Rick Simpson Oil, also goes by RSO or Phoenix Tears, is the name given to a concentrated form of cannabis oil. RSO is characterized as a dark black with the consistency of molasses. This form of concentrate is renowned for it’s potency and (supposed) medical benefits to many ailments ranging from chronic pain to cancer.
There are two basic steps to making RSO. Step 1, make a quick wash tincture. Step 2: reduce down the tincture until a thick concentrated oil is rendered.
How to make a quick wash tincture:
Step 1: Follow the suggested recipe here for making a quick wash tincture using 190 proof ethanol.
How to reduce your 190 proof ethanol tincture into Rick Simpson Oil
For step 2, there are many ways to reduce down the volume of your tincture until a thick concentrate oil is left. In the name of pure safety, we recommend using a steady stream of room temperature air that naturally and safely incentivizes the ethanol to evaporate away leaving behind a potent concentrate. This cold air method however requires substantially more time, a separate decarboxylating step, and some additional equipment to work effectively. The trade off of these extra steps, time, and equipment is the fool proof safety factor and ability to “set it and forget”, as this method of reduction does not require constant vigilance as the ethanol is reduced out of the tincture. For more information on this setup see our recipe for Tincture Evaporation using Cold Air here.
A majority of RSO recipes found on the internet however will call for the application of heat using a crockpot, hot plate, or some other flame-free heat source. When applying a heat source to the tincture, the rate of evaporation of the ethanol out of the tincture is substantially increased, reducing the amount of time required to only a couple hours. Our recommended method of reducing the ethanol out of tincture is provided in the Cold Air Evaporation link above, however for people who wish to speed up the process of reduction from tincture to RSO, the following recipes that advice using a heat source of some sort are provided for users to read and decide which method might suit their particular setup, experience level, and circumstances.
An additonal note about safety when using heat to reduce your tincture: Ethanol is extremely flammable and great care should be observed at all times whenever mixing high proof ethanol and heat sources of any kind. Ethanol vapors are also extremely flammable, the recipes that call for applying a heat source should only be done out doors with adequate fresh air ventilation. One or more fans is recommended to increase the availability of fresh air into the surrounding area, and to increase the venting any ethanol vapors. Never extinguish an alcohol fire using water, always have a Class A fire extinguisher available nearby and never perform any heating of ethanol indoors on a kitchen stove.
Suggested recipes for reducing your tincture into RSO using a controlled heat source:
Official Rick Simpson Website: http://phoenixtears.ca/
RSO Recipe: https://dgomag.com/contents/2000