What is Rick Simpson Oil?
IHIGH TIMES IN THE HIGH DESERT
F YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW has cancer, then you want to know about Rick Simpson Oil. Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) is a type of medical cannabis oil typically made from the indica cannabis strain which helps reduce inflammation, helps with sleep and reduction of pain.
We learned about it years ago when our friend Feeny was diagnosed with breast cancer. She used the formula and found that it helped reduce her levels of pain, helped with her appetite, and sleeping better. What we can’t say is whether or not it treats or cures cancer since it’s not FDA approved — however, many people have claimed that RSO healed them and benefits including less seizures, natural pain relief, fights cancer and growth of cancer cells, reduces anxiety and depression, helps relieve migraines, promotes better cardiovascular health and stabilizes blood sugar.
How is it made? RSO is an oil made by washing cannabis buds with a solvent, such as pure light naphtha, and then boiling off the solvent, leaving behind the oil. It’s a delicate process that is produced in a laboratory.
How to use RSO? Place one pound (16 oz.) of dried pure indica cannabis and one gallon (3.8 liters) of isopropyl alcohol in a bucket. When you’ve added all of your cannabis to the bucket that holds two to three gallons, pour in one gallon (3.8 liters) of food-grade isopropyl alcohol. Next, break up and stir the cannabis chunks with a wooden spoon before you add the alcohol. You can also choose to grind the cannabis and use the shake. Stir in a circular motion for three minutes or until at least 80 percent of the cannabis dissolves. Now, drain the solvent from the dissolved cannabis using a cheesecloth or coffee strainer. Transfer the cannabis into a bowl and let it sit for a minute.
Now stir the remaining cannabis and 1 gallon of food grade isopropyl alcohol together and stir till at least 80 percent of the cannabis has dissolved again. Save and store the drained alcohol in the bucket. Drain the solvent from the cannabis again using the cheesecloth or coffee strainer.
When the plant material is completely separated, throw it away. Pour the drained alcohol into the bucket with the rest of the solvent. Discard the cannabis after you extract the alcohol.
This next step will encourage you to purchase RSO from a vendor since doing it yourself is dangerous, so we don’t recommend doing this at home without proper setting, ventilation and safety measures. It’s also best to have a professional make the oil.
Next: Set up a rice cooker (not a crock pot) in a well-ventilated area. Please be careful and only do this carefully with supervision. The alcohol is highly combustible — avoid flames, stovetops, sparks, cigarettes, lit joints while you heat the solvent! Use a fan. Don’t breathe the fumes. Use a mask ideally. Fumes may be smelled from the cooker as the solvent dissolves. This is normal. No worries. This may take 2-3 hours. Do NOT exceed 240 degrees F.
Transfer the food grade isopropyl alcohol to the rice cooker. Pour the alcohol into your rice cooker until it is about three-quarters of the way full. Close and turn on your rice cooker to 210–230°F (99–110°C). Check on it often. As the alcohol evaporates, you slowly add more until you have poured in the entire solvent. Wait till it is halfway evaporated to fill it continually to three quarters full. Add a few drops of water (10 for every pound); this keeps the oil from overheating.
Wait until the oil develops a dark color and greasy consistency. When you have added all of the solvent into the rice cooker and it has evaporated entirely, the oil will be the only liquid left in the rice cooker. It will be a dark syrup and will not move when you hold the jar sideways.
You will store the oil in syringes until you use it. You will need several syringes to siphon out the oil. Fill the syringes with the oil. Take the needle out and replace with a cap so it doesn’t spill. Make sure to consult with a cannabisfriendly doctor.
If you are very sick, then you may want to consume 60 grams of RSO in a 90-day period. Your first week, you will do 3 doses a day: morning, noon and night. It will be the size of half a grain of rice.
After the first week, you will double the dose every four days. It will take 3-5 weeks before you are able to handle one gram of the oil a day. Then you will take one gram a day until all 60 grams are consumed topically or orally.
How to consume Rick Simpson Oil
You can use organic pill capsules. Put the proper dose in and swallow. You can choose to take with food. You can place it into a suppository capsule. This insures you will not get stoned. Tommy Chong used it this way for his cancer. Use it topically for skin cancer.
Potential side effects
This oil is very strong and can cause anxiety, low blood pressure, dizziness, sleeping difficulties, difficulty remembering things but only lasts a few hours. Lower your dosage or use the suppository method to bypass any high or side effects. Remember, it is an indica, meaning you may feel tired.