Making Essential Oils

[Bushman]

Making essential oils:
Essential oils are extracted from the plant in a highly concentrated form. Here are the ways it can be extracted:

Steam Distillation This is the simplest method of extraction. Hot steam/vapor goes through a basket of ground or chopped plants that takes the oils with it. Like the production of alcohol it is then cooled and condensed to a liquid. This is called Hydrosols. The advantage to this method is many environmental toxins and pollutants are not volatile therefor cannot make it into the oil. Having said that pesticides in the plant are not 100% removed.

Frational Distillation In this method the individual components are not separated completely. By proper packing this method of separation can be improved by using a reflux still.

Other methods of making essential oils which I will name but not go into detail as the are not method of distillation:
Cold Pressing
Extraction