What are Essential Oils?
They are the highly concentrated organic, aromatic volatile constituents found in plants. They are in the leaves, stems, bark, roots, seeds, flowers, flesh and skins of all kinds of trees, shrubs, bushes and plants. The fragrances are both beautiful and powerful. Think of the scent of a rose, or freshly cut mint, even freshly mowed lawn grass. These are just three of the scents most of us are familiar with. Essential oils evoke powerful emotional responses, such as calming our senses, lifting our mood, helping us relax, and even help us focus and think more clearly.
What Are They Used For?
Essential oils, or aromatic oils as they were called traditionally, have been used around the world by many cultures. They have been used for sacred religious purposes, in meditation, cleansing the air after illness, and even helping to heal the sick. Essential oils are intertwined with the history of herbal medicine. In many ancient cultures people believed plants were magical, and were used as much for ritual as they were for medicine and food from the beginning of time. In fact, herbs and plants are the root of today’s pharmaceuticals.
What is the History of Essential Oils?
Plants were used in Egypt, China and India centuries ago; 2000 – to 3000 B.C. They were also part of the Jewish religion and were used by the Greek physician Hippocrates who is considered the father of modern medicine. They are also part of Ayurvedic medicine found in literature dating from 2000 B.C. India’s most sacred book mentions over 700 different herbs and aromatics. Indian doctors commonly administered cinnamon, ginger, coriander, spikenard and sandalwood to their patients.
How Are Essential Oils Made?
Many essential oils are extracted using low temperature steam which is circulated under pressure through the plant material. The ideal temperature is between 88 and 98 degrees C, with 96 degrees C being the ideal. This releases the oils from the plant into the steam. As the steam cools the water and oil is separated. The oil collected is in its purest form. The time and temperature must be vigilantly monitored to assure the highest quality essential oil.
How Essential Oils Differ in Quality?
Choice of plant species, location, altitude, temperature and time of harvesting are all equally vital to ensure the various constituents in the oil are the most concentrated and pure that can be obtained. Distillation is both an art and a science, which must be done by experienced growers and distillers, using age-old methods and exact timing.
How Do You Apply Essential Oils?
Essential oils are intended to be diluted, applied topically, used neat, or added layer upon layer. They can be made into blends for specific purposes. They can also be diffused
Are Citrus Oils Essential Oils?
Extraction of Citrus Oils is a bit different. The orange peels are a waste product from orange juice production. They can be recycled using steam distillation at a temperature of between 88 and 98C degrees for 15 to 75 minutes. 96 degrees C for 60 minutes is the ideal time and temperature to achieve the greatest yield and best quality of orange oil.
Lemon Oil is extracted using the cold pressing method to press the oil from the rinds. It takes 100 lemons to get one ounce of lemon oil. Grapefruit Oil and lime oils are extracted the same way as lemon oil.
Can You Consume Essential Oils?
Some Essential oils could be used internally but only with the recommendation of a certified Aromatherapist or Health professional. For most cases, diffusion or topical application is just as effective.
What Measures Have You Put in Place for COVID-19?
COVID-19 has caught us all by surprise, but it is our responsibility as a company to ensure the safety of our customers as part of our ideology towards promoting health and well-being. To reduce contact, we work with a small team of 1 or 2 people who handle all the bottling and packaging processes. Surfaces and equipment are frequently disinfected with a biodegradable and chemical free disinfectant while our tools and glass containers are washed, then steam disinfected prior to each use. Our customers will always be our priority as we strive follow best practices for health and safety.