Does RSO Expire? How To Check Whether RSO Has Expired & Factors That Affect The Shelf Life – Explained In Detail

Every good product comes to an end.

Just like every product, Rick Simpson Oil gets expired as well. Now, there are many factors that play a role in the expiration of the oil, such as packaging, extraction method used, the quality of ingredients used to make Rick Simpson Oil, and the ingredients themselves.

Let’s take a look at an example for a clear understanding. So, for example, if the cannabis plant that was used to produce RSO was grown in poor conditions, then the shelf life of the RSO will be influenced.

Similarly, if the packaging is not right and foreign agents are getting mixed with the RSO, then its shelf life will be heavily influenced. Just like that, there are various factors that can bring Rick Simpson Oil closer to expiration by degrading it.

In this post, we are going to take a look at all of those factors in detail. We are going to take a deep dive and see how quality, packaging, the type of ingredients, and the extraction process used in the production of RSO can heavily influence and massively degrade the product.

That being said, let’s discuss all these factors – without further ado.

Factors That Affect The Shelf Life Of Rick Simpson Oil

Quality

Quality is one of the most important things that determine the shelf life of Rick Simpson Oil or any other product for that matter. The overall quality of the product itself is determined by a few crucial factors, including growth conditions.

For example, the genetics of the seed that was purchased to grow the plant plays a massive role in the overall quality of the plant and, therefore, the product. In addition to that, the amount of light that the plant receives during the growth period also has a huge impact on the plant’s quality.

If the cannabis plant were grown indoors by using the LED light, then obviously, its quality would not be as good as the one that had grown in natural light. Or the quality of the cannabis plant is also affected if too much light is provided by the LED, which can partially or completely burn the plant.

Needless to say, if the partially burned plant is used for production to maximize the profit or minimize the loss, then it is understood that RSO’s shelf life and its overall quality will be affected.

Light, temperature, and ventilation are prominent factors that impact the quality of cannabis plants and, therefore, the quality of cannabis products. Consequently, the substandard growth of the cannabis plant and its use in production will cast an impact on the shelf life of the product.

Ingredients

The type of ingredients and their quality can lower the shelf life of Rick Simpson Oil. Take flavors as an example. That flavor has a shelf life of its own, and it will certainly play a role in affecting the overall product life of RSO.

Method Of Extraction

Various cannabis extraction methods make a huge difference in determining the quality of a cannabis product and its shelf life as well. Now, if we think in terms of groups, then there are two groups of extracting cannabis. The first is solvent less extracts, and the other one is solvent-based.

Solvent less extracts are produced without using any foreign substances. However, water is an exception. Now you could technically say that it is a solvent, and you are right. But other than that, no other major foreign substance is used to extract cannabis. On the contrary, the use of foreign substances in solvent-based cannabis extractions also plays a huge role in the shelf life of Rick Simpson Oil and other cannabis products.

People commonly use alcohol, propane, and butane in solvent-based extraction methods. In addition to that, people also use Carbon Di Oxide for cannabis extraction. Now, even though Carbon Di Oxide is not a solvent, the methods involving CO2 are considered solvent-based.

In fact, the Carbon dioxide extraction method is one of the most reliable ways to extract cannabis when it comes to producing CBD oil because it maximizes the level of CBD as well as other cannabinoids. However, it will only be appropriate in the production of CBD oil and not Rick Simpson Oil because RSO requires higher levels of THC.

THC or Tetrahydrocannabinol is the driving component for the strong psychoactive effects that are experienced after oil consumption. If you consume it lingually or sub-lingually, then RSO’s effects will take an hour to kick in. But if you dab it, then you will experience the psychoactive effects immediately.

So, here’s the Bottom Line: Extraction methods influence the dynamics of cannabis products. Hence, it is clear that extraction methods directly influence the shelf life of cannabis products such as Rick Simpson Oil.

Packaging:

Not so long ago, people used to package cannabis with just one goal in mind: Keep it as inconspicuous as possible. That’s evidently because cannabis used to be illegal back in the day. However, its legalization is now bringing massive attention to how the packaging is done. That’s because packaging casts a direct impact on the product’s shelf life.

So now, let’s break down packaging and see how it affects the shelf life of a product.

Containment: It minimizes the damage that can be caused to a product when it’s being transported from one place to another. Avoiding in-transit damages and keeping the product intact is the core purpose of containment.

Protection: If the cannabis product – or Rick Simpson Oil in this case – is not packaged correctly, then it will allow the foreign agents and contaminants to get mixed with the cannabis product. If that happens, then Rick Simpson Oil’s shelf life will be hugely affected, and it will expire quicker.

Contaminants and foreign agents cause degradation of the product. Cannon Org highlights an amazing way to prevent your cannabis products from degrading. Replace turns THC cannabinoids into CBN cannabinoids. Consequently, the overall quality is degraded. So if you want to maintain the quality of Rick Simpson Oil, then ensure that the product is well protected.

Bottom Line: Appropriate packaging helps protect Rick Simpson Oil or any cannabis product. Good packaging saves RSO from in-transit damages and helps it stay safe from foreign agents and contaminants that will degrade the overall quality of the product.

How To Tell That Your Cannabis Product Has Expired?

One of the things that will help you know that your Rick Simpson Oil has expired or gone bad is your basic senses. You can smell it, taste it, and observe it. But before you start making judgments and ‘deduce’ like Sherlock Holmes, let us begin by looking at the expiration date on the bottle.

If that is confirmed, you can throw the bottle away and go about your business. But if the expiration date has not yet arrived, then consider checking the cannabis product or Rick Simpson Oil very thoroughly.

Using Smell, Taste, & Appearance To Check Expiration Of RSO

Rick Simpson Oil is a gooey black oil. It is very thick, which is why it is contained in syringes, and one has to dip them in hot water sometimes to take out the oil easily. But instead of looking thick, it is looking sort of murky, then consider putting it at room temperature for a little while. If that does not make the oil look gooey and black, then what you are holding is a bad RSO. Throw it away immediately.

But what if it looks perfectly fine? It’s time to smell it. If the RSO you’re holding passes this test as well, now it’s time to taste it.

Now when it comes to taste, experiences may vary. Some people may find RSO’s taste very strong, like really unpleasant. Rick Simpson Oil has a robust taste because it has more plant material. But you can easily solve this problem by mixing it with the food.

But here’s the Bottom Line: If Rick Simpson Oil that you are holding in your hands right now has a grassy taste, then it has passed the last test too.

There are many reasons why the shelf life of RSO can be decreased. But before you consume it, we highly recommend that you read the expiration date. If the product is not expired, as per the expiration date but doesn’t taste or feel like RSO anymore, then it is not safe for consumption.

Over To You

Checking the shelf life of Rick Simpson Oil can be as easy as observing its appearance, smelling it, and tasting it. But we will start off by checking the expiration date of the cannabis product. If the expiration date has not passed, then you can use basic senses to test its quality and whether it has gone bad.

Talking about using basic senses… Don’t go for directly tasting the RSO that you have. That’s because if it is has gone bad or expired, then it can be very risky. Instead, start off by observing its appearance. If it appears gooey and black, then you can try smelling and finally tasting it.

While many factors can affect the quality and shelf life of a cannabis product – what you can do as a consumer is, analyze the product before consumption.

Take a look at its packaging, check whether it’s loosely packed and if there could be possible contamination. Now obviously, you can’t put together a lab to perform microscopic analyses but consider checking it thoroughly. All of these efforts ensure safe consumption.

Rick Simpson Oil and CBD have become household names in recent years. However, it is important to remember that consumption of RSO is not something you should consider without your doctor’s prescription. We have touched on its importance throughout our posts.