Most flowers contain too little volatile oil to undergo expression, but their chemical components are too delicate and easily denatured by the high heat used in steam distillation. Lemon or sweet orange oils are obtained as byproducts of the citrus industry.īefore the discovery of distillation, all essential oils were extracted by pressing. Due to the relatively large quantities of oil in citrus peel and low cost to grow and harvest the raw materials, citrus-fruit oils are cheaper than most other essential oils. Most citrus peel oils are expressed mechanically or cold-pressed (similar to olive oil extraction). Hydrosols include rose water, lavender water, lemon balm, clary sage, and orange blossom water. The recondensed water is referred to as a hydrosol, hydrolat, herbal distillate, or plant water essence, which may be sold as another fragrant product. One exception is ylang-ylang ( Cananga odorata) which is purified through a fractional distillation. Most oils are distilled in a single process. The vapors flow through a coil, where they condense back to liquid, which is then collected in the receiving vessel. As the water is heated, the steam passes through the plant material, vaporizing the volatile compounds. Raw plant material, consisting of the flowers, leaves, wood, bark, roots, seeds, or peel, is put into an alembic (distillation apparatus) over water. Most common essential oils such as lavender, peppermint, tea tree oil, patchouli, and eucalyptus are distilled. JSTOR ( November 2022) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Essential oils can be poisonous if ingested or absorbed through the skin. Children may be particularly susceptible to the toxic effects of improper use. Improper use of essential oils may cause harm including allergic reactions, inflammation and skin irritation. Aromatherapy may be useful to induce relaxation, but there is not sufficient evidence that essential oils can effectively treat any condition. ![]() They are used in perfumes, cosmetics, soaps, air fresheners and other products, for flavoring food and drink, and for adding scents to incense and household cleaning products.Įssential oils are often used for aromatherapy, a form of alternative medicine in which healing effects are ascribed to aromatic compounds. Other processes include expression, solvent extraction, sfumatura, absolute oil extraction, resin tapping, wax embedding, and cold pressing. Įssential oils are generally extracted by distillation, often by using steam. The term "essential" used here does not mean indispensable or usable by the human body, as with the terms essential amino acid or essential fatty acid, which are so called because they are nutritionally required by a living organism. ![]() An essential oil is essential in the sense that it contains the essence of the plant's fragrance-the characteristic fragrance of the plant from which it is derived. ![]() Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the oil of the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove. An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants.
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