Let’s talk RSO!

By Marni Hallett

Its full name, Rick Simpson Oil (RSO), is named after the creator who figured out his own extraction method that resulted in the highest cannabinoid count for a concentrate. RSO is very versatile and easy for anyone to use. It can be applied topically and also consumed orally. Whether you are looking to treat yourself from the outside in or inside out, RSO might be just what you need!

Rick Simpson was diagnosed with skin cancer in 2003. Having used cannabis to treat other medical issues in his past, he decided to find way to use it to help him with his cancer. He came up with this new extraction method that resulted in a cannabis oil concentrate with an extremely high cannabinoid count. He applied the oil to a bandage and placed it over the cancerous spots. Eventually the spots disappeared and Simpson went on to promote the use of the oil as a medical treatment and end up having it named after him. He never patented the name or produced oil to sell to people, instead he had shared his method of making RSO with the world so people could see how it can help them medicinally.

Another wonderful method of using RSO is oral consumption! RSO is already “activated,” meaning there is no need to heat the oil in order to make it work. You can put it directly into your mouth, onto a piece of food, melt it into your coffee or tea, or go all out and make your own easy infused edibles! The suggested dose when taking it as is or placing it onto food or into a drink is a strip of oil the size of a grain of rice. RSO typically comes in a syringe, making it fairly easy to dose out accordingly. When it comes to cooking with it, it’s as easy as placing a single dose into your pan of eggs in the morning or stirring the whole syringe into into your brownie mix! Pro-tip, if you ever have trouble getting the oil out of the syringe, run it under hot water or place it in a pot of hot water and let it sit for a few minutes, this should loosen up the oil. Then you are ready to dose it out easily, properly and enjoy all the medicinal benefits!

When I was suffering an intense lower lumbar flare up that had me laid out on the couch for two weeks, I needed to find a way to medicate that didn’t involve smoking my cannabis. Moving to grind my flower and pack my pieces was too painful. Coughing from smoking both flower and vaping was too painful. I got some Grassroots RSO in Birthday Cake and East Coast Sour Diesel to try instead. I love that while RSO is typically on the relaxing and sedative side, some of the growers have started making strain specific RSO giving the option of a more sativa leaning or heavier indica leaning option. During the day I would place a single dose of the ECSD (sativa hybrid) on a CBD gummy to help manage my pain and anxiety, but also allow myself to still be able to enjoy some TV and converse with my roommate. At night I would place a single dose of Birthday Cake RSO (indica hybrid) on a 2:1 CBD:THC gummy so that it would have a more sedative effect and though I was in constant pain, it allowed me to fall asleep and stay asleep.

RSO is definitely one of my favorite easy and discrete ways to medicate with cannabis. If you want to find out more, head on into Chesacanna and come chat with myself or any of the other DA’s and find out which RSO might be the best for you!