A solvent-based extract uses a solvent to dissolve the resin out of cannabis, after which the solvent is removed. Common solvent classes are hydrocarbons (butane, propane: BHO, PHO), alcohols (ethanol) and supercritical or subcritical CO2. The resulting crude can be sold as is or refined further into products such as shatter, wax, badder, sauce, diamonds, distillate or isolate.
In practice
These extracts dominate the commercial concentrate market. Regulated markets require residual solvent testing on them. Solvent extraction, particularly with hydrocarbons, is hazardous: amateur attempts have caused explosions, fires and serious injuries. It belongs in licensed facilities with engineered, certified equipment. GenetixBay gives definitions only and no extraction methods, solvents handling or settings. Legality varies by jurisdiction; check local rules.
Don't confuse with
- Solventless: mechanical separation only.
- Distillate: a refined product that usually starts from a solvent extract.
- Tincture: an alcohol-based liquid preparation, not normally a concentrate.
CO2 enrichment raises carbon dioxide in a sealed grow space from about 420 ppm to roughly 800–1,500 ppm, letting plants use higher light intensities productively.Badder is a soft, cake-batter-textured concentrate formed by whipping an extract so its cannabinoids crystallise finely; it can be solvent-based or, as rosin badder, solventless.Distillate is a highly refined cannabis oil in which cannabinoids, usually THC or CBD, have been separated from most other compounds by distillation, leaving a clear, almost odourless oil.Solventless describes cannabis concentrates made only by mechanical or physical separation, using screens, ice water, heat or pressure, without chemical solvents.A tincture is a liquid cannabis preparation in which cannabinoids are dissolved in alcohol, glycerin or oil, usually taken by dropper.A residual solvents test measures leftover solvents such as butane, propane, ethanol or hexane in an extract, usually by headspace GC, against safety limits.Live resin is a solvent-based cannabis extract made from fresh frozen plant material instead of dried and cured flower, to retain more volatile aroma compounds.Shatter is a glassy, translucent solvent-based concentrate that snaps when cold, formed when an extract stays in a stable, non-crystallised state.A concentrate is any cannabis product in which the trichome resin has been separated from plant material, giving far higher cannabinoid and terpene content than flower.
