CBD oils, it is still a danger in all consumable CBD oil products.
• Winterizing (and other refinement processes, like de-waxing) remove fats, waxes, and lipids from the end-product. Without removing these, the end-product goes through the process of nucleation, where the waxes and fats alter the chemical make-up of the concentrate over time and exposure to elements. This changes the appearance of the end-product (making it cloudier), affects the smoothness and flavor of the product, and because it is not ideal to inhale waxes and lipids as a vapor because they can cause harsh hits that irritate your throat.