How is CBD made?

The popularity of CBD has skyrocketed in recent years due to its plentiful health benefits and its ability to provide natural calming solutions to modern life’s stresses. As CBD becomes more mainstream and more widely available, we’re here to answer your questions. Where does CBD come from? How is CBD made? Is it safe to take CBD?” 

Goodrays is all about honesty. We’re here to put any concerns to bed, so let us explain exactly where our CBD comes from and how it gets from seed to shelf.

Cannabidiol, better known as CBD, is one of over 100 naturally occurring compounds found in the Cannabis Sativa plant. Famed for its anti-inflammatory and anti-anxiety properties, CBD is said to have a wide range of benefits to our health and wellbeing. And unlike THC, the molecule responsible for giving cannabis its characteristic mind-altering properties, CBD is non-psychoactive; so here is the answer to “does CBD get you high?” No, it will not get you high. 

For this reason, CBD has slowly taken over the world of wellness. There is a growing body of evidence – both anecdotal and from the lab – that suggests it works wonders for relieving anxiety and tension.

Let’s take it back to the beginning; where exactly does CBD come from? It is harvested from hemp, a type of cannabis plant that contains high levels of CBD and negligible levels of THC. Frustratingly, the UK has some pretty stringent rules for growing hemp. Whilst British farmers are allowed to grow industrial hemp that can be used for its fibre or edible seeds, the flower – the CBD-rich part of the plant – has to be destroyed. 

Instead, UK CBD brands must get their hemp from elsewhere. At Goodrays, we source our CBD from Colorado and Oregon. This is because US hemp strains contain up to three times more CBD than those in Europe, which creates far less waste and uses less water and soil to grow what is already an inherently sustainable crop. Plus, our plastic-free products are shipped in recycled, recyclable, and biodegradable packaging, which helps us to offset the environmental impact of getting Goodrays CBD from the US to the UK.

Anyway, back to the crop itself. Hemp seeds are carefully selected from those specially bred to produce female plants, as they’re the ones that produce the flowers. One of the many great things about the hemp plant is that it grows quickly, which is good news for hemp farmers and even better news for CBD lovers.

After around eight weeks, the hemp plant enters its flowering stage and is ready to be harvested. The CBD is most commonly found in tiny resin glands on trichomes across the surface of the flower. These flowers are then collected, either by hand or using a special combine harvester, leaving the stems intact so they can be also used for their fibre.

Once harvested, the flowers have to be “cured”. This is a three-to-four week process in which the flowers are dried to improve their flavour and increase their potency. Curing is an essential step in the production of CBD, resulting in the highest quality product possible.

Here comes the high-tech part. We’ll gloss over the intricate details, but the extraction step is what gets CBD from the flower and into our products. There are three ways in which to do this: cold press extraction, CO2 extraction or liquid extraction. Each technique requires a different solvent, which helps to separate CBD from the other compounds in the hemp plant.

The extraction process leaves behind a resin, which is then further separated using a technique called chromatography. What this effectively does is isolate different compounds within the resin, removing THC and other unwanted compounds from the CBD. What remains is an isolate, the purest form of CBD available.

Before our CBD even gets close to consumption, it is put through some rigorous third-party testing by registered laboratories to ensure the purity and quality of our products remain accurate to each strength and dose on the label. This step in the process, plus our transparency about the results, makes all the difference; our customers know that Goodrays really does contain good stuff. 

After being extracted and tested, our CBD is combined with other high-quality ingredients. Our CBD oil, for instance, uses natural coconut oil as a carrier, which is great tasting, full of healthy fats, and can easily be added to any daily routine. 

CBD isolate can also be added to food and beverages for easier consumption, which is exactly what we did with our CBD gummies and CBD drinks. Both products are delicious. Both use natural ingredients. They also both offer a hearty dose of CBD per serving. 

The benefits of CBD are even more impressive when you know the ins and outs of our conscientious manufacturing process. Keen to give it a go? Shop our CBD Gummies, Drinks and Oils here. 

• Lazarjani, M.P., Young, O., Kebede, L. et al. Processing and extraction methods of medicinal cannabis: a narrative review. J Cannabis Res 3, 32 (2021).
• Punjabi, R., I Visited a Cannabis Farm to Find Out How CBD Oil Is Made, Vice. (2018).