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Essential oils and
aromatherapy offer so many benefits to our health and emotional life. Whether diffused for aromatic enjoyment, blended in
DIY cleaners or used to support the immune system, essential oils are some of the most potent and effective plant-based remedies on the planet.
They’re called ‘essential’ oils because they are, in fact, essential to the plant and its inherent drive to live, survive and propagate. The plant creates essential oils to ward off microbes, pests and invasive species. The plant also uses them to attract pollinators like butterflies, bees, birds and more.
For us to utilize these oils and their benefits to support our own health, we must first extract them. Understanding the process from plant to bottle is key to understanding both what essential oils are and how to use them safely & effectively.
How essential oils are made: It starts with the earth
When plants are grown for essential oils, one of the most important factors is the growing environment. The region and climate where a plant is grown have a direct impact on the oil that the plant produces. The soil composition, amount of rain, sunlight and daily temperatures all determine a plant’s essential oil constituents.
So, what is a constituent? Essential oils are made up of naturally occurring chemical constituents that affect their therapeutic properties and their aromatic profiles. For example, the constituent cineole is known for supporting the respiratory system. Essential oils that contain cineole, like
eucalyptus globulus and
rosemary ct 1,8 cineole, are often used in natural vapor rubs and tend to have very fresh, minty-herbaceous aromas.
Because plants adapt to their unique growing conditions, the same plant grown in two different locations will have different constituent profiles. A great example of this is rosemary. There are several varieties available, including ct 1,8 cineole, verbenone and camphor. Even though their Latin name,
Rosmarinus officinalis, remains the same, each varietal has its own therapeutic specialties and scent.
When a plant or essential oil has this type of specification following its name, we refer to it as a
chemotype. A chemotype defines the oil’s dominant chemical constituent, which is important when using an essential oil for a specific therapeutic purpose.
The next step: Distillation
The process of distillation is crucial because it can enhance, refine or adjust the constituents of the oil. Here are a few of the most common techniques used today.
Steam distillation
Steam distillation is the primary method used for extracting essential oil. First, water is heated until it begins to steam. The steam rises and moves through a pipe into a container filled with compacted plant material. The steam enters from the bottom and rises up through the plant material, extracting the essential oils from the cells and membranes of the leaves, flowers, roots or wood.
The essential oils travel up in the steam into a condensing chamber where the steam is cooled, thus returning to its liquid state. This water ends up in the final vat where the essential oils, being hydrophobic, float to the top. The essential oils are then skimmed or siphoned off the top of the water to be bottled or blended. The remaining water is called hydrosol.
Hydro distillation
In addition, there is a method called hydro distillation where the plant material is placed in the water as it’s heated. This method is appropriate for more delicate plant material that cannot handle the heat of steam distillation, or for plant material that does better when distilled as a ‘slurry,’ such as frankincense resin.
Expression
Lastly for today, we have expression. A far simpler method, but not appropriate for all plant material, expression is primarily used for citrus oils. The process involves mechanically crushing the pockets of essence in the citrus peel. The essence is then collected, filtered and bottled. Some refer to expression as producing an “essence” rather than a true essential oil because there is no chemical modification as there is with steam distillation.
400 lbs. lavender = 1 liter essential oil
When considering the process of making essential oils, it is also important to discuss the amount of plant material needed. Essential oils are incredibly concentrated and potent due to the amount of plant material used to create just 1 liter. Take a look at these numbers:
- 1 liter lemon balm essential oil = 9,000-27,000 lbs. plant material
- 1 liter rose otto essential oil = 7,000-9,000 lbs. petals – which is the equivalent to 2.5 acres or 2.5 football fields of cultivation
- 1 liter helichrysum essential oil = 2,500-3,000 lbs. plant material
- 1 liter lavender essential oil = 400 lbs. lavender flowers
Considering these numbers, imagine all the plant material that is concentrated in just one drop of essential oil! This is why dilution is so key for safely using essential oils – a little truly goes a long way.
Quality from the plant to the oil
The sometimes-staggering amounts listed above also help us understand why clean, responsible farming practices are so crucial. If pesticides are used on the crops, or if an endangered species is over-harvested, it affects a large ecosystem. This includes the health of the land and that of the communities that depend on it. It also means that you’re getting those concentrated chemicals in your oils, which is a nerve-wracking thought.
Clean growing practices affect the potency of the oil, too. Essential oils are excreted by the plant when they sense microbes or invasive species, or when they hear predatory insects. Essential oils act as the plant’s pesticide, fungicide and so on. Spraying a plant with a synthetic pesticide reduces the amount of essential oil a plant needs to create, which can in turn cause a lower yield during distillation.
As we can see, the ‘making’ of essential oils begins within the plant itself. Created to protect the plant, these essential oils can be utilized for our health and wellness, too. The next time you’re looking at an essential oil, see if you can visualize the amount of plant material needed to fill the bottle you’re buying. Relating to the plant can help us to respect the benefits of essential oils and value these precious gifts of nature. Happy aromatizing![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title="Featured Products" border_width="2"][vc_row_inner equal_height="yes" content_placement="middle" gap="35"][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="179307" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1730239110882{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/pranarom-organic-essential-oil-lavender"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="179306" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1730239124265{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/pranarom-diffusion-blend-peace"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="179305" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1730239138956{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/pranarom-aromacalm-stress-relief-roll-on"][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]
