Essential oil is a natural product extracted from a single plant species. Not all plants produce essential oils, and in the plants that do, the essential oil may be found in the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, or fruits.
"Aromatherapy" and "essential oils" mean the same thing and are a bit of a misnomer because it implies that all essential oils smell nice. On the contrary, many essential oils do not have a pleasant odour. While the smell is very subjective, German chamomile is an example of essential oil that does not appeal to many people. Also, the name "aromatherapy" implies that smelling or inhaling essential oils is the only way to get therapeutic benefits, but there are several ways to use essential oils.
While we think the term "essential oil therapy" is a more descriptive name for this topic, we refer to it as "aromatherapy" because it currently has better name recognition.
Developing and refining extraction methods for essential oils have been for thousands of years by the ancient Egyptian, Chinese, Indian, and Greek cultures' records of using aromatic oils for perfume and medicine.
These oils have long been used for pharmacological properties, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticarcinogenic effects. Antimicrobial properties can include antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral activity. Of course, many essential oils are also used to impart pleasant scents or flavours to foods, drinks, and other products. They can have relaxing or calming effects on users, as in aromatherapy.
How are essential oils extracted?
It is important to know how essential oils are extracted because oils from the same plant extracted in different ways can result in very different because of products.
Several extraction methods are commonly used to obtain beneficial oils from plants. What's the best extraction method? The answer to this question depends on the plant, the volume of biomass and production scale, the intended end use of the product, and more. It can be a critical question, especially in hemp processing services.
Steam Distillation | In this method, steam is directed through the plant material. The steam vaporises the lighter chemicals contained within the plant material. This process generates two products: essential oil containing oil-soluble molecules and hydrolat or hydrosol.
Rose water is one of the best-known and most widely-used hydrosols worldwide, with many cosmetic and culinary uses. In fact, in the past, rose petals were distilled as much for their hydrosol as their essential oil. Some essential oils, like rose oil (rose otto), smell different from the flowers they obtained because the heat of distillation alters some of the chemicals that give them their distinctive smell. |
Expression Cold Pressed | Expression is used to extract essential oils from citrus fruits. Expression is the process of grating or scraping the peel of citrus fruit to release the oils. When zesting a lemon, the scent of lemon rises into the air due to the volatile oils released from sacs found in the peel. Care is taken to capture the oil in essential oil expression. The expression does not involve heating; thus, the chemistry of citrus essential oils is not heat-altered, and citrus oils smell very similar to the fruits from which they come.
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Supercritical C02 Extraction | In supercritical C02 extraction, carbon dioxide is used as a solvent. It is added and eliminated to produce a high-grade extract that is very close to the composition of the natural raw material. C02 extracts differ from distilled oils because they contain a wider range of chemical molecules in the plant material. You might find essential oils from distillation and C02 extraction from the same plant species. They would be chemically different; therefore, they may have different therapeutic qualities and different safety factors to consider. |
Two interesting facts
Plants themselves also use essential oils. Naturally occurring essential oils in plants help with infection control, humidity control, hormonal effects, wound healing and attracting or repelling insects, birds, and animals.
Essential oils do not feel oily; they are called "oils" because they contain the oil-soluble chemicals in the plant (usually 100 to 200 chemicals per essential oil). This complex chemistry gives essential oils their therapeutic properties and explains why different essential oils may have overlapping effects.
Studied Aromatherapy: Clinical use of essential oils. Offer by The University of Minnesota.
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