Glossary
Distillate
Updated:
Distillate is a refined hemp extract made by heating crude oil under vacuum so cannabinoids vaporize and recondense, leaving fats, chlorophyll and most terpenes behind. CBD distillate is far more concentrated than crude, with minor cannabinoids and, unless remediated, some THC. It is the base for many full and broad-spectrum products.
Distillation takes winterized crude oil and separates it by boiling point. Under vacuum, cannabinoids vaporize at lower temperatures than they would at atmospheric pressure, then condense on a cooled surface while heavier material stays behind (Molecules 2022). Short-path and wiped-film stills are the common equipment.
The product is a thick amber oil, far more concentrated than crude. Most terpenes are lost in the process because they boil off earlier, so distillate has less flavor than crude and less than live resin. Formulators often add terpenes back.
Heat during distillation also decarboxylates whatever acid cannabinoids remained, converting CBDA to CBD and THCa to delta-9 THC (Bioengineering 2022). That means a distillate's THC content is fully active and counts in full toward the total THC limit in the amended federal hemp definition (7 U.S.C. 1639o).
Distillate can be sold as an intermediate for formulation or further refined into isolate. THC-remediated distillate is the usual base for broad-spectrum products.
Sources
- A Comprehensive Review on the Techniques for Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Medicinal Cannabis (Molecules, 2022) PubMed (accessed 2026-10-13)
- Postharvest Operations of Cannabis and Their Effect on Cannabinoid Content: A Review (Bioengineering, 2022) PubMed (accessed 2026-10-13)
- 7 U.S.C. 1639o, Definitions (hemp) Cornell Legal Information Institute (accessed 2026-10-13)