We all know that Essential oils are soul of the Plant Material. Pure & Natural oils provide therapeutic & medicinal benefits.
Essential oils are absorbed in our body through various sources, such as through skin pores, or through breathing & they provide many benefits.
Essential oils should never be used un-diluted, they should always be mixed with fixed oils, before applying to the skin.
There are certain Essential oils, which be used un diluted, such as Sandalwood & Lavender.
Some Essential are very strong and should not be used in Aromatherapy massage, in fact they should be handled with much care. The oils such as Oregano oil, Mustard Oil, Rue oil, Camphor oil etc., should not be touched with naked hands. Gloves should be worn before handling such oils. and should be kept away from eyes.
Precautions : Essential oils should be kept away from young children, They should not be used by Pregnant women. The only oils that could be used during Pregnancy are Tangerine & Jasmine.
Jasmine oil not only smells good, but also works on the Female Hormones.
The oils, such as Sandalwood, Myrrh, Frankincense are used in Meditation.
Source of Oils :
Essential oils are extracted from the Plant Material, They can either be extracted from Leaves,(such as Oregano, Peppermintetc.,) Stems, (such as Rosewood, Cedarwood etc.,) Roots (Such as Agarwood, Sandalwood, etc.,) or Flowers ( Rose, Jasmine, Lotus etc.,) or even from the Seeds (Holy Basil, Cumin seed, Black seeds etc., ) the Fruits or berries ( such as Juniper berry) the skin or Rind of fruit (Citrus fruit ).
Essential oils have various chemical constituents, which provide Essential oils with their virtues.
Essential oils do not contain fatty substances or Lipids.
Most of the Seeds oils are extracted using the cold press method & they contains lipids or the Essential Fatty acids.
Various methods of Extracting oils :
Steam distillation : Steam is let into the chamber containing botanical herb material. With heat of the steam, the plant material starts releasing the oil content (that is present in the plants), which flows along with the steam and then this steam is suddenly cooled with cold water in condenser pipe, as this steam cools down, the condenser pipe is let into the tank full of cold water, where it releases the oil particles that it carried from the plant material into the water tank. Now the oil is collected from the water surface. This is pure Essential oil & does not contain any fats or lipds.
Hydro – distillation : this process is similiar to the above process. The only difference is that the plant material is sub-merged in the water tank & the heat is applied to the container, when the water boils, the steam from the water carries, oil from the plant material into the tank.
Solvent extraction :
Cold Press Method :
More information coming soon
