CBD Tinctures vs Concentrates: What’s the Difference?

Many first time consumers of CBD products are intimidated by all the new terms and don't know where to start. This article will answer one of the most popular questions: what is the difference between a CBD tincture and a CBD concentrate?

Click one of the links below for quick navigation:

1. What Is a CBD Tincture?
2. How Are CBD Tinctures Made?
3. How to Use CBD Tinctures?
4. Do CBD Tinctures Have Side Effects?
5. What Is a CBD Concentrate?
6. How Are CBD Concentrates Made?
7. How to Use CBD Concentrates?
8. Do CBD Concentrates Have Side Effects?
9. What Is the Difference Between CBD Concentrate and CBD Tincture?
10. Are CBD Concentrates and Tinctures Legal?

CBD Tincture

What Is a CBD Tincture?

You can administer CBD in many ways: smoke a cannabis strain or consume it in edibles like candies, cookies, or brownies. Tinctures are one of the most common ways to consume CBD, especially for those trying cannabis-based products for the first time.

Simply put, CBD tincture is a highly potent herbal extract. It is made using a mixture of alcohol and water to extract compounds from a plant - in this case, the hemp flower. There is much confusion between the terms as many people use them interchangeably. Fundamental differences between CBD oils and CBD tinctures exist in their final form and extraction process. Furthermore, CBD tinctures are usually more potent than CBD oils.

Video: CBD Tincture by nu-x®

How Are CBD Tinctures Produced?

The potential benefits, quality, and potency of CBD tinctures are directly linked to how they are produced and consumed. So what does the manufacturing process of CBD tinctures look like?

CBD tinctures are produced by high-CBD hemp flowers or isolates in a high-proof grain alcohol. After that, a low heat is applied for some time. As a result, the active compounds in cannabis get infused into the neutral spirit. Then the spirit is boiled off. Producers of CBD tinctures use distilled-grain ethyl alcohol or isopropyl alcohol as a base. Alcohol base helps the body absorb tinctures easier and acts as a preservative to extend the product's shelf life.

This manufacturing process results in a potent tincture that delivers cannabinoid molecules' effects without any form of combustion, such as smoking. Some producers often add herbal extracts, essential oils, and flavoring agents to enhance taste and increase the tinctures' healing benefits. Peppermint, rosemary, lavender, vanilla, and strawberry are among the most popular essential oils.

How to Use CBD Tinctures?

CBD tinctures come in small to medium size tinted glass bottles. Tinted bottles extend the contents' shelf life, plus they block UV light, keeping CBD products fresh. CBD tinctures are very concentrated, so you have to take them in small doses. That's why every bottle comes with a dropper. It helps you get the dosing right and makes the consumption of cannabidiol hassle-free.

Thanks to relatively small doses, you can administer CBD tincture in many different ways. You can easily add it to drinks like coffee and tea. If you are looking to take your CBD with food, mix a tincture into a meal like soup or pasta.

It is possible to take tinctures sublingually or by applying them underneath the tongue. This method of delivering CBD tincture is common.

Tinctures contain additional ingredients, such as flavorings. So we do not recommend applying them topically on the skin. Sometimes it can lead to irritation.

CBD Concentrate

What Is a CBD Concentrate?

CBD concentrate is a potent extract of the hemp plant. It contains a very high percentage of CBD. Some CBD isolate products are made out of 99% CBD!

How Are CBD Concentrates Made?

A CBD concentrate is made by extracting hemp flower or biomass into oil through hydrocarbon, CO2, or alcohol. There are various extraction methods for obtaining CBD, including the use of solvents such as ethanol, hexane, or butane. However, the cleanest and safest way is non-toxic supercritical CO2 extraction, which nearly all reputable companies use.

We should mention that depending on moisture, texture, and heat levels the oil is exposed to before purging the substance (when removing impurities), it is possible to produce different forms of CBD concentrate. As a result, CBD producers can label their products differently. However, they all are still CBD concentrates but with various names.

How to Use CBD Concentrates?

You can consume your CBD concentrates in several ways. From smoking them along with a CBD flower, vaporizing using a vape pen or standalone vaporizer, smoking dabs using a dab rig, to even adding them into your food or drink. 

 

What Is the Difference Between CBD Concentrate and CBD Tincture?

The main difference between CBD Tinctures and CBD Concentrate is how much CBD is in each mL of liquid. nu-x® CBD Concentrate is available at 3,000mg of CBD per 30 mL bottle which is more CBD per mL than the nu-x® CBD Tincture, which is available with 1,000mg of CBD per 30mL bottle.

The other difference between CBD tinctures and CBD concentrates is how the CBD is consumed. With CBD concentrate, many customers choose to vape the liquid, while with the CBD tincture, it is common to place it under the tongue (sublingual) or add it with food or drink.

Are CBD Concentrates and Tinctures Legal?

CBD products are made from high-CBD hemp flowers, the same species of plant as marijuana. So the legal regulations of CBD have a lot of confusion surrounding them..

Farm Bill 2018 declassified hemp as a controlled substance. As a result, it is now legal to farm, process, sell, and market hemp products. The DEA defines hemp as a cannabis plant that contains no more than 0.3 percent of THC concentration - otherwise, it's a "marijuana" cannabis plant.

CBD tinctures containing more than 0.3 percent THC are classified as a Class I drug and, therefore, are federally illegal. However, most CBD tinctures are extracted from the hemp plant. So they have plenty of cannabidiol and low THC concentration. Regardless of THC concentration, the sale and consumption of all CBD tinctures is only legal in states that legalized recreational and medical marijuana.

The Takeaway

This article outlined the main characteristics of both CBD tinctures and CBD concentrates. Here is the summary to make sure that you have it all covered:

1. CBD tinctures and CBD concentrates are highly potent herbal extracts.
2. The main difference between CBD tinctures and CBD concentrates is that a concentrate contains a higher percentage of CBD.
3. CBD tinctures are different from CBD oils, although they are often confused with each other.
4. CBD tinctures are produced by steeping hemp flowers or isolates in a high-proof grain alcohol, then applying low heat for a significant period.
5. A CBD concentrate is made by extracting hemp flower or biomass into oil through hydrocarbon, CO2, or alcohol.
6. Types of CBD concentrates are: wax, shatter, live resin, budder, and crumble.
7. With CBD concentrate, many customers choose to consume it by vaping the liquid. With CBD tincture, the sublingual method is the most common.