What Is CBD RSO Oil? High-Potency CBD Distillate Explained

The Short Version

CBD RSO oil is a bulk CBD distillate — a thick, dark, highly concentrated extract that contains 600 mg of cannabinoids per millilitre. It's called "RSO-style" because the extraction process resembles the one Rick Simpson made famous, but there's one big difference: it's made from hemp, not cannabis, so it's rich in CBD with no detectable THC.

If you've been using CBD oil for a while and want more cannabinoids per dollar, or you want to make your own tinctures, capsules, or topicals, this is the product you've been looking for.

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What Is RSO? A Brief History

Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) was developed in the early 2000s by a Canadian named Rick Simpson. After being diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, he reportedly used a full-plant cannabis extract — made by soaking cannabis in solvent and then cooking it down to a thick paste — and attributed his recovery to it. He published his method freely and RSO became popular among patients seeking high-dose cannabinoid therapy.

Traditional RSO is made from high-THC cannabis. It's potent and psychoactive.

CBD RSO is different. The extraction process is similar — a full-plant extraction that captures the complete cannabinoid profile — but it starts with industrial hemp rather than high-THC cannabis. The result is a concentrate that's dominated by CBD, with a rich supporting cast of minor cannabinoids and no detectable THC.

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What's Actually in CBD RSO Oil?

A 1 ml serving of Mellow's CBD RSO Oil contains approximately:

Cannabinoid	Amount per ml
CBD (cannabidiol)	522 mg
CBG (cannabigerol)	10.85 mg
CBN (cannabinol)	1.56 mg
THCV (trace)	< 1.22 mg
CBDV (trace)	< 0.64 mg
Other cannabinoids	50 mg
Total	~600 mg

That's the full entourage. Unlike a CBD isolate (which is pure CBD only), this is a whole-plant concentrate with every cannabinoid the hemp plant produces in meaningful amounts.

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How It Differs from Regular CBD Oil

Most CBD oils are diluted into a carrier oil — MCT oil, hemp seed oil, olive oil — and sold in 30 ml bottles at concentrations ranging from 1000 mg to 5000 mg. Mellow's 5000 mg Purity oil, for example, delivers about 167 mg per ml.

CBD RSO oil delivers 600 mg per ml — roughly 3–4× more concentrated than even the strongest standard oils.

It also has no carrier oil. It's the pure extract itself: thick, dark, slightly waxy at room temperature. That's what "crude distillate" means — it's the concentrated material before any blending or dilution.

This matters for two reasons:

1. Dose efficiency. If you need 100+ mg of CBD per day, you're taking far less liquid to get there.
2. Versatility. Because it has no carrier, you can blend it into whatever you want — MCT oil for a custom tincture, shea butter for a topical, a smoothie, a capsule. It's a base ingredient.

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Who Is CBD RSO Oil For?

Experienced CBD users with higher dose needs. If you've worked up to 75–150 mg/day and you're burning through standard oils quickly, RSO oil is dramatically more cost-effective per milligram.

DIY formulators. If you want to make your own infused products — salves, balms, capsules, cooking oils — RSO distillate is the cleanest starting point. You control the carrier, the concentration, and the format.

People interested in the entourage effect. As a full-spectrum product, RSO oil preserves the natural relationships between CBD, CBG, CBN, terpenes, and other plant compounds. Some users find whole-plant extracts more effective than isolates at equivalent doses.

Budget-conscious high-dose users. Milligram for milligram, distillate is typically the most cost-effective CBD product available.

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How to Use CBD RSO Oil

Because it's so concentrated, using CBD RSO oil is different from working with a standard dropper bottle.

Sublingual (under the tongue)

Use a toothpick, the tip of a dropper, or a small syringe to measure out a small amount — a portion about the size of a grain of rice weighs roughly 25–30 mg. Place it under your tongue and hold for 60–90 seconds before swallowing.

Start with a very small amount. At 600 mg/ml, even 0.1 ml is a 60 mg dose.

Mix into a carrier oil

The easiest way to use it consistently: weigh out your target amount and dissolve it in MCT oil or hemp seed oil at whatever concentration works for you. Warm the carrier oil gently (not hot) and stir until fully dissolved. Pour into a dropper bottle. You've just made a custom-strength CBD oil.

Add to food

RSO oil blends easily into fats — butter, coconut oil, nut butters. It has a mild, earthy flavour that's easy to mask. Avoid high heat after blending, as sustained temperatures above 160°C can degrade cannabinoids.

Topical application

Mix a small amount into an unscented lotion or balm for targeted skin and muscle application. Many users find whole-plant distillate more effective topically than isolate-based products.

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Dosing Guide

Experience Level	Suggested Starting Dose
New to high-potency CBD	10–20 mg (a grain-of-rice portion)
Regular CBD user	25–50 mg
Experienced / therapeutic use	50–150 mg

Work up slowly. The starting dose with RSO oil should be smaller than you think. Wait at least two hours before deciding whether to take more.

Because there's no carrier oil to slow absorption, sublingual RSO can hit faster than diluted oils. Onset is typically 15–30 minutes sublingually; 60–120 minutes when added to food.

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The Bottom Line

CBD RSO oil is the most concentrated, most versatile CBD product in the lineup. It's not for first-timers, but for anyone who has been using CBD seriously for a while, it opens up options that diluted oils can't match: higher doses in smaller volumes, custom formulations, and the best milligram-per-dollar value available.

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Shop CBD RSO Oil — 600mg per syringe or browse all CBD isolates and distillates — third-party tested, shipped across Canada.