The safest home method for making Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) is a food-grade ethanol quick wash: decarboxylate the flower, freeze it with 190-proof ethanol, wash for a few minutes, filter, then evaporate the solvent outdoors or in a fume hood with an electric heat source. This guide assumes home cannabis extraction with solvents is legal where you live, and it judges each step against four criteria: fire risk, residual solvent, cannabinoid preservation, and repeatability.
Cannabis RSO Side Effects: What to Expect
What RSO Is, and What It Is Not
RSO is a full-extract cannabis oil, usually dark and thick, made by dissolving cannabinoids in a solvent and then removing the solvent. It contains THC, other cannabinoids, and some plant compounds. It is not distillate, it is not a vape oil, and it is not a measured-dose pharmaceutical product.
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- Potency: a single gram can hold several hundred milligrams of THC, depending on the starting flower.
- Texture: sticky and tar-like, which makes accurate dosing hard without a scale or a diluted preparation.
- Medical claims: claims that RSO cures cancer are not supported by clinical trials. Treat it as a high-potency cannabis product and talk to a clinician before using it for a health condition.
Safety Rules That Decide the Whole Process
Ethanol vapor can ignite at normal room temperature, so the solvent step carries the real risk in this project. Work outside or under ventilation, and remove every ignition source from the area.
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- No gas stoves, pilot lights, space heaters, cigarettes, or vaping near the work area.
- Use an electric hot plate or a water bath, never an open flame.
- Use glass or grounded stainless steel. Avoid plastic funnels and dry plastic containers that build static.
- Keep a fire extinguisher within reach, and never run a batch alone or in a garage attached to the house.
- Work in small batches. A large volume of ethanol vapor is far harder to control.
Equipment and Ingredients
- 28 g (1 oz) dried cannabis flower
- 500 mL food-grade ethanol, 190 proof or higher, chilled
- Glass mason jars with lids, a funnel, and unbleached coffee filters
- Electric hot plate, water bath setup, and a thermometer
- Digital scale, silicone spatula, amber glass dropper bottles or syringes
Step 1: Decarboxylate the Flower
Raw cannabis contains THCA, which does not produce the effects most users expect. Heat converts it to THC. Spread broken-up flower in a thin layer on a baking sheet or in a sealed oven bag and heat at 240 F (115 C) for about 40 minutes. Keep the temperature stable; hotter and shorter runs can burn off volatile compounds. Let it cool before the next step.
Step 2: Freeze the Flower and Solvent
Put the decarboxylated flower in a sealed jar and place it in the freezer along with the ethanol for at least four hours, ideally overnight. Cold ethanol pulls less chlorophyll and wax, which gives a cleaner, less bitter oil.
Step 3: Quick Wash
- Combine the frozen flower and cold ethanol in a glass jar, using just enough ethanol to cover the plant material.
- Swirl gently for 3 to 5 minutes. Do not blend, shake hard, or grind the flower to powder.
- Strain through a mesh sieve into a clean jar, pressing lightly with a silicone spatula.
- Optional second wash: add fresh cold ethanol for 1 to 2 minutes and keep this wash separate, since it will be greener and harsher.
Step 4: Filter the Wash
Filter the combined wash through an unbleached coffee filter into a clean glass jar. Do this twice for a clearer oil, and keep the jar covered to limit evaporation and dust. Work in the cold if you can, since warm liquid picks up more plant matter.
Step 5: Evaporate the Solvent
Set the jar in a warm water bath on an electric hot plate, outdoors or in a fume hood. Keep the water between 150 and 175 F (65 to 80 C) and use a fan to move air across the surface. Never seal the container, and never leave the process unattended.
Remove the jar while the oil is still a thick syrup rather than a hard film. Scrape it into a small dish, spread it thin, and apply gentle warmth for a short period to drive off the last solvent. Overheating at this stage degrades cannabinoids and terpenes.
Step 6: Finish, Store, and Dose
Warm the oil slightly and draw it into a glass syringe or store it in an amber glass jar. Keep it in a cool, dark place, and label the batch with the date and the starting material. For dosing, start at 10 mg of THC or less. Because homemade oil is not standardized, dilute a small weighed amount in a carrier oil so you can measure it accurately.
Ethanol vs Isopropyl Alcohol
Food-grade ethanol
- Pros: approved for human consumption in trace amounts, lower toxicity risk, and better flavor than industrial alcohols.
- Cons: expensive, sometimes restricted, and sold as an azeotrope near 95 percent, so it holds some water.
Isopropyl alcohol
- Pros: cheap and easy to find.
- Cons: industrial grades can contain contaminants, and residue is not safe to ingest. Older RSO recipes used it, but food-grade ethanol is the better choice for a product you plan to consume.
Recommendation: use food-grade ethanol for anything you intend to eat. Keep isopropyl for cleaning tools only.
Common Mistakes
- Grinding flower to powder, which pulls harsh chlorophyll and fine sediment.
- Soaking for hours instead of minutes, which produces a darker, less pleasant oil.
- Skipping decarboxylation, which leaves mostly inactive THCA.
- Evaporating over a gas flame or in a closed kitchen.
- Heating the finished oil too long, which boils off terpenes and can degrade THC.
Legal Reality Check
Home extraction with flammable solvents is restricted in many places. In Canada, producing cannabis extracts with flammable solvents requires a federal licence and is not permitted in an unlicensed home. In the United States, rules vary by state, and some states ban home solvent extraction outright. Check your local law before buying equipment, and keep the batch small if you proceed.