Times have changed and with it, so has medicine. There are all types of new treatments people can use on a daily basis to improve overall health, and the discovery of new ones just keeps happening. One of the more recent discoveries is CBD oil, an extract from the cannabis (or marijuana) plant. Without any THC chemicals, this oil proves to hold beneficial properties.
There are also other methods people have been using for a while, which are tinctures. Tinctures are a drug dissolved in alcohol. They are considerably different to CBD oil, but they both pose benefits that tend to overlap. This leaves a debate between which one to use. The best way to figure this out is by comparing the two against each other.
| CBD Oil | Tincture |
| Price – $20 to $700+ | Depends on the drug dissolved |
| Extraction method – CO2 solvent + distillation | Tinctures use alcohol as the solvent |
| Benefits – sleep-related issues | Benefits – limited to the drug dissolved |
CBD Oil
Price
CBD oil has varying prices from brand to brand. Some manufacturers can manage to make their CBD oil for as low as $20. Others will have an expensive method of manufacturing as well as a large abundance in each bottle, reaching sky-high prices like $700 and beyond.
The biggest factor when it comes to price is the manufacturing process. If there are quality raw materials, grown by the manufacturer themselves, then the price will escalate. The cleaner the extraction of the Cannabis plant, the more expensive the extraction will have been. To get a quality product, there are a couple of pricey steps that must be taken to attain it.
With this in mind, never let price be the only factor you use to determine the quality of the product. Inflation is possible, and some producers could be using the price as atonement for the poor quality. These kinds of producers are after those people who are price conscious.
Extraction Method
There are a few extraction methods which can be used when preparing CBD oil. One is a more qualified way, while others are less qualified ones. The best way to extract CBD oil is by using CO2 as your solvent. This solvent is considered one of the purer forms of extraction. There is no residue after extraction which means the CBD oil is coming out clean.
After letting the plant sit in CO2, the next step is to distill the extract to receive the individual compounds, such as CBD itself. There are two distillation processes, Winterization and Short Path Distillation.
What winterization does is remove all the unwanted compounds that were extracted from the plant. Basically, the previous extraction was done at an extremely high temperature, which means everything was extracted, meaning you basically have crude oil.
What happens here is that alcohol is added to the oil, then frozen overnight. In the morning, the mixture is then filtered through a Buchner Funnel to remove all fats and undesirable components. The alcohol is removed through warming and used for another batch.
Finally, there is the Short Path Distillation. It’s not a complicated process, only heating the mixture at different set temperatures to divide each compound from one another. They all have different boiling points which are used to separate them.
Benefits of CBD Oil
CBD oil has a culmination of benefits. Some of these benefits can help you counter sleep-related issues such as insomnia, anxiety, depression, and stress. There are also accounts in which CBD oil has been capable of helping acne and other skin-related issues.
You can consume CBD oils in many ways. Capsules, food products, vapor, tinctures, and topical creams have all been created to suit different consumer preferences.
You may want to read: Top CBD Oil Companies
Tinctures
Price
The price will vary depending on the drug that has been extracted and turned into a tincture. CBD Oil tinctures will be in the same price range as mentioned before. You can buy tinctures for multiple sorts of drugs, and their prices will be determined on the drug itself, quality, and quantity.
Extraction Method
The main method of extraction when it comes to creating a tincture is to dissolve a drug inside of alcohol for days, even weeks. You can take any type of plant and place parts of it in their own jars of alcohol with the right potency for the said part to get the beneficial components of the plant out.
The definition of tincture is blurry to most people since the term is thrown around lazily on medicinal labels (pharmacy products). A tincture is a concentrated herbal extract that is obtained by dissolving an herb inside of alcohol.
Water, vinegar, and glycerin solvents do not define the extract as a tincture. Tinctures are made with fresh or dried roots, leaves, berries, flowers, barks, and other components of the plant to obtain their beneficial compounds.
Benefits of Tinctures
Tinctures are easy to consume and can even be made at home. While it is better to always consult a professional about potency and safety of handling plant types, some people have made it a second habit to create their own homemade tinctures, therefore, their own dietary supplements.
Your tincture will wield the benefits of the plant/herb you tinctured. The amount of time you consistently use it, how you take it, when you take it, and for what reason will all affect the performance of your tincture.
You can take your tincture any way you would prefer to, either by diluting it in tea or by taking drops of it directly. Some people use tinctures to enhance flavor in their drinks and food.
You may want to read: CBD Oil vs CBD Capsules: Which is Best for Your Needs?
Final Thoughts
CBD oil can only do so much for you, and it’s still a product that is in question based on legality. Some states don’t consider it legal while others have completely accepted marijuana and therefore have accepted CBD oil with the risk of THC being inside of it.
Tinctures have been around for quite some time. The technique has been used for a long time and alcohol for this purpose is not hard to come by. The most preferred alcohol for tinctures is vodka since there is no additional taste.
Something to keep in mind; CBD oil can be a tincture, but a tincture doesn’t have to be CBD oil. A tincture can be any drug dosed in alcohol as a solvent. There is no one drug that must be used in order to call it a tincture. CBD oil can be tinctured, but it’s not mandatory to tincture CBD oil.