By Luke Sumpter


There are myriad ways to use cannabis, from smoking flower and hitting dabs to munching on delicious edibles. However, oil extracts offer one of the most potent methods of getting high. Among these preparations, Rick Simpson oil (RSO) stands out as one of the most well-known, and controversial. But most people don’t take RSO with the sole goal of getting baked. This form of cannabis oil rose to fame following the release of a documentary that claimed it held great healing powers—including the potential to treat cancer.

Despite the lack of clinical evidence to back up these statements, RSO made huge waves on social media and beyond. Since its spread, thousands of anecdotal accounts have sprung up that testify to its effectiveness for a plethora of health conditions.

But RSO, and the movement it catalysed, isn't without its critics and sceptics. Although ongoing preclinical studies are investigating the anti-tumour effects of cannabinoids, many experts believe it’s far too early to support the bombastic statements surrounding RSO.

Who Is Rick Simpson, and What Is RSO?

Who Is Rick Simpson

Rick Simpson became an eminent figure in the cannabis community and beyond after the 2008 release of Run From the Cure, a documentary that details his personal discovery of high-potency cannabis extracts.

Simpson experienced a work-related injury while working as an engineer in Nova Scotia, Canada. During a routine job in 1997, he took a autumn, hit his head, and fell unconscious. Despite making a recovery following a visit to the hospital, Simpson experienced persistent dizziness and ringing in his ears (a condition known as tinnitus).

Conventional pharmaceutical treatments failed to hit the mark. Simpson felt dissatisfied as the medical system failed to provide the relief he sought. So, he took it upon himself to find the answers, and eventually came across cannabis. After viewing a television programme about the plant in 1997, he requested a joint from a close friend.

To his surprise, the plant helped him manage his symptoms. In an overly optimistic move, Simpson told his doctor about his findings and requested a medical cannabis prescription. His doctor refused. This response clearly bothered Simpson, and made him question the medical paradigm altogether.

He endured several more years of torment from his worsening condition, and even reached the point where he considered ending his life. However, he remembered how cannabis had provided him with some relief in the past. With a newfound desire to heal himself, Simpson went on to grow some plants, extract their constituents, and make an oil that would ultimately place him in the history books as a famous cannabis activist.

RSO Backstory

Simpson created RSO by simply following a trail of his own logic. Using alcohol to extract the constituents of the cannabis plant, he hoped the increased concentration of active compounds would result in enhanced relief. His intuition came out on top. According to Simpson, his blood pressure reduced, the symptoms of his injury faded, and his sleep improved.

This story alone could have probably mustered Simpson quite the following. But things shortly took a more severe, and albeit more attention-grabbing, turn. In 2003, Simpson’s doctor diagnosed him with a form of skin cancer known as basal cell carcinoma. He underwent surgery that removed the cancer, but it quickly returned.

After his personal experiences with cannabis extracts, Simpson had faith in his formula. He also read a paper published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute that reinforced his trust in the plant. The study in question[1] investigated the anti-tumour effects of cannabinoids in mice, including THC and CBN.

This research gave Simpson enough confidence to put his oil to the ultimate test. He applied it directly to his skin cancer. According to him, the growths disappeared within a week. Propelled by “Run From the Cure”, this story gained huge traction online. Simpson's success story inspired thousands of others to use RSO in an attempt to help themselves. He also went on to set up his own website—Phoenix Tears[2]—which provides dosage instructions and guides people through the process of making their own oil.

RSO Backstory

What Is RSO Used For?

People use RSO in an attempt to treat a wide range of health conditions. As a full-spectrum cannabis extract, the oil contains cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, and other cannabis constituents. Ongoing research continues to explore the role of these molecules against a host of diseases and health conditions.

But remember, this doesn’t justify their use—especially as standalone therapies. Comprehensive and controlled clinical trials are required to discover what this cannabis oil is truly capable of. RSO simply has yet to be medically reviewed on this level, and as such isn’t supported by medical institutions at this time.

Regardless of the lack of data, many people use RSO out of sheer desperation. Terminal diagnoses and ineffective medication have driven people to self-medicate with RSO for a number of conditions, including:

Arthritis Asthma
Multiple sclerosis Cancer
Inflammation Depression
Insomnia

RSO vs Cannabis Tincture: Which Is Stronger?

RSO offers a much more concentrated dose of cannabinoids and other components than regular cannabis tinctures. The process of making RSO involves boiling off all of the residual solvent, which leaves behind crude and undiluted cannabis oil. On the other hand, tinctures contain the original solvent. Although strong, they are diluted with alcohol and provide less-concentrated doses of cannabis phytochemicals.

How To Make Rick Simpson Oil

There are many ways to make cannabis oil, from using coconut oil to olive oil. But RSO differs from most other forms of cannabis oil in that it completely removes carrier oils from the equation. The end result? A thick, viscous extract consisting of nothing but cannabis phytochemicals. Find out how to make it below.

Equipment and Ingredients

Before we start, you’ll need a lot of weed to make a decent amount of RSO. It takes about 450g of dried buds to yield 60g of oil. Gather these supplies to make RSO at home:

  • 450g dried buds
  • 9l 99% isopropyl alcohol
  • 20l food-grade plastic bucket
  • Deep bowl
  • Wooden spoon
  • Cheesecloth
  • Rice cooker
  • Plastic syringe
  • Paper clip
  • Lighter
How To Make Rick Simpson Oil

Directions

  1. Add your flowers to the bucket and submerge them with isopropyl alcohol.
  2. Use the wooden spoon to agitate the flowers and stir the mixture.
  3. Stir for approximately three minutes as the cannabis constituents dissolve into the solvent.
  4. Strain the solvent through the cheesecloth and into the large bowl.
  5. You can choose to do a second wash using the leftover plant material by repeating the same process. But this is optional and requires a lot more solvent.
  6. Place your rice cooker in a well-ventilated location and fill it to 75% capacity.
  7. Set the rice cooker to a heat of 100–110°C. Continue to top up the cooker with the remaining solution as the solvent boils off. You must keep the cooker sheltered from sparks, burning cigarettes/spliffs, and other sources of flames, as the solvent fumes are highly combustible.
  8. As the solvent boils off, you’ll be left with a thick, tar-like crude extract. Unwind a paper clip and dab the tip into the extract. Move to another room, and apply a lighter to the oil. If it catches, it means you need to wait a while longer to boil off the rest of the solvent.
  9. Once entirely purged of the solvent, uptake the oil into the syringes and store it in the fridge. Run them under warm water before dosing if you find the oil sets too hard.

Why Is RSO Black?

The method of making RSO pulls a whole host of phytochemicals out of cannabis flowers. This includes chlorophyll, which adds a dark shade to the oil, as well as lipids and waxes. It looks a lot different from those golden, translucent CBD oils on the market—most of which undergo winterisation (the removal of lipids and waxes) and feature translucent carriers such as hemp seed oil.

RSO vs CBD Oil

RSO and CBD oil are very different products. They vary in constituents, production methods, and effects. Explore their key differences below.

RSO

Full-spectrum product containing almost all of the constituents in cannabis flowers

Crude and unrefined

Highly psychotropic if made with a THC-rich strain

Crafted using a basic ethanol extraction technique

Much higher concentrations of cannabinoids and terpenes

CBD Oil

Made using regulated, low-THC hemp plants

Winterised product containing CBD and terpenes suspended in a carrier oil

Refined and translucent, with a golden hue

Utilises supercritical CO₂ extraction—a much safer and specialised production method

Lower concentration of cannabinoids and terpenes

Third-party tested for contaminants such as pesticides, solvents, and heavy metals

Is RSO Dangerous?

It depends. If clean and well-made, RSO is a relatively safe cannabis extract. However, the sheer potency of the preparation means it should be approached with caution—even by seasoned smokers. But most people that make RSO aren’t extraction experts; they're desperate individuals looking for viable treatments. Inexperience often leads to oils that are overcooked and burned, or undercooked and contaminated with extremely strong alcohol.

Of course, explosions and fires pose the biggest risks when making RSO. Amateur oil makers have previously blown the walls off their houses while attempting to make a batch. If you decide to make RSO, be extremely mindful of the inherent dangers.

External Resources:
  1. Antineoplastic activity of cannabinoids - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  2. Phoenix Tears | Rick Simpson https://phoenixtears.ca
Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: