It’s undeniable that CBD has exploded in popularity in recent years, but what exactly is CBD? What is CBD oil? How is it made? The fact is there are a lot of variables to the extraction of CBD from hemp and the methods used to create CBD oil for product formulation. If you’ve never tried CBD before, you may wonder what the benefits of using it are and why it is so popular. There are an enormous amount of studies and first person testimonials that CBD and CBD oil products are used for including stress, pain, inflammation and a number of other applications. For this reason, the rise of the CBD oil extraction industry has been booming since the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill that fully legalized the production of CBD oil on a national level. In this episode of extrakTALKS, Dr. Jon and Randall Thompson quickly detail the basics of CBD, CBD oil and how to make it.

Randall and Dr. Jon talk about all things CBD. The discussion is about how to make it, what equipment is used, and how to ingest

CBD is used in many forms to create a variety of useful products in the hemp extract market. While distillate is commonplace to formulate quality full-spectrum CBD products, CBD isolate is equally relevant for certain formulations in the industry. THC-ND products, for example, rely on CBD isolate to ensure the lack of psychoactive cannabinoids in a final product. For some, this is the best possible method to use CBD products in a way that avoids any repercussions from a product containing even trace amounts of other cannabinoids.

Because of their THC-ND status, and relative ease of use in product formulations, CBD isolate has become commonplace in the extraction industry, making it critically important to recognize the best methods to incorporate isolate production in your operation. Whether using isolate for your product formulations, or selling CBD isolate as a bulk, wholesale product to other businesses, successfully creating isolate can be a complicated process, but a necessary one to keep up with the competition.

In this episode of extrakTALKS, Dr. Jon and Randall Thompson discuss all things CBD isolate. Their discussion answers a variety of questions including: What is CBD isolate? How do you make CBD isolate? What equipment is necessary to create a quality isolate? How can you effectively scale up CBD isolate production? And much, much more. Learn how to successfully isolate into your production now to ensure your place in this increasingly competitive market.

GMP compliance has rapidly become standard practice for any respectable hemp or cannabis extraction business. There are several standard operations that are necessary to ensure GMP compliance in your operation. In this episode of extrakTALKS, Dr. Jon walks through the 10 Requirements for GMP Operations. Some of the critical factors that will be discussed in this episode include proper testing, standard operating procedures, packaging, GMP auditing, cleaning, method validation, COAs and more. 

Because delta 8 THC is a psychoactive cannabinoid, there are many factors to consider to ensure that the use of delta 8 products is safe and enjoyable for the end user. Delta 8 THC, while similar to delta 9 THC, differs in its potency and derivation. This means that the same basic principles for the creation and use of delta 9 do not apply fully to delta 8 which needs its own standards of creation and use. Setting these standards can ensure a safe delta 8 product for both producer and user alike. In this episode of extrakTALKS, Dr. Jon and Randall Thompson discuss the safety of creating and using delta 8 thc products. They will identify what makes a safe delta 8 product including the elimination of solvent and acid residuals, legal limits of delta 9 thc, testing for unknowns and much more.

Because of its mostly legal status, delta 8 thc products are sweeping the hemp industry. The excitement of this cannabinoid is surrounded by its psychoactive properties similar to delta 9 THC, while maintaining a legal status due to its derivation from hemp. But, there are always concerns when it comes to the quality and safety of hemp extract products - especially a legal and psychoactive one. It is important to consider where those products come from, how they were extracted, how they were formulated etc. to ensure that they are a safe product. In this episode of extrakTALKS, Dr. Jon and Randall Thompson take a look at several delta 8 thc products to evaluate their quality, safety and legality. They discuss critical factors for safe, high quality delta 8 products including testing for purity, residuals and delta-9 levels, legal compliance, user safety and more.

Delta 8 THC has exploded in the hemp industry with a lot of hype and controversy behind it. This psychoactive cannabinoid is in a legal grey area that allows for hemp processors to create a product similar to delta 9 THC without the legal ramifications of producing delta 9 outside of legal jurisdiction. Though less potent than its delta 9 sibling, delta 8 is less potent. Nonetheless, it is a psychoactive cannabinoid that does produce a “high” when used. For this reason, there is a lot of interest, and a lot of skepticism, surrounding this hemp compound. In this episode of extrakTALKS, Dr. Jon and Randall Thompson dive into the fascinating topic of delta 8 THC. They will detail a number of important factors including how delta 8 is made, the legal status of delta 8, the differences and similarities from delta 9, delta 8 and other hemp cannabinoids and much more.

Excipients are a crucial part of product formulation in the hemp extraction industry. Excipients act as a delivery method for desired cannabinoids like CBD to reach the bloodstream when taken by the end user. Without these excipients like surfactants, SEDDS, terpene blends, oils and others, the desired hemp compounds would be less available for the human body to absorb making them vitally important to the overall formulation process. There are a variety of important factors to consider when evaluating the right terpenes for extract products including stability, viscosity, solubility, delivery compatibility and more - all of which are covered in this podcast. In this episode of extrakTALKS, Dr. Jon and Randall Thompson discuss the importance of excipients in product formulation in the extraction industry. They cover important topics including how to establish your formulation requirements, risk assessment, sourcing quality ingredients, and proper formulation methods in your extraction operation.

In the hemp and botanical processing industry, cannabinoids often take center stage on the priority list. Most producers will be certain that their extraction, and distillation methods are tuned in perfectly to collect and preserve the best cannabinoids for product formulation down the line. But, terpenes are equally as vital to an end product, so why is there less emphasis on their collection, preservation and product formulation? If you aren’t properly identifying the best methods to collect and preserve those precious terps, you could be throwing money out the window!

In part two of our discussion on terpenes, Dr. Jon and Randall begin the interesting discussion of the common ways hemp and botanical processors collect their terpenes. There are a number of ways this is accomplished: steam distillation, wiped film distillation, vacuum distillation, ethanol extraction, CO2 stripping and more. But what is the best method? And how would you employ it in your own hemp or botanical business? Using the extraktLAB method, terpenes are captured during the decarboxylation process using vacuum distillation to catch the very best terpenes AND to improve the extraction process overall. Want to learn how? Then this is the episode for you

In the hemp and botanical processing industry, cannabinoids often take center stage on the priority list. Most producers will be certain that their extraction, and distillation methods are tuned in perfectly to collect and preserve the best cannabinoids for product formulation down the line. But, terpenes are equally as vital to an end product, so why is there less emphasis on their collection, preservation and product formulation? If you aren’t properly identifying the best methods to collect and preserve those precious terps, you could be throwing money out the window!

In this episode of extrakTALKS, Dr. Jon and Randall Thompson break down one of four discussions about terpenes, and why you shouldn’t be throwing your money out the window. This episode particularly focuses on the basics - what terpenes are, why they are so valuable to the industry and how you would likely waste money by collecting them at the wrong time, or not collecting them at all! Getting more into the complicated side of the matter, Dr. Jon discusses the stability of common terpenes, how to store them, and how to preserve them so that they can be used in product formulations down the line.

If you are a hemp or botanical extraction business creating high quality distillate and isolate products for consumers, quality, safety and compliance with local and national regulations is paramount. It is vital that your products are extracted with the best possible methods, are rigorously tested for the safety of the consumer, and contain legal quantities of specific compounds in line with jurisdictions within your market. However, even if all these standards are met, it is equally important to understand the rigid rules of labeling your products to ensure your product is compliant AND desirable for the end user.


In this episode of extrakTALKS, Dr. Jon and Randall Thompson discuss everything you need to know about GMP labeling if you are a business to consumer extraction operation. There are a number of considerations that must be understood and implemented in your product labeling including the necessity to meet federal, state, and local regulations, legibility, per process labeling, correct representation of your product and much more. These standards explained by Dr. Jon and Randall are critical, not only to market a product that your customers will want to buy, but also to be certain that your products are legal and stay on the shelves. If you are a business in the hemp or botanical extraction industry creating products for the end user, this episode of extrakTALKS is a must for you.

To learn more, visit our website: www.extraktlab.com