Cannabidiol or CBD is a phytocannabinoid chemical compound derived from many cannabis species including hemp.  Although the exact mechanism and magnitude of effects of CBD are not fully understood, CBD has been shown to have a host of therapeutic properties including analgesic, anticonvulsant, muscle relaxant, anxiolytic, neuroprotective, antioxidant, and anti-psychotic activity. The wide variety of these CBD effects are likely due to complex pharmacological mechanisms.

At Salus Bioceutical Thailand, we know the science of CBD and how to produce the most pure and effective CBD products in Southeast Asia.  Salus operates a world-class CBD production operation using a team of engineers, pharmacists, chemists, micro-biologists and other operations professionals.  Collectively, the Salus team has over 20 years of cannabis experience with CBD and THC (the psycho-active cannabinoid in cannabis).  We perform everything to rigorous Thai FDA and other pharmaceutical standards to produce premium CBD products.   

Let’s look at what makes a superior CBD product and how Salus’ processes guarantee a Premium CBD product from start to finish.

Great hemp makes great CBD products 

Starting material is crucial to making a premium CBD product. By growing hemp organically, we avoid any potential impurities from soil and water.  Hemp is a bioaccumulator, which means it literally takes components out of the soil including all the impurities and toxins such as heavy metals, pesticides or other contaminants. However, the solution of becoming organic isn’t easily achieved. 

 

 

 

 

• Organic hemp certification is extremely difficult for hemp farmers to achieve (Certified Organic, PURE, USDA or other organic certification)
• Salus follows the Pure Certification protocols which allows absolutely no pesticide use.  The Pure Certification goes beyond the National Organic Standards (NOP) and USDA standards. 
• Salus tests their farmers’ soil regularly to assure no heavy metals and banned pesticides are present. 
• By insuring practices and knowledge are pure from beginning to end, Salus is set to be the highest example of regenerative cannabis cultivation in Thailand.

 

 

• Choosing the right genetics or strains is critical to assure the CBD flower weight is maximized per plant with high potency analysis.  
  • Salus works with award-winning seed suppliers to selectively breed dozens of different strains from “cracking” thousands upon thousands of seeds to identify the cultivars and phenotypes that thrive best in our region. 
  • We then cultivate Mother Plants with the best genetic traits for each strain to assure cuttings or clones yield an abundance of hearty flower mass rich in terpenes, flavonoids, and cannabinoids.
  • The hemp plant is harvested at peak cannabinoid content to assure maximum CBD yields.

 

• Drying, trimming and curing  
  • Salus trims flower to remove fan leaves immediately upon harvest to reduce chlorophyll content and uses only the trichome rich sugar leaf and whole flower from the plant.
  • Our drying rooms are temperature and humidity-controlled dark environments assuring proper curing to retain terpenes, flavonoids and cannabinoids while not incurring microbials such as yeast, mold or aspergillus. 

 

 

Premium CBD producers extract using the best technology: 

By extracting premium hemp, Salus produces premium distillate which is the foundation for all CBD products.  Having proper extraction equipment and technology is crucial to producing premium CBD products.  There are several common methods for extraction using either CO2, hydrocarbons, or ethanol as an extraction solvent.  When operated correctly, all these solvents can successfully extract CBD, but it starts by using certified, peer-reviewed extraction equipment 

• With design, build and start-up experience of six cannabis extraction labs in North America and Europe, our technical team operates Salus’ state-of-the-art facility with the most modern extraction technologies.  
• Salus’ cryogenic ethanol process dissolves plant cell walls and selectively concentrates phytocannabinoids into a potent Full Spectrum liquid.  Full Spectrum products contain all the cannabinoids that were in the original hemp flower. 
• Salus Bioceutical’s Chiang Mai factory is completing GMP/PICs certification through the Thai FDA to allow manufacture of a variety of pharmaceutical products and Traditional Thai Medicines. Expect Q4 2021 certification to be the only PICs level GMP cannabis facility in all SE Asia. 
   

 

 

A premium CBD company offers laboratory test results 

Premium CBD products are 100% tested by a certified independent lab for a full range of attributes.  The independent lab will validate CBD and other cannabinoid potency to assure no pesticides, heavy metals, residual solvents, microbial contaminants, and  visual impurities are present. 

• Salus uses a 3rd party government certified lab to assure premium flower is the starting material and then also to conduct full-panel testing of finished products through issuance of a Certificate of Analysis.
• We also sample and analyze our processes with our in-house laboratory that is currently registering for ISO17025 certification.  With this ISO certification, Salus will have the ability to issue full panel COAs including potency, microbials, heavy metals, pesticides, and mycotoxins.  
• We have two onsite stability chambers to conduct extensive shelf-life testing to assure products meet or exceed shelf-life claims.
• We know and understand all Thai regulations and compliance guidelines to assure Salus follows the strict and ethical regulatory mandates for processing CBD.

 

With superior aspects in cultivation, extraction & processing, full in-house analytics, and a world-class team, Salus Bioceutical Thailand has the ability to produce a suite of CBD produces to suit any customer needs.

How to check for a premium CBD product and what to ask suppliers?

• Have an understanding of the hemp strain(s) used to produce CBD products and whether the supplier uses whole flower, trimmed leaf or both. Does the grower start from seed, or do they use Mother plants to make clone cuttings? Is Pure or other organic certifications necessary for your end products?
• Understand if the CBD company will allow you to:
  • Audit their cultivation(s) and to provide a COA for the biomass The COA will show whether the feedstock material is free of banned pesticides, heavy metals, microbials or other contaminants. 
  • Audit the factory to check if they are truly producing the distillate, isolate and water soluble since there is a risk that a factory may illegally import extracts from abroad.
• Do the CBD product(s) show non-detectable levels of THC?  What minimum potency guarantees are offered?  Will full panel COAs accompany each lot of CBD product?  Will the supplier provide COAs for all the raw materials used (plant, API, excipients, solvents)?  
• What level of expertise or experience does the manufacturer’s team have? Does the equipment, processes and documentation meet Thai GMP/PICs requirements?  
• Is distillate twice distilled?  Is that enough to remove 99.99% of the extraction solvent?  Inspect the premium product appearance and characteristics such as minimal odor, and good stability (both potency and color throughout the products shelf life). 
• Look at all licenses and certifying stamps from importation of seeds, cultivation and harvesting processes (Pure Certify Approve Premium Grade), PICs and/or GMP registration or other quality certifications.

When evaluating CBD suppliers to partner with, ask lots of questions and also visit and audit their facilities to assure you are sourcing premium CBD products.