What is Nanotechnology and How Does It Improve CBD Production?

The hemp industry is continuing to advance and evolve, providing us with the most bioavailable, safe and effective way to experience the properties of cannabidiol (CBD) and other compounds within the plant’s composition. And, each year, new products come out to help us personalize our routine, while being formulated in ways that aim to enhance the absorption of these compounds into the human body.

One particularly exciting advancement is the use of nanotechnology to directly impact the bioavailability of hemp. Most notably, this has given us water-soluble CBD, which absorbs into the body more efficiently for more effectiveness overall. We will take a closer look at how nanotechnology has helped the hemp industry involve by changing how CBD products are produced and utilized by the general public.

What is Nanotechnology?

Nanotechnology is a branch of science and engineering dedicated to the design, production, and use of structures, devices, and systems by controlling shape and size at the nanometer scale, which is about 1 to 100 nanometers. One nanometer is one-billionth of a meter, making it incredibly small – to put it in perspective, a sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick.

This technology takes advantage of the unique physical, chemical, mechanical, and optical properties of materials at the nanoscale. These properties can be vastly different from the properties of bulk materials, leading to novel applications in various fields.

So basically, nanotechnology refers to the ability to change matter on the molecular or atomic level. “Nano” means small, which in this instance, implies that the matter is being modified according to very small particles that are not visible to the naked eye. Now, when applied to hemp compounds like cannabinoids, nanotechnology is used to convert CBD from oil-soluble to water-soluble, by essentially shrinking the microscopic particles of a hemp extract.

Hemp extract produced naturally is oil-soluble by nature. When the plant compounds are extracted from the hemp plant, we are left with an oil-based concentrate. But, water-soluble CBD seems to be a gamechanger that’s changing how the body absorbs the compounds of the hemp plant.

What is Water-Soluble CBD?

Water-soluble CBD is simply a hemp extract that dissolves in water rather than a fat like oil. Oil-soluble CBD is clearly effective, as it’s been widely used to show positive results, and has been tested by medical researchers extensively over the last several years. But, it’s also limited. Oil-soluble water cannot be blended with water-based ingredients, because water and oil don’t mix. Water-soluble CBD, created with nanotechnology, can blend with water-based ingredients, which has given us new and exciting products including hemp-infused beverages.

What’s even more important about water-soluble CBD is its bioavailability. Bioavailability refers to how efficiently the compounds of the hemp plant absorb into the body on a cellular level. The human body consists largely of water, and so oil-soluble CBD can only absorb into the body so easily, as again, water and oil don’t mix.

Because water-soluble CBD does absorb water, it can absorb into the body more efficiently, which heightens its bioavailability. What this means is that water-soluble CBD may be more effective. The idea with using nanotechnology to create water-soluble cannabidiol is that using, say, 1ml of a water-soluble CBD tincture will give you a much more effective experience than the same amount of an oil-soluble tincture, because with the water-soluble option, more of the CBD is absorbing fully into the system.

So, how does that impact one’s general experience with a CBD product? Well, in a few ways:

• In the long-term, water-soluble hemp products may produce more noticeable results over time, because each dose, theoretically, supplies more readily available cannabidiol to the body which can be utilized as much as possible.
• In terms of your day-to-day hemp doses, water-soluble CBD may take effect more quickly, be felt more potently and last longer in the body, as it’s almost like taking a higher dose.

Is Nanotechnology the Only Way to Make Water-Soluble CBD?

Now that you understand how and why water-soluble CBD is such a big deal, let’s get into the specifics of how it’s made. First, let’s make it clear that not all water-soluble hemp you see on the market is produced using nano-technological methods. One method that may be used is glycosylation, which is based on implanting sugar molecules into the oil-based concentrate of the hemp plant to attract water into the formula. It’s based on biology, as sugar utilizes water to break down in the body. The problem with glycosylation is that it’s not a consistent method, and it doesn’t seem to yield the high bioavailability rate that more advanced nanotechnology-based methods can offer.

The method that seems to yield the most consistent and effective results relies on a nano-emulsion, which emulsifies the hemp extract on a molecular level, which allows the extract to dissolve in water rather than fat. If you’re someone who likes to cook, you may know that emulsifying a fat and a water-based liquid together creates a homogenous liquid that can dissolve in water, whereas otherwise the two ingredients separate.

• Mayonnaise is the perfect example of an emulsion, where the fat in the egg yolks and the oil emulsifies with the vinegar to create a smooth, water-soluble consistency.
• Nano-emulsion is based on the same method, only it’s done on a smaller scale that wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for huge advancements in nanotechnology.

Can Nanotechnology Be Applied to Making Any CBD Product?

Any product that contains a hemp extract can benefit from nanotechnology. Why? Well, because it’s the extract that is being converted from oil-soluble to water-soluble. This means that this process can benefit the bioavailability of tinctures, edibles, topicals and other formulas. These products should be formulated with other water-soluble ingredients to aid in the absorption of the hemp compounds, which’s why CBD drinks/beverages and CBD capsules are the most common products you will find that are water-soluble.

Also, nanotechnology is still in the early stages of hemp industry that water-soluble CBD isn’t yet as widely available as oil-soluble CBD. This may change in the coming years, but it’s important to know that oil-soluble CBD can still be enormously effective, as it has proven to be since it first hit the market over a decade ago.

Nanotechnology is Truly Shaping How CBD Products are Created

As you can see, nanotechnology's interdisciplinary nature involves physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering, opening up new frontiers in research and development, especially in the hemp industry. Once again, because the cannabinoids, terpenes and other compounds in the hemp plant are naturally bioavailable, they can absorb into the human body in an efficient manner. But, thanks to nanotechnology, we have water-soluble CBD which can absorb even more effectively to be more potent thanks to its improved bioavailability. We’re excited to see how nanotechnology continues to change the way in which we experience hemp moving forward.