There is also another slightly cheaper and less effective way of doing it, however. This is called the ‘extraction’ method, whereby the cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids are all extracted directly from the Hemp plant itself.

Loose Hemp itself can also be quite hard to get hold of these days, it seems. However, if you are making actual Hemp infused Butter or Coconut Oil, then the process that you will need to go through will take quite a bit longer. The key thing to remember here is “low and slow” (eg, low temperature and slow cook time), as infusing over low heat for several hours will allow for full extraction of the CBD without scorching the Coconut Oil, Butter or Herb.

Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is an excellent choice for this particular extraction method, but if you don’t like the taste of Coconut at all, then you can always use a refined Coconut Oil instead. Also, any kind of Butter – but not margarine – can be used (although most recipes will call for unsalted). We find that using a high-quality, organic Butter will tend to provide slightly better results.

Cannabinoids, specifically CBD and THC, exist in acidic and activated forms. In the hemp plant, these cannabinoids exist almost entirely in the acidic forms known as CBDa and THCa. When heated, these acidic forms undergo a chemical reaction converting the CBDa to CBD and THCa to THC. Because this method of extracting CBD from Hemp uses a very low heat, it is sometimes recommended that you also decarboxylate first to activate it.

if you do wish to decarboxylate your Hemp first, then you should remove all of the stalks before placing it onto a foil lined baking tray, then cover everything over with foil again, and place into a preheated oven for approx 40 minutes at 115C. However, we think that if you will be using your Hemp infused Butter or Coconut Oil to bake with for at least 30 minutes or so afterwards, you should be able to safely ignore this stage!