What is Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) and How is It Made?

Rick Simpson Oil, or RSO, is a type of cannabis oil that Rick Simpson created to topically cure his own skin cancer.

In 2003, Rick Simpson found suspicious bumps on his skin that turned out to be basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer. Simpson created the oil and applied it topically with bandages. Within days, the cancerous growths disappeared. Although the physician refused to acknowledge cannabis as a treatment alternative, Simpson knew the healing powers of the plant. 

RSO can be used topically, or can be used as a potent edible. RSO has a very pungent grassy taste. It is recommended to eat it with a spoon of peanut butter or a candy bar to drown out the taste. Some people prefer to cook with RSO. RSO can be melted into most fats or oils in cooking or baking. A standard dose of RSO is a grain of rice. Even if you have a tolerance, it is potent edible and should be used wisely. If an RSO is 75% THC, then it will have about 25mg of THC per grain of rice size drop of oil. The oil is very thick and running it under warm water will warm up the RSO, causing it to dispense easier. 

Ingredients:

1. 1 pound of dried cannabis material
2. 2 gallons of solvent—Rick recommends 99% isopropyl alcohol, but you can also use wood grain alcohol
3. 5-gallon bucket
4. Deep bowl
5. Wooden spoon for stirring
6. Cheesecloth
7. Rice cooker
8. Plastic catheter tip syringe (60mL)

How to Make RSO:

1. Place dry cannabis material into the 5-gallon bucket and pour in the solvent until the plant matter is covered.
2. Stir and crush the plant material with your wooden spoon while adding the solvent to your mixture. Continue stirring the mixture for about three minutes while the THC dissolves into the solvent. This will dissolve about 80% of the THC into the solvent.

3. Drain the solvent from the plant material into your bowl using the cheesecloth. Place the plant material back in the bucket and add more solvent. Continue stirring for another three minutes.
4. Drain the solvent from your plant material into your bowl using the cheesecloth and discard the remaining plant material.
5. Transfer your solvent to your rice cooker until it is about ¾ full and turn on your rice cooker.
Note: While you don’t necessarily need a rice cooker, if you’ve never made RSO before, rice cookers are exceptionally useful in this instance for maintaining a slow, steady temperature. If your mixture heats above 300°F (148°C), the cannabinoids will cook off and the RSO will be unusable. It is not recommended to use a Crockpot or slow cooker, as this may overheat your mixture.
6. The rice cooker should maintain a steady temperature between 210-230°F (100-110°C), which is the correct heat setting for decarboxylation to occur.
As the rice cooker heats up, the solvent will slowly evaporate. Continue to add your mixture to the rice cooker gradually.
Note: Make sure your rice cooker is in an open, well-ventilated area, and avoid all flames, stovetops, sparks, and cigarettes, as the solvent is highly combustible.
8. Once the solvent has evaporated, siphon the oil into your syringe for easy dosing. The RSO will be thick, so if you have trouble dispensing it, run the syringe under hot water and the RSO mixture should dispense with ease.

Prefer not to make your own? Visit Delta-9 dispensaries to get premade RSO in medical syringes. They they can be used in cooking or eaten directly.