The Extraction of Essential Oils is an extremely intensive process and can result in a rather expensive product. However, a true Oil is very concentrated and requires only a tiny amount to work its wonders. Some Essential Oils, such as lavender, are safe even for the beginner to use, others are very strong and can be toxic if used undiluted.
Essential Oil is the true essence of a single plant and is usually extracted by steam distillation. Each plant yields its own unique essential oil - whether herbs, spices, resins, leaves of flowers. Essential oils have long being used for their healing properties as well as for their fragrant aromas. They may be used on many levels : physical, emotional, mental and spiritual and are ideal when used in combination with other therapies or simply on their own.
PRODUCTION METHODS
STEAM DISTILLATION:-
Steam Distillation is the most Common method of Essential Oil extraction. Distillation uses the extraction abilities of steam, and some times pressure, to pull the aromatic qualities from the plant material. The chosen plant material is placed on screens over boiling water, or super heated steam from another source is piped through the plant material. As the seam passes through the plant material, the volatile components are lifted, condensed in a cooling coil, and precipitate out as a combination of distilled water and volatile components.
COLD PRESSING
Cold Pressing is the Second most Common method of Essential Oil production and is most useful in the processing of citrus rinds such as lemon, orange, grapefruit, tangerine, bergamot and mandarin.
Cold Pressing produces a combination of Essential Oils and watery components which can be allowed to separate and the Essential Components collected.
CO2 HYPERBARIC PRODUCTION
The CO2 hyperbaric production method utilizes as much as 22 atmospheres of pressure in the presence of pure CO2 gas. At high pressure the CO2 becomes liquid and has the ability to extract the Essential Oil components from the plant material. This method is especially useful in some of the lighter fragrances such as tuberose or jasmine where the flowers have light, easily lost aromatic components.
The Solvent Extraction Method is also useful with light aromatic flowers. The flowers are collected and a solvent such as hexane or ether poured over them.
CARE AND SELECTION OF ESSENTIAL OILS
Essential Oils are light sensitive and should be stored in tightly capped amber or colored bottles away from extremes of heat or cold. Essential Oils should be labeled with the botanical name of the extracted plant and information should be available about the method used to produce them. Essential Oils vary greatly in price due to production variables. It can take up to 2000 pounds of rose petals to produce one pound of rose essential oil through distillation. Lavender flowers can produce essential oils at a ratio of 50 to 1; 25 pounds of citrus rind make one pound of expressed citrus oils.
Perfumes may contain essential components – The finer perfumes invariably do - but they also contain petroleum products (fragrance) and alcohol to increase their diffusability (movement into the air).