15 March 2023

R.x.C.E - Refined Cannabis Extract Oil, Faster, Cleaner and Cheaper. 

In the early 2000’s, Rick Simpson brought the healing quality of cannabis oil to the masses using simple extraction techniques. In the larger picture of extraction processes, this methodology is simple and oils are crude. Crude No Longer!

Introducing RxCE - Refined Cannabis Extract, the fastest to make cannabis oil. This simple and holistic process produces a purer more potent oil that can be vaped. With RxCE, you can use 2oz dried plant material and make winterized decarbed oil in 2-3 hours versus 2-3 days using the traditional methods. 

Plus, RxCE uses only kitchen gear to make oil, no lab gear or vacuum pumps needed. RxCE is the result of three years of research, and it's now easy for anyone to make cleaner, more potent cannabis oil in less time.

In addition, RxCE is 'solvent agnostic' meaning you are free to use either Ethanol throughout or a combination of Isopropyl for the initial extraction then finish with Ethanol for final oil. If you have concerns about using solvents, you are encouraged to read CHS's study on solvent safety. 

The groundwork was laid for consumers making oil when DGold published his seminal book, Cannabis Alchemy, back in 1971. He showed how to make oil, and also how to isomerize CBD into Delta-8 THC.

In the late 1980s, an interesting receptor in the human body was discovered. This was the initial discovery that unveiled the human body's endocannabinoid system. In the 1993 Professor Raphael Mechoulam discovered the body's own version of THC, naming it Anandamide using the root word Ananda in Sanscrit meaning bliss. Quoting Perplexity.AI, "By the mid-1990s, the foundational elements of the ECS had been discovered, laying the groundwork for the explosion of research that would follow in subsequent years". It is the endocannabinoid system that allows cannabis to influence our health in many different ways. This discovery is the death-knell to the FDA's Schedule 1 classification of cannabis 'having no medical value'.  

In 2003 Rick Simpson popularized cannabis oil by showing it had cured his skin cancer. His oil became known as RSO, short for Rick Simpson Oil. Unfortunately, his simple process for making oil offers no refinement of the crude resins. This lack of refinement limits the potency of the oil to about 35% total cannabinoids, with the remaining 65% being waxes, phospholipids and plant material. 

Ten years later, Graywolf published the QWET and QWISO extraction methods focused on eliminating waxes and limiting chlorophyll content. The resulting jump in quality allows the oil to reach the theoretical maximum of 80% total cannabinoids. BTW, all solvent extraction tops out around 80% total cannabinoids enforced by the well known 80/20 rule. Attaining higher percentages requires advanced processing that makes distillates and isolates. In response to good science, the cannabis industry adopted QWET/QWISO thus making winterization a standard refinement step in processing cannabis oil. Many consumer devices from Extract Craft, Drizzle, Medxtractor and others all use QWET/QWISO for their solvent extraction step.

Now ten years later, Cannabis Home Sciences has introduced RxCE for quickly making cleaner, cheaper cannabis oil. RxCE was developed with the goal of being able to do room temperature winterization with this video providing the inspiration. The changes are few but dramatic. Starting with a simple discovery with distilled water and reordering the steps, the time to reach final oil has been drastically reduced. In the end, it turns out RxCE optimizes the QWET/QWISO processes by aligning it more with the cooking oil industry. You can read all about the RxCE innovations below.

Cost saving are more in line with the QWISO process that uses Isopropyl Alcohol rather than 4x expensive Ethanol. As mentioned earlier, CHS has published a study on solvent safety which is a deep dive into how the body metabolizes these solvents. It turns the grass roots Ethanol-Only argument upside down based on science.

Discussion - Making Cleaner oil

Rick Simpson oil, aka RSO, is made by simple alcohol extraction into an unrefined crude oil. Looking across the isle, the Cooking Oil industry has a well-defined refinement process that has been in place for decades. One refinement step that has been applied to RxCE is Water Degumming which removes phospholipids. It has been observed that by adding distilled water to the distillation step, a purer non-polar resin is produced. This approach challenges the long-held belief that water is a problem to be avoided at all costs. Water is not the problem, it's the solution! By removing water-soluble compounds before winterization, the resins are in a purer state that promotes Rapid Winterization.

Refining the Oil

Classic cannabis winterization is performed by washing the plant using the QWET or QWISO process. However, there is too much alcohol for an optimal winterization. It takes too long to freeze that volume of liquid. This issue has been resolved by moving winterization to follow distillation. This allows the use of smaller amounts of expensive Ethanol for isolating the waxes. By reducing the amount of alcohol down to a 10:1 ratio of alcohol to oil, winterization can now be performed on as little as a few ounces of alcohol instead of quarts or gallons. With this process, an hour is sufficient for freezing the waxes thus reducing the time needed for winterization instead of 12-24-36 hours. The waxes can be filtered out through the standard kitchen paper coffee filter or folded paper napkin. 

Solvent Agnostic, within reason.. 

And the best part? You can use either Ethanol throughout or Isopropyl, Acetone or Ethyl Acetate for the initial bulk extraction and then Ethanol for the final reduction. Here is the next assumption to be overcome - the fear of Isopropyl Alcohol. This is a quick read on Isopropyl's chemistry and regulation for use in extractions. A more extensive study has been published on solvent safety. This study shows how these solvents are metabolized by the human body and how much is actually in the oil. The conclusion is a game changer for the consumer world. 

What is the Recommended Solvent?

From a human body perspective, Isopropyl Alcohol is recommended for the bulk extraction due to it's safer metabolite compared to Ethanol which metabolizes into carcinogenic Acetaldehyde. Best of all, lab tests prove this process produces clean oil with undetectable residual solvents.

Looking closer, Isopropyl alcohol has the best chemical characteristics, is the best bio-friendly solvent in trace quantities, and fit's the budget. Contaminant-free, medical-grade, Isopropyl is available and costs significantly less than Ethanol. Here in Oregon, USA, a single gallon of 99% USP-NF medical grade Isopropyl costing around $35, while a gallon of 95% Ethanol costs $84.

A Better Product with a New Identity: RxCE - Refined Cannabis Extract

RxCE stands for Refined Cannabis Extract, which is the overarching category name for various product "flavors" of extract. The "X" in the name refers to the solvent used for making the oil. The product flavors are:

     R.E.C.E - Refined Ethanol Cannabis Extract (replacing FECO)

     R.I.C.E - Refined Isopropyl Cannabis Extract (replacing RSO)

     R.A.C.E - Refined Acetone Cannabis Extract

     R.E.A.E - Refined Ethyl Acetate Cannabis Extract (sounds like Ray)

These product names carry a consistent message for product differentiation.

Supporting Lab Tests

Below is a table that summarizes the Total Cannabinoids reported in each test. Test #1 was conducted in May 2021 on standard RSO, resulting in a total of 34% cannabinoids. The six subsequent tests were conducted with the incorporation of various process improvements. 

The final test resulted in an increase to 79% cannabinoids, which was achieved simply by adding distilled water to the wash and performing the Rapid Winterization, its that easy!

Secondly, given this process only uses kitchen gear, it boils away the alcohol at ambient temperatures causing the loss of terpenes. A higher tech approach is needed to preserve the terpenes. A popular but pricey solution is the Source Turbo or EtOH Pro models that use vacuum to retain terpenes. 

Thirdly, simple filtering in the kitchen lets unwanted compounds slip through. The goal is to have crystal clear wash for distilling. Simple filtering is used that produces a slightly hazy wash. If you're technical, a stronger filtering setup such as a buchner filter with vacuum will make the wash crystal clear. 

Lastly, given that the final oil has been refined at atmospheric pressure, the oil oxidizes and turns amber/reddish in color. This is not harmful, but to some less cosmetically appealing. Vacuum systems are used to avoid this oxidation and maintain the original color.

All said, realize this process is a great improvement over RSO using very little tech. But keeping it this simple limits the ability filter the wash and retain terpenes. Removing terpenes does not affect the potency, it only reduces the classic cannabis smell and flavor. You can vape this oil and not let on you're smoking cannabis, its that mild.

Steps in making RxCE Oil

Overall, there are now four steps to make oil. This new technique is presented in the RxCE Quick Start guide as well as the deep dive RxCE Shop Manual. The shop manual covers more issues and provides a deeper exploration of each step. 

Conclusion

The RxCE extraction process is a simple change resulting in significant quality improvement over traditional RSO. By re-ordering the sequence of steps and incorporating well-established cooking oil industry techniques such as water degumming and winterization, the process yields a purer, more refined cannabis extract. Being solvent agnostic offers flexibility and cost savings, with isopropyl being a safe and economical alternative to ethanol. The incorporation of distilled water into the wash and rapid winterization steps are the magic in raising the purity of the final product, resulting in higher Total Cannabinoids shown in the lab results.

In QWET, the winterization speed bump is eliminated by moving winterization later on in the process. The process also ensures a robust removal of residual solvents making it a safe option for cannabis medical patients. Its efficient, cost-effective, and safe approach will likely make it a preferred method for cannabis extraction in the industry going forward.

So, does this work? The proof is in the oil!  Raw crude RSO started at 34% potency and has now reached 79% Total Cannabinoids with yield losses are slightly higher than QWET. Unlike RSO, vaping is now possible, providing a smoother and more enjoyable experience for those who prefer inhalation.

The objectives of making faster, cleaner and cheaper cannabis oil has been accomplished!

A Deep Dive Discussion into RxCE:

RxCE is a simple holistic way to make very clean cannabis oil. The changes can be considered just a hack on the original recipe. This process contains two improvements to the RSO recipe which doubles the potency of the oil. 

Discovery #1 - Simplified Water Degumming

In the Cooking Oil industry, degumming is a common step in the refinement process for clarifying oil. Phospholipids, a type of lipid molecule, are responsible for building oil and water emulsions thus need to removed. The industry harvests the phospholipids for refinement into Lecithin which is used in cooking. Cannabis trichome cells are the major contributor of phospholipids in solvent based extractions. There is enough to inspire new products like a refined hemp-based lecithin.

Back in 2022, Cannabis Home Sciences introduced degumming in the RSO 2.0 Silting step. This was done by mixing fully saturated salt water into Isopropyl Alcohol which caused the alcohol and water to separate into two layers. The phospholipids being semi-polar, voluntarily separate away from the non-polar alcohol. The semi-polar compounds solidified around salt giving a snow globe effect swirling around then settling into the water.

RxCE simplifies this even further. Instead of using salt to de-gum, distilled water is used to help boil off the alcohol and by it's presence, performs a simple form of water degumming. 

Phospholipids and plant proteins form sludges and are bad news for RSO and FECO, but removed in the RxCE process. By adding water to distillation, the greenish solution will eventually boil down to oil and water. And as you know, oil and water don't mix. The water holds the polar and semi-polar compounds, while the non-polar oils and resins float in the water. 

This is just the first step. The next discovery is enabled by this water degumming process. Keep reading to find out more!

Discovery #2 - Rapid Winterization

Discovery #2 called Rapid Winterization, is an accelerated version of the winterization process first used in the Cooking Oil industry and popularized by Gray Wolf in his QWISO and QWET processes. Winterization removes unwanted waxes, fats, and phospholipids from oils. Simplified Water Degumming, which was explained earlier, is a crucial step in this process. By removing polar and semi-polar compounds, degumming yields a purer, non-polar form of resin that is ready for winterization. When mixed with polar ethanol, the non-polar liquefied waxes are repelled and compression into smaller spaces as the solution cools. After being placed in the freezer for an hour, the waxes crystallize in the cold polar environment and can be filtered out using a coffee filter or folded napkin.

This new approach to winterization means it can now be done as little as one hour, which is significantly faster than the traditional process that takes anywhere from 12 to 24 hours. Lab tests run over the course of this development show an increasing concentration of Total Cannabinoids derived from these process improvements.

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