AROMATHERAPY, ESSENTIAL OILS - METHODS OF EXTRACTION

One of the biggest surprises with essential oils is that they are not really oily. The majority are light liquids that do not dissolve in water but evaporate instantly as they are exposed to air. They come in many shades. Some examples:chamomile is clear blue, patchouli is plum coloured, violet is forest-green, sage is pale lime, sandalwood is golden yellow and geranium is colourless.
The liquid is held in tiny sacs within the living plant. Extracting it before it can escape into the air is a complicated process. The easiest and least expensive method is to turn the raw materials into steam and then distil the oil.

 The most time consuming and labour intensive way is to press the flowers into trays of fat and replace them with fresh flowers every day for a period of up to three months until the fat is saturated with essential oil. Citrus fruit peel is pressed by machines or by hand and the oil is collected in sponges below. Tree or plant resins are normally mixed with a solvent and alcohol to help separate the essential oil from the gum resin.

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