🔞 Not for sale to under 18s
🎃 -40% with code HALLOWEED (on EVERYTHING except vaporizers and gummies) 🎃
Have a question? +336 70 73 89 02
You may have heard about it, a new product is all the rage in the growing world of CBD. You've read the title, so you know we're going to talk about CRD. And surprise, we're not talking about a new molecule, but a new concentrated product!
CRD stands for " crystal-resistant distillate ".
Why is a product that doesn't crystallize interesting? What exactly is a non-crystallizing product? As always, you can trust us to tell you all you need to know on the subject!
To understand what's at stake with this product, we first need to understand the "broad spectrum" principle. This means that the product contains a very wide range of cannabinoids. Practically as much as in a hemp plant. As you know, hemp and cannabis plants are likely to contain over 200 cannabinoids, some major and a whole host of minor ones.
What's interesting is that cannabinoids taken separately have been found to have a fairly limited effect. While taken together, they activate each other each other and increase their potency.
Individually, they are more effective together than separately: this is known as the entourage effect.
CRD is a product specially developed for electronic cigarettes. That's why its main property is that it doesn't crystallize, even over long periods. Otherwise, it couldn't be used.
But this product has another interesting characteristic: it's a full spectrum, high-dose minor cannabinoid. We'll come back later to the importance of this second characteristic, which is in fact closely linked to the first.
The product's third characteristic is that it is oil-soluble and contains no unnatural or toxic substances. According to the various manufacturers' leaflets, CRD is made from 100% hemp flowers, leaves, stalks and seeds.
Thanks to its characteristics, CRD is not just a product for vape: its applications in food, cosmetics and wellness are virtually unlimited. And with its full spectrum of benefits , manufacturers are not missing any opportunity to use it.
The first steps in the composition of CRD are not very different from other concentrates and isolates. Manufacturers use a variety of methods requiring CO2 or ethanol to extract cannabinoids, flavenes, terpenes and trichomes from plant material.
They obtain a kind of CBD crude oil. Next, the material is distilled to separate the different isolates. The end result is a cannabinoid concentrate, but the problem is that not all cannabinoids have the same physical properties. This is where CRD is truly revolutionary.
With a very high concentration of cannabinoids (up to 99%), each isolate has its own characteristics:
CBD in high concentrations tends to crystallize naturally on contact with air. It therefore appears in powder form, forming clusters of varying size.
Conversely, most minor or secondary cannabinoids (CBC, CBG, CBN, CBDv, CBT...) tend to resist crystallization, forming a kind of syrupy liquid .
CBD and the other cannabinoids are therefore incompatible, in their current state they cannot be mixed, rather like oil and water, they are immiscible.
Because of these physical differences, manufacturers were forced to make a choice: either produce a concentrate with high levels of CBD, but very low levels of minor cannabinoids. This allows the effects of CBD to be enjoyed, but not the entourage effect.
Or, conversely, the product has a fairly low level of cbd and more minor cannabinoids, allowing you to benefit from the entourage effect, but rather little from the effects of CBD. And let's face it, this second solution results in a rather unstable and short-lived product: crystallization of the CBD, and therefore separation of the compounds, inevitably occurs over a relatively short period of time.
And that's where the problem lies, as manufacturers compete fiercely to see who can create the concentrate with the highest level of full-spectrum cannabinoids, and therefore the greatest profit potential!
The exact manufacturing process, the step by which manufacturers make cannabinoids resistant to crystallization, is fairly secretive, and we haven't managed to find any info on how they do it, but the result is there!
The product contains up to 60% CBD and between 15-30% minor cannabinoids, for a total cannabinoid content of around 90%! This makes it one of the most promising products on the market in terms of potency.
As you can see, CRD represents a minor revolution in the world of CBD. A revolution that we believe could have a snowball effect.
On the one hand, we have a product with a strong entourage effect, multiplying the effects of the cannabinoids present.
On the other hand, we have the French market, with one of the strongest demands for recreational cannabis products in Europe.
We don't have much information on the non-crystallization process, but if it turns out to be possible to transpose it to synthetic cannabinoids, we could soon see some of the strongest cannabinoid products ever! And all the repercussions that would entail for the market and the consumer.
This is all hypothetical, but should it happen, we'll let you know immediately! Keep up to date with our blog!