The story of activist Rick Simpson and how Jack Herer honored him by giving his name to this natural medicine. RSO
If you have ever entered a cannabis dispensary asking about medical cannabis, you may have heard the term “RSO”. These three letters refer to a potentially beneficial product for different medical disorders.
But not everyone, including some caregivers in medical marijuana dispensaries, really knows what makes this product unique.
RSO is the acronym for “Rick Simpson Oil,” and it was Jack Herer who coined this nickname in honor of fellow activist Rick Simpson.
Rick Simpson is a retired electronic engineer who worked for 25 years in the public medical system in Canada.
It all started in 1997, after suffering a serious head injury. Rick took all the medicines that the doctors prescribed him. But his side effects did nothing but harm him. Therefore, desperate, he began to research natural medicine. And in this way he discovered the medicinal potential of cannabis.
Later, in 2013, Rick Simpson was diagnosed with a form of skin cancer called basal cell carcinoma. Although doctors regularly removed cancerous tumors, they always reproduced, often with more vigor.
Conventional doctors prescribed many medications full of very unpleasant side effects that eventually turned his life into a nightmare.
Finally, the doctors told Simpson that they had given up on being able to eradicate them permanently, news that encouraged this plant lover to look for a more natural and less invasive remedy to heal.
Simpson read a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in 1975, in which it was discovered that THC killed cancer cells in mice. He immediately began to develop his own method to extract cannabis oil and was very successful personally in the use of his homemade extract to treat his injuries.
He applied the cannabis oil directly on the affected skin and covered it with a bandage for four days. Then, according to his version, he discovered that the growth had completely disappeared. Simpson was not only surprised at how well the extract worked, but also was unpleasantly affected by the fact that the plant used to make the oil was legally prohibited and outside the public health system.
Simpson started telling anyone to listen to him that cannabis oil had cured his cancer. He even interviewed the Telegraph magazine. But everyone laughed at him.
However, teasing did not stop his passion for cannabis-based medicine. Simpson decided to personally provide his cannabis oil to cancer patients. To get it he started growing his own marijuana plants in his backyard. Then he produced the oil and gave it to the patients for free.
In 2004 he decided to expand the information on the healing properties of cannabis oil and for this he created his website phoenixtears.ca. He did not even patent cannabis oil or try to extract economic benefits from his effort. He simply wanted people in need to have access to the relief that he himself had experienced.
Interestingly enough, more than 2000 years ago, Jesus dedicated himself to giving away a traditional medicine made with cannabis flowers called “Kanneh Bosh” to cure the numerous skin diseases that existed at that time.
We recommend you read the article we published on cannabisground.com called “Cannabis to cure acne” to have more complete information about it. In any case what is already proven is that cannabis is effective in curing various skin diseases.
But the idea of giving away a medicine that works really bothers the big pharmaceutical companies. His efforts were stopped in 2009 when the Royal Canadian Mounted Police broke into his house.
From that moment on, all his effort to supply the cannabis oil for free ended. Now he makes it very clear that he can no longer supply the oil to anyone, but he also explains that his website still has instructions on how to prepare and administer the high-spectrum, high-THC cannabis oil that he used and recommended.
Unfortunately the case of Rick Simpson is not the first nor the last of someone who discovers a medication and simply wants to give it to the world without taking economic benefit, thereby earning the hatred of the pharmaceutical industry.
Recall Manuel Elkin Patarroyo, the Colombian doctor who developed a vaccine against malaria, which was donated to the WHO to improve the living conditions of the most affected and avoid a monopoly on the vaccine. He received very serious threats against his life and enormous pressure to sell his discovery to a pharmaceutical company. But the fact of giving humanity a great medicinal discovery without anyone getting economic benefits is something that does not go with humans.
Rick always talked about THC oil and not about CBD oil. The oil that he gave away for free had a very high percentage of THC and low levels of CBD and other cannabinoids. Today these extracts are usually called RSO or Rick Simpson Oil.
Currently, Rick Simpson lives in Europe and continues to share his knowledge with anyone who wants to listen to him.
What is the RSO?
The RSO is an oil made with dried cannabis flowers and a solvent. This oil is consumed after removing the impurities. Its consumption can be done in several ways:
In capsules.
Mixing it with food.
Smoked
Vaping
Putting it on the skin.
Rick Simpson recommends starting with a daily dose of 60g / ml, divided into three doses and whose treatment lasts 90 days. The doses will be doubled every 4 days until reaching a dose of 1 g / ml per day.
If you take the RSO for health reasons, it is advisable to keep at least one dose a day, after finishing the treatment, to consolidate the effect. It can be done with sativa or indica varieties.
The effects of sativa oil are much more cerebral and euphoric, while the effect of the oil made with indicas is more narcotic.
Efficacy against cancer
Although Rick Simpson claims that he was cured of skin cancer, we do not dare to say categorically that he will cure cancer. It is true that marijuana oil helps relieve many diseases. But that does not mean it cures cancer. At least we do not have scientific evidence that cannabis oil cures cancer.
Preparation of the RSO
We warn readers that the manufacturing process produces flammable gases. Therefore, we recommend doing it in places with good ventilation and not smoking or causing fire during the process.
Necessary materials
Half a kilo of dried marijuana flowers
Solvent of the alcohol or ethanol type
A plastic container in which to put the mixture
A plastic drum to put the final product
Process
We put the marijuana flowers in the plastic container. We add part of the solvent but without covering the marijuana. With the help of a plastic utensil, press the mixture and stir to crumble the grass.
Then we add solvent again to cover the marijuana and then remove and crush the flowers again with the plastic object. After about 10 minutes, we have to filter the mix that we have achieved in the drum. We will use coffee filters and funnels to eliminate impurities. This cleaning process can be done up to twice.
We will heat the filtered liquid to evaporate the solvent. Remember that you have to apply heat, but NEVER apply fire directly. The oil obtained will be dark green or black, depending on the genetics of marijuana we use and the type of solvent we use.
