Natural vs. “Nature Identical”
Natural vs. “Nature Identical”
What is “Nature Identical”?
Nature science identifies over 30,000 terpenes, also called essential oils
in nature. The first 4-8 components are dominant in the taste or smell in
every plant. Knowing the characteristics of those basic oils one can recreate
every plant profile in nature. It has been a trend in the flavoring industry
to synthesize those major components and recreate various plant profiles used
in drinks and food.
Many terpenes, also called essential oils, once obtained from flowers such as
rose, berries, citrus, tropicals, lilac, etc. are nowadays produced almost
entirely synthetically. These chemically produced products are referred to as
“Nature Identical” in the pharmaceutical sector. The perfumery and flavoring
industries require consistency in their products while the naturally occurring
substances are always subject to change as a result of seasonal conditions.
The so-called “Nature identical” products and the naturally occurring essential
oils are much different in their relative costs. The synthetic types are much
cheaper to produce than the genuine natural ones and that is why using “Nature
Identical” substitutes is widely adopted — although their natural and
therapeutic effects are compromised.
Many aromatic oils, such as jasmine, lavender or geranium, contain a
relatively small number of major constituents. To reconstruct such a complex
combination of components including all the trace elements would be virtually
impossible. Most “Nature Identical” oils are said to be only about 90 percent
accurate. The remaining 10 percent are composed of trace elements that do not
really define that particular flavor.
The medicinal effect of the natural essential oil is due to the unique
combination of ingredients, their natural appearance and the trace elements.
And this is because the trace elements have a synergistic and controlling
influence on the main ones — they complete the bouquet of essence. For
example, rose has approximately 300 distinct constituents, some of which have
yet to be discovered, which is why synthetic rose oil is unconvincing compared
to the natural one. “Nature identical” oils cannot be used therapeutically for
the naturally occurring aromatic materials, not only because constituents are
lost, but they also lack the vital life force of oils of natural origin.
Since there is not a really good extraction technology that can extract and
isolate natural cannabis terpenes, the use of “Nature identical” terpenes in
the cannabis industry became a trend. The main terpenes that define cannabis
strains are Myrcene, Caryophyllene, Pinene, Bisabolol, Humulene, Limonene
and Linalool. Combining those in different proportions one can recreate most
of the popular strains in cannabis and maintain consistency.
What is Natural?
About 70 among more than 400 constituents of Cannabis Sativa and Indica
belong to the cannabinoids. Cannabis preparations were once lawful in the
United States for the therapeutic treatment of several diseases such as
asthma, constipation, epilepsy, hysteria, insomnia, and rheumatism.
Cannabinoids are known as oleoresins formed by an alkaloid head and a terpene
tail which makes them an oil soluble compound rather than water/alcohol
soluble alkaloids. Best extraction for those would be performed at room
temperature, not altering their natural state, utilizing non polar solvent
inert to water and resins to preserve their natural state.
What is Aerosol Extraction?
The Pure Botanical Extraction (PBX) process creates pure terpene rich oils.
The extracts maintain a high strain specific terpene profile native to the
original strain. Terpenes are extracted utilizing a gentle and non-destructive
botanical extraction process that concentrates them and suspends them in other
natural oils from plants.
The extraction process employs a low-pressure, room-temperature, non-polar
aerosol allowing capture of every potential terpene along with flavonoids and
ketones — resulting in an explosion of flavor and scents.
Every extract comes with a chain of custody that traces back to the original
cultivar. All extracts are tested for cannabinoids, terpenes, residual
solvents, microbiological contamination, and pesticides by a third party.
The PBX process delivers 100% natural components from the flower and does not
create by-products that other widely used methods — rosin heat, CO2 or
ethanol — will create due to their aggressive oxidative nature.
— Dr. George Stantchev
