Raw vs Cooked - CBD vs CBDa
Raw CBDa is more bioactive but contains only the terpenes that can be extracted without heat. The stage 2 oils are in the actual tubules and not the free water and are the ones that need heat and if more heat is used then most of the terpenes come out. The most expensive CBD oils that are full spectrum use just enough heat to extract the easy to easy to extract constituents. Then do another extraction at slightly higher heat and pressure to get the next hard to get ones. Then, if they want to get even more then they would go with high heat but that denatures the terpenes.
Note: with low heat and low pressure all the full spectrum terpenes can come out but 20 to 30% of the terpenes are still left in the hemp mixture. Only companies with huge economies of scale can afford to take just enough low heated terpenes. The only way I can see a company making this Grade AA cbd oil is if they charge a really high price or they own their own hemp fields and laboratories and don't had to pay a single 3rd party or outsource anything in their production.
Note: A true full spectrum CBD oil will have both water soluble and fat soluble terpenes (full spectrum) and if a raw CBD oil is going to be full spectrum, they have to use nearly double the hemp plants to get the same extraction as a high heat company. I will say that the raw type is much more bioavailable in the body but usually doesn't have as many terpenes as even a low heated extraction. The high heat, non-raw extractions extract the most CBD but high heat according to all my raw food and essential oil studies denatures it. A peppermint oil that is distilled too long and at too high of a temperature should smell sweeter like peppermint candy while a low heated single distillation peppermint oil will smell herby and like blended mint leaves in a Vitamix.
see Full Spectrum vs broad spectrum page. The decision on how many different terpene varieties is just as important as knowing if you want raw or cooked cbd.
Note: some full spectrum oils CLAIM THEY ARE RAW. The scam is that the use a first extraction which is a raw CBD but then they add high heat to it through this dual extraction. It is not cool that some companies claim RAW on the label when really in actuality it can be 20% raw and 80% cooked.
I urge CBD manufacturers to give a break down on what % of their bcd is raw and bio active and which are extracted with high heat and high pressure. This is why it is so hard to compare these "raw" brands to one another just by the label. You don't know how it makes you feel until you us it. Truly raw terpenes make me feel differently than the cooked type. Ask me for free samples of truly raw CBD if you want to do a review and compare to cooked CBD.
Note: CBDa should be more absorbable in the body than CBD but does not have the same type of effect as CBD. (I learned this the hard way with gelatinized maca powder. I used raw maca powder for years until I switched over to gelatinized). Those that really want to see if a truly raw CBD is anything like 100% raw, then talk to the people who juice cannabis. I can't wait to go to a juice bar and get a shot of cannabis juice. Make that 4 ounces of CBDa juice please!
Note: there is no CBD in hemp. It is only converted to CBD once it is cooked. If a cbd product says it is decarboxylated, it means it is not cbda. The cannabinoids in the hemp are in an acid state and once cooked those acids become active and not dormant anymore. Also, vaporizing CBDa can also turn the CBDa into CBD. So, these raw companies that have truly raw CBDa, most people don't vaporize them.
I have to say that more people who try both types, the truly raw type and the decarboxylated type, about 9 out of 10 people come back for one type and not the other.
Most RAW bcd oils are dark and pasty and do have the full spectrum to the highest degree but are not as absorbable in the body and don't attach the the receptors in the body. Most of the lower cost CBD is made with 99 to 100% pure CBD crystals. This is also another form that many people try to stay away from. This is what I consider Grade C, the lowest of the grades I review.
For those that are not sure if cbd or cbda is the type to try, I will make a recommendation based on your answers. There are 2 really good brands of CBDa and there are many CBD brands to choose from. About 10% of the people that take my quiz really benefit from CBDa. Take my CBD quiz here.