Concentrated cannabis oil, commonly known as Rick Simpson Oil (RSO), holds incredible promise as alternative plant-based medicine. By extracting key compounds from the marijuana plant into a thick, potent substance, patients gain the means to harness beneficial therapeutic effects not typical of traditional pharmaceuticals.
I first learned of RSO after my own struggles finding relief for chronic nerve pain and inflammation. Pharma medications came bundled with difficult side effects and limited efficacy. RSO provided hope for regaining normalcy lost to chronic illness.
The process of making RSO yourself at home gives you full control over your treatment while saving money. This guide will explore how even small personal batches can safely unlock cannabis‘ vast healing potential.
Origins of Rick Simpson Oil
The genesis behind this powerful therapeutic oil stems from Rick Simpson, a Canadian engineer and medical marijuana advocate.
Back in 2003, Simpson was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer. Refusing traditional intervention like surgery and radiation, Simpson had read scientific literature and anecdotal reports describing anti-tumoral effects of cannabinoids like THC and CBD.
He devised a concentrated oil using common solvents to strip key compounds from cannabis plants. Simpson applied his extraction topically to facial cancerous spots and witnessed startling success. His physicians confirmed the cancer went into total remission.
Word rapidly spread within medical marijuana circles about Simpson‘s oil, dubbed Phoenix Tears. Patients struggling with myriad treatment-resistant conditions started adopting the oil, customizing dosage and ingestion methods to their particular illness.
While research still aims to uncover the exact mechanisms behind cannabis‘ therapeutic effects, patients themselves propel the grassroots RSO movement forward through shared collective knowledge.
Why Small Personal Batches?
Those first pioneering patients made mass quantities of oil in large batches serving communities. But safety risks emerge on such a vast scale employing high proof solvents. Fumes pose combustion and explosion dangers requiring proper ventilation and cautious heating.
By opting to produce small personal batches measuring under one ounce, you greatly mitigate these hazards. I recommend a double boiler or rice cooker for gentler warmth control. Compared to commercial operations, personal RSO needs only basic kitchen equipment:
| Personal RSO | Commercial RSO |
|---|---|
| Double boiler | Custom extractor |
| Wooden spoon | Electric mixer |
| Cheesecloth | Industrial filter |
| Mason jars | Steel drums |
| Kitchen scale | Commercial scale |
Beyond equipment differences, small batch RSO lets you target symptoms through strain selection…
Choosing the Right Cannabis Chemotypes
Over 500 distinct chemical compounds exist within the cannabis plant, each with potential therapeutic influence. The richness and variability across strains provide customizable treatment options.
For fighting pain and inflammation, seek out CBD-dominant chemotypes with ample complementary cannabinoids like CBG, THCV, etc. The entourage effect describes synergy amplifying benefits between compounds.
Conversely, THC predominance suits applications like insomnia or lack of appetite where psychoactivity proves useful. Balanced THC:CBD ratios deliver moderate relief without pronounced euphoria.
And minor players like terpenes and flavonoids also contribute specialized effects – pinene for mental clarity, linalool for stress, limonene for mood elevation and so on.
While RSO inevitably concentrates a wide spectrum of cannabis constituents, you can still shift balances through starting material. Keep detailed notes on strain specifics and symptom changes to optimize future batches.
Solvents: Safety Considerations
The solvent forms the very basis of extracting desired compounds from raw plant materials into concentrated oil. So choice of solvent requires careful consideration.
Numerous options exist like butane, hexane, isopropyl alcohol or ethanol. Each carries different safety risk profiles and extraction efficacy attributes.
In my experience, 190-proof food-grade ethanol, also called neutral grain spirit or everclear, provides the ideal solvent for small batch RSO. Compared to combustion dangers with more volatile chemical solvents, ethanol poses relatively low hazards while retaining extraction potency.
Always use caution handling flammable ethanol or other chemical solvents during production. Ensure proper ventilation to prevent buildup of fumes, Extinguish all sources of ignition like pilot lights or sparks before beginning.
Consider working outdoors if possible. Wear protective equipment like nitrile gloves and safety goggles…
I‘ll now walk step-by-step through the full production process to create small, potent batches of Rick Simpson Oil at home.
Step 1 – Decarboxylation
Decarboxylation describes converting cannabinoid acids like THCA and CBDA into "active" THC and CBD forms through gentle heating. Edibles require this extra decarb step for proper dosing.
Preheat oven to 230°F. Grind cannabis flower to uniform consistency with mortar & pestle or coffee grinder. Spread ground material thinly over a baking sheet. Bake for 90-120 minutes, stirring occasionally. When plant matter turns medium brown, remove from oven and allow to fully cool.
Step 2 – Solvent Extraction
Pack decarboxylated cannabis into the bottom of a double boiler or rice cooker. Pour food-grade ethanol over the plant matter until completely submerged, at least 2-3 inches above material.
Gently heat the mixture at temperatures around 150°F, for 20 minutes to 1 hour. This allows ethanol to strip therapeutic compounds from the cellular material and hold them in green-brown solution.
Step 3 – Filtering Mixture
Next, carefully pour the green solvent extract through a metal mesh strainer lined with a过滤布 into a glass storage container. Use a wooden spoon to gently press remaining plant material in the strainer to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Discard strained plant matter.
Your strained ethanol extract now contains the wide spectrum of medicinal compounds like THC, CBD and more. We next remove the solvent to leave behind healed RSO.
Step 4 – Evaporating Ethanol
Return filtered green ethanol extract back into the double boiler vessel. Simmer uncovered at low temperature, stirring periodically. This allows excess ethanol to safely evaporate away over 20-40 minutes.
Signs of fully evaporated ethanol include thick, viscous oil consistency coating the spoon and little detectable solvent aroma. Remove from heat promptly when desired oil thickness reached to preserve cannabinoids.
Step 5 – Storage & Dosing
Finally, draw warm RSO oil into oral syringes for easy handling and precise dosing. Let cool then cap & store syringes upright in a dark, cool location like the freezer. Various containers like silicone and glass also work for short-term storage.
Properly stored RSO retains potency for many months. The thick oil conveniently sticks to skin when applied topically or absorbs through membranes inside one‘s mouth.
Always start low around rice grain size doses and slowly increase based on symptom relief.
Now let‘s explore some exciting science into cannabis compounds that makes RSO so potentially potent…
Anti-Microbial Properties
Beyond widely known pain relief attributes, cannabinoids like THC & CBD display impressive antiviral and antibacterial properties confirmed through various laboratory studies.
The rich presence of these compounds concentrated in RSO may provide healing effects against dangerous microbes. Results hold promise against antibiotic-resistant bacteria like MRSA as well as stubborn viral infections where pharmaceuticals often fail.
Exact mechanisms still undergoing research, but may involve protein-based receptors found in cell membranes that cannabinoids bind to, triggering swelling and rupturing. More human trials needed, but RSO deserves consideration either separately or in conjunction with other anti-microbial drugs.
Enhanced Absorption Advantages
What makes Rick Simpson Oil stand apart from other ingestion methods comes down to bioavailability – the rate and extent active compounds reach circulation to access sites of injury and disease.
Smoking and vaping cannabis certainly offers rapid onset. However magnitude of effects pale compared to RSO where lipid carrier molecules escort a far greater percentage of cannabinoids across membranes and directly into underlying tissue.
In fact, early Phase I pharmacokinetic testing found ~70% bioavailability for RSO containing around 700mg THC + CBD orally versus 10-35% for inhaled routes. This enhanced absorption and retention makes RSO ideal for managing chronic illnesses.
Closing Thoughts
I firmly believe that concentrated cannabis oil like RSO affords patients an accessible, natural path to healing without demolishing quality of life through side effects like so many pharmaceuticals.
And with this guide detailing a safe, easy method for small batch production using common household equipment and cost-effective food grade solvents, readers now have little barrier to start their own medicinal supply.
No fancy labs or manufacturing equipment needed. Reclaim plant-based wellness with your own two hands! Of course, reasonable care and caution advised.
The mission of this guide aims not to replace traditional medicine across the board. Rather, provide supplemental options for those losing hope. Consider RSO an arrow quiver against illness. Much left to still scientifically validate, but cheap ingredients and simplicity of small batch methods downplay any real risk beyond wasted time if inefficacious.
To all fighting the gruel Mode of chronic conditions with increasingly few solutions in sight, consider cannabis. Centuries of anecdotal evidence only now gaining credence through early clinical inquiry. RSO just one preparation finally demonstrating what patients themselves discovered – marijuana as legitimate medicine!
So to patients yearning for better quality of life impaired by pain, nausea, depression and more – start small. Experiment. Get back intrinsic control over your health and never surrender!