Rick Simpson Oil is not a magical cure-all. Nor is there any current evidence that it cures cancer, despite what its creator claims.
Yet, as a cannabis concentrate that is high in THC and other cannabinoids – at least, when made to a high standard of quality – RSO can have many beneficial properties when used to address many different conditions.
But what is Rick Simpson Oil? How do you use it? Where do you buy it? How much does Rick Simpson Oil cost?
Let’s take a little bit of a closer look at this famous oil and its infamous creator.
What is Rick Simpson Oil?
Rick Simpson Oil, often referred to as RSO, is a cannabis concentrate. It is made by using a solvent – often grain alcohol, but also ethanol or butane – to extract THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol, one of the best-known cannabinoids in cannabis) and other cannabinoids from the cannabis plant.
The basic Rick Simpson oil recipe calls for cannabis plant material to be soaked in alcohol. The alcohol is then drained and heated so that it evaporates.
The resulting product is a powerful cannabis oil, heavy in THC and other cannabinoids. It is intended to be taken orally or applied topically to parts of the body which are the source of pain or discomfort.
Any strain of cannabis can be used to create RSO. But the potency of the final product will, of course, rest on the quality of the plant which was used to create it.
The type of plant used will also be responsible for the appearance of the final oil. Some Rick Simpson Oil is thick and dark. Other examples are lighter and sticky.
Who is Rick Simpson?
Rick Simpson is a Canadian marijuana activist who decided to create his own DIY cannabis oil when diagnosed with skin cancer (specifically basal cell carcinoma) back in 2003.
He had read about a famous study where THC was used to kill cancer cells in mice and – after his doctor refused to consider the treatment – went ahead and created his own cannabis oil, having already used marijuana for medicinal relief several times in the past.
Simpson claims that he created the oil, applied it to the parts of his body where the cancer resided, and was cured several days later.
Since then, he has widely promoted his own oil – which came to became Rick Simpson Oil, or occasionally, Phoenix Tears (also the name of Simpson’s book on the subject) – as a cure for cancer as well as many other conditions.
Because Simpson continues to make those unfounded claims that RSO cures cancer, he has been arrested by Canadian police several times. Indeed, he lives his life in exile from Canada.
Does Rick Simpson oil work?
There is currently zero evidence that Rick Simpson Oil cures cancer. But does Rick Simpson Oil work?
That very much depends on what you use it for. It will certainly have a noticeable effect if you use it in the way you might use other THC-heavy cannabis extracts – to provide effective relief from the symptoms of cancer or other illnesses.
In any case, as a potent cannabis extract, it is always a good idea to consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before you begin taking RSO as part of your healthcare regimen.
What are the benefits of RSO?
The advantages of RSO are that it is odorless, easy to take, and is very discrete.
Some people would argue that another advantage of Rick Simpson Oil is that you can make it at home. However, this is not a good idea unless you have some form of experience in chemistry or a related field. Otherwise, the results can be unpleasant and disappointing.
How to use Rick Simpson Oil
There is a classic method for using Rick Simpson Oil, designed by Simpson himself. The target is to consume 60 grams of RSO within 90 days.
That is quite a lot of THC. To do this, Simpson suggests you follow this treatment regimen:
- Week 1 – take a quarter of a drop of RSO three times a day. Simpson specifies that the amount to take is equivalent in size to “half a grain of rice”. Do this once every eight hours – in the morning, after lunch, and at night.
- Week 2 to Week 5 – every four days throughout the next four weeks, double your dose until you reach the maximum. The maximum dose will be one gram of RSO per day. Building up to this maximum might take anywhere from three to five weeks.
- Week 5 to Week 12 – now you have reached the maximum dose of one gram per day, continue taking this every day until you have taken all 60 grams. The expected size of each of your three daily doses should be around 8 or 9 drops of RSO at this point.
RSO – Frequently Asked Questions
There are some questions which are commonly asked about RSO:
Can you smoke Rick Simpson Oil?
This heavily depends on the type of solvent which was used to make it:
- Flammable solvent – if the solvent used to create this RSO was flammable, or you do not know whether it was flammable, DO NOT SMOKE OR DAB RICK SIMPSON OIL.
- Homemade RSO – not smoking or dabbing RSO is especially important if you have risked making a “homebrew” version. In general, doing this at all isn’t a good idea. But if you have, do not use your RSO to smoke or dab.
- High-quality dispensary-bought RSO – even when you are purchasing a high-quality product from your local dispensary, it is important to ask what it is safe to do with the product when you get it home.
In fact, it is always a good idea to ask your local budtender for advice about any marijuana or marijuana product you are considering buying.
Particularly in any K.I.N.D. Concentrates dispensary, and in other reputable establishment too, your budtender’s purpose is not to up-sell products or make you spend money. They are more like an interactive wiki of cannabis knowledge.
Tell them what you want to get from your cannabis experience. They should then be able to advise you how to get it.
Can you cook with RSO?
You can certainly use RSO to cook or bake with. When cooking, remember that RSO can be viscous. When baking, bear in mind that a recipe that is more liquid in consistency will be a better idea.
In general, be sure to select the right recipe and RSO will be just as good to cook with as cannabis cooking oil or cannabutter.
You can also simply add it to any food you are consuming. But do bear in mind that the taste isn’t that great. For this reason, some people prefer to mix it with fruit – bananas are popular – to disguise the flavor, which is often very bitter.
Does Rick Simpson Oil get you high?
As a cannabis extract which contains high levels of THC, Rick Simpson Oil can certainly get you high.
As with other extracts, the method through which you choose to consume it will alter the potency of the effect you receive.
For instance, taking RSO orally will usually be fast-acting. Baking or cooking with your oil and then eating the food will likely make the onset of effects slower, but the duration longer.
Does Rick Simpson Oil have any side-effects?
1) Sleepiness
The major noticeable side-effect of taking RSO will usually be a desire to sleep. But as many people taking Rick Simpson Oil do so because they are suffering from some kind of chronic pain, this is not necessarily a bad thing.
As your body becomes accustomed to RSO, the drowsiness effect should gradually be reduced.
2) Psychoactive effects
The other main side-effect will be due to the fact that properly-made RSO is high in THC. THC is a psychoactive substance. If you are not used to this, it can be disconcerting.
The classic method of taking RSO – which involves building up your dose over a five or six week period until you reach the maximum – is designed to combat this.
How much is Rick Simpson Oil?
Working out a Rick Simpson Oil price per gram is not the best way of choosing the version of the oil which is right for you.
If you want to use RSO to create any kind of beneficial relief effect, your best bet is to aim for a quality oil made by a trusted creator. Luckily, if you want to buy Rick Simpson Oil in Arizona, you have a good choice of options.
You will always achieve better results – no matter your goals – if you know that, like everything in the world of K.I.N.D., the cannabis your product was created from is organic, grown locally in American soil using natural farming practices, and was extracted using clean, efficient processes.
One final point: although you can buy Rick Simpson oil from many dispensaries – and some few people ill-advisedly make it themselves at home – Simpson himself claims that he has never sold the oil and never will.
His claims about RSO’s properties as a cure for cancer are as of yet completely unproven. But that doesn’t mean that Rick Simpson Oil isn’t used by people around the world to get the relief they need.
