Best Alcohol for Extraction: Everything You Need To Know for High-Quality Natural Extract

by Andrew Winslow Best Alcohol for Extraction

Alcohol extraction takes cannabis to the next level. You can make your hash oil at home or make your vanilla extract through alcohol extraction. In the past, cheap quality alcohol was used in vanilla bean extract.

Now people are more focused on quality and homemade extracts, which go well with the natural sweetness of the vanilla. Markets have realized the importance of having the Best Alcohol for Extraction, and they prefer the high-quality liquor for vanilla bean extract.

What do you mean by Alcohol Extraction?

Alcohol extraction is a process in which all the natural fats, essential oils, and various essential compounds are removed from plants. In this process, any plant can be used. It’s a common method of extraction of cannabis to synthesize cannabis oils and concretes.

Various possible ways are present to use the alcohol for the extraction of material from the plants. But due to the unique chemistry of desirable compounds in cannabis, only a few work well with the cannabis. Terpenes in cannabis are extremely delicate, due to which the extraction method is only viable to limited methods only.

Type of alcohol used for Cannabis extraction

For cannabis extraction, two types of alcohol are used- isopropyl alcohol or ethanol. Experimentally it is proven that ethanol or ethyl alcohol is safer to be used for cannabis extraction rather than isopropyl alcohol. The alcohol is now combined with the dry cannabis plant material.

After the combination of the alcohol with cannabis, this alcohol works as a solvent and extracts various materials like terpene, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and cannabinoids from the cannabis plant material.

Methods of extraction of terpenes and cannabinoids from cannabis

Experts in the house suggest there is 3 basic methods for extracting the cannabinoids and terpenes from cannabis.

· Butane extraction

· Carbon dioxide extraction

· Ethanol extraction

Out of which, the butane extraction is the common one. Carbon dioxide extraction is found to be the safest method. 190 Proof Ethyl Alcohol or isopropyl alcohol extractions is the most cutting-edge method.

Butane extraction is the most preferred method, especially for home extraction setups. It’s most commonly used because it does a great job selecting active cannabinoids and terpenes, making the concentrates more potent and flavorful.

Supercritical Carbon dioxide extraction is more often used in industries. This method is very cheap, safe, and has low toxicity. The major demerit with this method is that it holds more plant material with it, thus making the purification and extraction method quite a bit longer and complicated. The result of this particular type of extraction is the lower yield, and the terpene and cannabinoids profile is significantly less.

Maximum yields explain the Alcohol extraction

1st method of extraction- this step is known as “the wash.” In this alcohol extraction method, the dried cannabis plant material is covered in alcohol.
2nd alcohol extraction method- filter is used to remove all the remaining alcohol content from the cannabis plant.
3re alcohol extraction method- in this, all the remaining alcohol is evaporated, leaving behind the cannabis concrete that is high in trichomes, terpenes, cannabinoids, and THC.
Lastly, the remaining cannabis concrete will undergo the additional process, but the alcohol is no longer used to achieve the final refined product.