Are Solventless Extracts Better for Your Health?

Solventless extracts are considered better for cannabis consumers’ health because no solvents are used in the extraction process—meaning there is no chance of residual solvents remaining in the final products. 

A solvent extract is a cannabis concentrate made using supercritical CO2, ethanol, or a hydrocarbon like butane or propane to strip the cannabinoids and terpenes from whole cannabis plant material. Examples of solvent extracts include butane hash oil (BHO), wax, shatter, and distillates.

Solventless extracts are made using techniques including dry sifting, dry ice extraction, ice water extraction, and applying heat and pressure (rosin pressing). These techniques separate the trichomes or resin from the cannabis plant mechanically rather than chemically. 

Cannabis trichomes contain high concentrations of cannabinoids and terpenes. Separating the trichomes from whole cannabis plant material results in a “concentrated” extract with a much higher cannabinoid and terpene percentage than flower or trim. 

Whole separated trichomes can be used as is (such as kief and bubble hash) or squeezed using heat and pressure to extract the sticky resin from inside the trichomes (as with rosin). 

Solventless methods are perceived as healthier and more natural than solvent-based processes since they don’t require the use of chemicals. The main thing MMJ patients should keep in mind with solventless extracts is that it’s still essential to ask for a certificate of analysis when purchasing solventless extracts or whole cannabis flower to use for solventless extraction at home.

Main Advantages of Solventless Extracts for Health

The following are the main advantages of solventless extracts for health:

• No chance of residual solvents: Solventless extraction methods don't require the use of chemicals like butane, propane, heptane, or hexane. This reduces the risks associated with inhaling solvents; butane inhalation can cause central nervous system and cardiac toxicity. Solventless extracts such as rosin are widely advertised as cleaner and safer alternatives for this reason.

• The highest quality cannabis materials: High-quality starting material—whether fresh, fresh-frozen, or dry—is essential for ensuring a final product that passes quality assurance testing because solventless extraction techniques don’t remove contaminants. The high-quality cannabis used to make solventless extracts also contributes to their typically rich terpene and cannabinoid profiles, resulting in a rich fragrance and flavor for the consumer.

• Solventless extracts are inherently full-spectrum: Solventless extracts are inherently full-spectrum in terms of their cannabinoid and terpene contents because solventless extraction processes separate either the whole trichomes or the whole resin from inside the trichomes (without chemical alteration). A chemical extraction process, in contrast, can be engineered to favor some compounds over others. 

There is one key caveat to this: Solventless extracts aren’t “full-spectrum” in the sense of containing chemical compounds from every part of the cannabis plant. Whole-plant solvent extracts like Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) and homemade cannabis tinctures are more properly “full-spectrum” in this sense.

• True-to-strain flavor and aroma: Solventless extracts retain terpene profiles that are generally very close to the terpene profile in the starting material. While solvent extracts may be rich in terpenes (either retained during extraction or added back in afterward), the selectivity of the solvents can result in an altered flavor profile. This doesn’t typically occur with solventless extraction.

Benefits of Solventless Extraction Processes

The following are some benefits of the solventless extraction processes themselves: 

Accessible and Safe for Home Extractors

It is easy and safe to make solventless extracts at home. Bubble bags and rosin presses allow for the safe production of custom concentrates without any risks of explosions, fires, or solvent inhalation. 

Solventless extraction enthusiasts should still be careful when working with the hot plates used to press rosin and ensure proper ventilation and the use of PPE when experimenting with dry ice extraction.

Please note: Professional solvent extraction using closed-loop extraction equipment in a licensed C1D1 room is very safe these days. However, DIY solvent extraction is dangerous.

Better for the Environment

Solventless extraction processes can be carried out without any need for chemicals, making these processes better for the environment. Hydrocarbon extraction utilizes petrochemicals like butane and propane, which need to be mined, processed, refined, and eventually replaced. 

Residual or unused solvents also require specialized hazardous waste disposal, which has a much higher environmental footprint than replacing your favorite solventless bubble bag or kief sifting screen every once in a while.

Recapturing and recycling the chemical solvents used for solvent extraction drastically reduces the environmental burden of these techniques. However, the environmental impact of chemical-free extraction techniques like dry sifting, ice water extraction, and rosin pressing is still considerably lower!

Potential Risks with Solventless Extracts

The main risk associated with consuming solventless concentrates is that mold or other contaminants in the original plant material will invariably end up in the final product. This can be solved by using high-quality starting material, such as lab-tested flower harvested from healthy plants at peak trichome maturity.

You can request lab results for solventless and solvent-based extracts as well as cannabis flower before making a purchase at a cannabis dispensary. Lab tests tell you whether or not mold, yeast, pesticides, residual solvents, and/or heavy metals were detected in the sample.

FAQ about Solventless Extracts

The following are some of the most frequently asked questions about solventless extracts:

What are solventless extracts?

Solventless extracts are cannabis concentrates that are prepared without the use of chemical solvents such as butane or ethanol. The end result is a potent and true-to-strain concentrate bursting with flavor and aroma.

How are solventless extracts made?

Solventless extracts are made through mechanical processes that separate the cannabinoid and terpene-rich trichomes or resin from raw cannabis material. The whole trichomes are separated from the plant in the case of kief (via sifting) and bubble hash/ice water hash (via agitation in an ice water bath). The resin is squeezed from the trichomes by pressing the starting material between heated plates in the case of rosin. 

Are solventless extracts safer to consume?

Solventless extracts are considered safer than solvent extracts to consume in that there is no chance of residual solvents in the final product. There is, however, a risk of other kinds of contaminants ending up in the final product. Always buy lab-tested flower and extracts to ensure they are contaminant and pathogen-free.

Where can I buy solventless extracts?

You can purchase solventless extracts from a reputable dispensary in your state. Whether you can legally buy medical or recreational cannabis will depend on your state’s laws. 

Patients who are eligible for a medical marijuana card in their state may need to renew their medical marijuana card to continue to enjoy benefits such as purchasing from dispensaries if under 21 years of age and forgoing the applicable state excise tax on marijuana purchases.

Solventless Extracts Are Potentially a Healthier Alternative

Solventless cannabis extraction methods produce flavorful, full-spectrum cannabis extracts that are potentially safer to consume than solvent extracts. This is because no chemical solvents are used during the extraction process. The result is a purer and more “natural” product with a robust, true-to-strain terpene and cannabinoid profile. 

The main risk of consuming solventless concentrates is that contaminants such as mold or heavy metals can end up in the final product. This is easily solved by making sure that the product has passed quality assurance testing before purchase and consumption. Enjoy!