RSO tea

Adding an MCT (medium-chain triglyceride) oil to your morning cup o’ joe is rumored to provide a more sustained energy boost than regular caffeinated coffee. And consuming whole-plant cannabis extract is a health-conscious decision for many reasons, not the least of which is simply to feel good. Coffee with a spoonful of cannabis-infused coconut oil combines the best of these modern discoveries as my new favorite energy boost hands down.

Coconut oil happens to be both high in MCTs and ideal for infusing with a cannabis concentrate like Rick Simpson Oil (RSO), an edible cannabis-oil extract created by Canadian medical-marijuana activist Rick Simpson. RSO is an orally consumable cannabis oil that’s my go-to for low-heat recipes as it’s an accessible and potent whole-plant extract with activated THC. Just mix warm coconut oil with RSO, then add the right amount of your infused oil to a cup of hot coffee or tea to enjoy a delicious, buzzy treat!

How do I dose it? How do I consume it?

Thankfully, RSO is an activated formulation, meaning no heat needs to be applied to the product when consuming it. Because of this, patients have many options on how to administer it. RSO has a strong, bitter taste that can linger, so I always suggest to take it with a snack high in fats (like a spoonful of peanut butter, avocado, or yogurt) to not only mask its bitter taste, but to increase its absorption throughout the body. We have some patients who like to freeze individual doses on a piece of parchment paper, and then dilute it in their morning tea or coffee. 

As the oil is potent, we advise to start low and slowly increase doses only after four or more days of consistent consumption. We recommend measuring doses in comparison to the size of a dry grain of rice. A typical dose is one rice grain. Patients new to cannabis should start with 1/3 of a rice grain size. More experienced patients may start with 1/2 the size of a rice grain. 

Effects are generally felt within 30 minutes of sublingual (under the tongue) consumption and last up to 5 hours.

Tips from the Pharmacist

• Because RSO is consumed orally, you will find it categorized under “Infused Edibles” on our menu.
• If you have trouble extracting a dose from the syringe, try submerging the syringe in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the oil to loosen. Make sure the cap is securely fastened prior to doing so. 
• In terms of THC content, RSO can be up to four times stronger than most dry leaf forms. It can be microdosed and utilized cost-effectively, but be sure to consult with your medical marijuana pharmacist.
• If self-dosing with an RSO syringe intimidates you (you’re not alone!), you can also look for RSO available in capsules on our menu.

I believe that cannabis is easily the most diverse plant in how vastly it is utilized across a variety of medical conditions. We still don’t fully understand all the ways in which it can be consumed. But if you’re looking to try something new in your wellness journey that offers you the benefits of a whole plant experience, I recommend giving RSO a shot. Just remember: start low, and go slow.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 tsp. liquid sunflower lecithin
• 1/4 tsp. activated-THC or CBD RSO oil
• Freshly prepared hot coffee or tea

Directions

Melt the coconut oil and then whisk in the liquid sunflower lecithin and RSO oil. Pour the mixture into an airtight glass container and mark it clearly as “Infused With Cannabis.” Measure out as desired per cup into hot coffee or tea. (I use about two teaspoons for each eight-ounce cup.) The concoction keeps for up to a week.

A note on potency: I used 200 milligrams of 70.5 percent activated-THC RSO oil, for approximately 141 mg THC total. The recipe makes 12 servings of about 11.75 mg of THC per two-teaspoon serving. Always take it easy with edibles and allow at least one to two hours after consuming to gauge your personal dosage preference. You can always eat more, but you can’t eat less!

Side effects

Mainly sleepiness, which is a natural part of the healing process. Increasing the dose gradually will help minimize the psychoactive effects and keep your tolerance to a functional level. Daytime sleepiness should fade within three to four weeks.

The taste of the RSO may be slightly bitter or unpleasant, so patients may prefer to ingest the oil by swallowing it directly or mixing it with food, such as bananas, to help mask the taste.

Continued regimen

After a 12-week regimen of RSO, you may want to continue the treatment but it should be at a significantly reduced rate. About one to two grams of RSO per month is enough for a regular maintenance dose.

Rick Simpson Oil should not be considered a cure-all for medical conditions, but many patients have experienced significant relief from their medical symptoms and conditions with the use of RSO.

Rick Simpson Oil recipe

This recipe will produce the full 60 grams of oil for a 90-day treatment regimen. If you’re looking for a smaller treatment course, you can easily divide the recipe into smaller amounts. For example, one ounce of cannabis will produce 3-4 grams of RSO.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of dried cannabis material (indica strain)
• 2 gallons of solvent—Rick recommends 99% isopropyl alcohol, but you can also use wood grain alcohol
• 5-gallon bucket
• Deep bowl
• Wooden spoon for stirring
• Cheesecloth
• Rice cooker
• Plastic catheter tip syringe (60mL)

1. Place dry cannabis material into the 5-gallon bucket and pour in the solvent until the plant matter is covered.
2. Stir and crush the plant material with your wooden spoon while adding the solvent to your mixture. Continue stirring the mixture for about three minutes while the THC dissolves into the solvent. This will dissolve about 80% of the THC into the solvent.
3. Drain the solvent from the plant material into your bowl using the cheesecloth. Place the plant material back in the bucket and add more solvent. Continue stirring for another three minutes.
4. Drain the solvent from your plant material into your bowl using the cheesecloth and discard the remaining plant material.
5. Transfer your solvent to your rice cooker until it is about ¾ full and turn on your rice cooker.
   Note: While you don’t necessarily need a rice cooker, if you’ve never made RSO before, rice cookers are exceptionally useful in this instance for maintaining a slow, steady temperature. If your mixture heats above 300°F (148°C), the cannabinoids will cook off and the RSO will be unusable. It is not recommended to use a Crockpot or slow cooker, as this may overheat your mixture.
6. The rice cooker should maintain a steady temperature between 210-230°F (100-110°C), which is the correct heat setting for decarboxylation to occur.
7. As the rice cooker heats up, the solvent will slowly evaporate. Continue to add your mixture to the rice cooker gradually.
   Note: Make sure your rice cooker is in an open, well-ventilated area, and avoid all flames, stovetops, sparks, and cigarettes, as the solvent is highly combustible.
8. Once the solvent has evaporated, siphon the oil into your syringe for easy dosing. The RSO will be thick, so if you have trouble dispensing it, run the syringe under hot water and the RSO mixture should dispense with ease.