How do I make my own CBD oil?

Author: Elena Experience expert (psychedelics and psychoactive & medicinal plants), blogger, passion for healthy food

Recently I was visiting an older man who really does everything himself. He bakes his own bread, chops wood for his self-made stove in his self-built house and makes his own CBD oil. Why bother making your own CBD oil when you might as well buy it? Why would you bother to create something yourself at all, when it is immediately available? 

Why hemp from own cultivation is much tastier

The man I visited, let's call him Peter, has an interesting philosophy: if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. Now I don't want to say that I completely agree with this, but it certainly applies to me in many cases. How many times in the past have I ordered a dish at a restaurant, only to find out that I secretly liked the soup much better I had made myself the day before? And that getting high from my own cultivated cannabis buds is much more fun than a joint from the coffeeshop. Doing something yourself means that you can let the process run as you like, while you can learn how to do it even better. That way you can find joy in creating. Whether you are a beginning artist, an elderly carpenter or a three-year-old playful child, people like to experience the satisfaction of something that is homemade. Even if it costs time, energy, money and sometimes some failed attempts.

Don't let the perfectionist or the fear in you prevail! I myself try to think of the playing child, who starts a creative project without expectations of a successful ten out of ten. Peter, the man I visited, is despite his advanced age still a youthful soul with a beautiful sparkle in his eyes. For him the failures are lessons that have made him wiser. And only by doing it you can really learn. 

Free course in making CBD oil 

Peter invited me to his home to take a look at his process of CBD oil. Of course I was very curious! I myself have been taking this interesting substance from the cannabis plant for quite some time, as a support for my general health. CBD can help with a wide variety of ailments and bring the body into balance. When I first heard about the beneficial effects of CBD, I used cannabis on a daily basis and ingested a whole dose of cannabinoids. Of course I'm not only talking about cannabidiol, but also about the many other active substances that are present. Although CBD and THC are the most well-known cannabinoids, there are plenty of other substances that also have interesting potential, including CBG, CBC, and CBDV. Research will show which specific properties these different cannabinoids contain and how they can work together synergistically. 

Meanwhile, I will focus on CBD, the non-psychedelic sister of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). CBD can be used for sleeping problems, epilepsy, anxiety disorders and depression. Many users report a positive effect on general well-being, in which CBD is used as a daily supplement. For others, CBD can be analgesic and reduce stress. For Peter CBD is an important part of his life. The oil he makes goes through a production process in which he is present from beginning to end. On this small scale he makes CBD oil for himself and for friends. CBD oil is for him a medicine and he treats the hemp plant with respect. He also makes THC oil, based on organically grown outdoor weed. 

CBD oil is a term used to describe extractions of CBD. Usually an oil is added to this extraction, such as olive oil or hemp seed oil. CBD oil is also available in capsule form. This is an easy way of dosing and quick way of intake. Moreover, the capsules only break open in the stomach, allowing cannabidiol to do its work from deeper into the body.

Simple CBD recipe with olive oil

Making CBD oil can be done in different ways. Below is a recipe that is easy and does not require any complicated equipment. You only need a few ingredients! CBD can't dissolve in water, but it can dissolve in oil, that's why you use a high quality oil for this recipe. Suitable is quality olive oil, as used in this recipe. Other options include coconut oil or hemp seed oil.

Simple CBD recipe:

• 5 grams of hemp buds
• 180 ml extra virgin olive oil

For hemp buds, choose the best quality CBD strains of organic quality. Make sure you go for a plant with a low THC content! Commercial CBD oil has a percentage of less than 0.2% THC. This is so little that you won't feel any effect at all. In other words, this can be obtained from industrial hemp, which contains only very low concentrations of THC. Sirius sells CBD-rich cannabis seeds, some of which contain less THC than others. An example is Tatanka CBD from Royal Queen Seeds with a CBD percentage of 9-14% and a low THC percentage of less than 0.5%. Charlotte's Dream from Growers Choice is also a good choice. With a CBD percentage around 18-22% this is a strong medicinal strain. The THC percentage is negligible.

Step 1: Decarboxylation of the hemp flowers 

To make the CBD active, you need to heat the hemp flowers. Cannabinoids, including CBD, CBN, and CBG, as well as THC, change their structure by a certain temperature. This is called decarboxylation. The 'raw' or acidic version of CBD is CBDA and changes its structure by heat, making it bioavailable. This is why you would smoke a joint to activate the cannabinoids. Even better is the use of a vaporizer, with which you can adjust the temperatures to the most ideal conditions. Moreover, you vaporize your material, instead of burning it. This will give your body many more cannabinoids and other beneficial plant substances, such as terpenes. Different cannabinoids have different temperatures at which they become active. 

If you want to make an oil from cannabis or hemp, you first need to heat your buds. Use an oven, where you place the crumbled buds on baking trays with baking paper and let them decarboxylate for about an hour at a temperature of 110 degrees Celsius. Be careful not to take too high temperatures, then there is a chance that your material will burn and the active substances will break down. Turn the buds regularly during baking. The end result is that the buds are darker in color and dry, so they easily fall apart.

Stap 2: Au bain marie with the olive oil

Then put the decarboxylated hemp buds in a pan and add the olive oil. Put the pan in a larger pan with some water, au bain marie. Let it mix for two or three hours at the lowest possible temperature so that the oil can absorb as much of the active substances as possible. Leave to cool. This mixture is then sieved (use fine meshes) and the oil can then be stored in a glass jar. 

How to use your homemade CBD oil?

When you want to use CBD oil as a daily supplement, it can be useful to use a pipette bottle. This way you can easily dose the number of drops you want. You can also add a few drops of CBD oil to your dishes, such as a salad, pasta or pizza!

Making CBD oil with alcohol

The method Peter used requires a bit more knowledge and certain equipment, including a filter machine used for making wine. He also uses pure alcohol (ethanol), which is not easily available everywhere. As a note, I can say that for a healthy end result it is important that you only use pure alcohol such as ethanol and not isopropyl, for example.

Below is a sketch of his way of making CBD oil. This is not a step-by-step plan and can only be used for reference!

For this extraction method organic hemp flowers were used, which were very well dried using his (homemade) dehydrator. Peter showed me how he put the CBD flowers in alcohol and then sieved the mixture through a sieve after about twenty seconds to remove the buds. That's how quickly the CBD ended up in the alcohol mixture! If he would leave the buds in the alcohol for a longer period of time, other plant substances would also be extracted, such as chlorophyll. Subsequently, the mixture was filtered to remove small plant particles, leaving only a bright green alcohol mixture. For this he used a special filter device that was originally intended for the art of wine making. After this, the alcohol was separated from the CBD by allowing it to evaporate. For this he used a rice cooker with an open lid. This delicate moment of the process required extra attention, because he had to intervene at the right moment so that the CBD extract wouldn't burn, but still all the alcohol was vaporized. He was left with a brown, sticky substance: the CBD extract. He then mixed this concentrated end result with a carrier oil (olive oil). And voilà, his homemade CBD oil!

Of course you can always choose CBD oil of a reliable brand, such as Cibiday. Always choose strictly-controlled, organic CBD oil.

Elena Experience expert (psychedelics and psychoactive & medicinal plants), blogger, passion for healthy food

Elena studies Organic and Biodynamic agriculture because, besides psychedelics and psychoactive & medicinal plants, she also has a passion for healthy food. Learning about the endocannabinoid system, different cannabinoids and terpenes is super interesting.

More about Elena