The Solvent Question Nobody Answers Before You Start Making Rick Simpson Oil

 

Most guides on how to make Rick Simpson Oil dedicate considerable space to sourcing plant material. They discuss decarboxylation temperatures, steeping ratios, and evaporation equipment. What they tend to underemphasise, sometimes significantly, is the solvent. Not just which type to use, but why purity at that stage determines everything that follows.

RSO is a full-extract cannabis oil produced by soaking plant material in alcohol, separating the dissolved compounds from the raw matter, and evaporating the solvent until a thick, concentrated oil remains. Each of those stages is governed by the quality of the alcohol. A weaker solvent extracts less efficiently. A contaminated solvent leaves residues in the final product. Neither outcome is acceptable in a preparation people use for health purposes.

Why Purity at the Solvent Stage Is the Actual Starting Point?

Food-grade ethanol is preferred for RSO production because it has not had toxic additives introduced to prevent drinking. Denatured alcohols, which are widely available in hardware and DIY stores, contain methanol and other denaturants. These do not evaporate cleanly the way food-grade ethanol does. They leave traces in the finished oil.

This is where organic 190 proof alcohol enters the decision clearly. Ethanol produced from conventionally farmed crops may carry trace pesticide residues from the agricultural stage. For an extract that is specifically designed to concentrate compounds from plant material, introducing residues from the solvent side defeats the purpose. Organic certification means the base crop was grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilisers, and that cleaner starting point carries through into the ethanol.

The evaporation stage is where many beginner guides gloss over a critical detail. For the solvent to leave no trace, it must be food-grade to begin with. High-proof food-grade ethanol evaporates fully when gentle heat is applied. Impure or denatured alternatives do not behave the same way.

Mistakes That Happen Before the First Step

Isopropyl alcohol is not food-grade. It is a common substitute in beginner attempts and a consistently poor one. Low-proof spirits carry too much water to extract efficiently, which extends drying time and increases heat exposure during evaporation, risking degradation of the compounds being preserved. High-proof food-grade ethanol at 95% concentration is the appropriate choice for anyone learning how to make RSO correctly.

The solvent is not where you save money on this process.

Author’s Bio

Andrew Winslow writes about botanical extraction methods and solvent selection. His focus includes organic 190 proof alcohol sourcing and how to make Rick Simpson Oil safely using food-grade ethanol.

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