Distillation of Etheric Oils – Get the Soul of Plant
The distillation of essential oils from different part of the plants such as leaves, stem, flower and roots mostly is subject to find out the properties and characteristics of plants, sometimes extracted from wood, bark and gum also. Since several years it was distilled from the copper still only and now days the advance distillation techniques are available including steam distillation, solvent extraction, enfleurage technique, cold pressed etc. The traditional techniques were only through energy and aqua. Most preferred method of its manufacturing is steam distillation because the steam distilled ones are most suitable for therapeutic purposes. The Aromatherapy makes popular use of it.
Method of steam distillation
The steam distillation process for the extraction of essential oils from plant material consists of 3 basic parts – the retort, the condenser, and the separator.
Retort
This contains the plant material containing the volatile essential oil.
High pressure steam is passed in at the base into a void beneath a perforated grid which supports the charge of green herb. The steam passes through the plant material heating and saturating it with water. The resulting vapor, a mixture of steam and essential oil vapors, passes out at the top and is conveyed to the condenser.
Condener
The vapors from the retort are cooled by passing down a long spiral or bundle of tubing or plates cooled by being immersed in a flow of water. The condensate runs by gravity into a container in which the oil and water separate by virtue of their differing specific gravities in the separator.
Separator
The mixture of condensed oil and water runs into the separator where the lighter insoluable oil floats on the surface accumulates slowly and is drawn off periodically. This is the essential oil
The water – or rather water containing the more water soluble constituents extracted by the steam, known as the hydrolate or floral water – is drawn off continuously from the bottom of the separator.
The prices of essential oils are depends upon various factors as follows:
1. The raw material pricing and grade of it.
2. Plant part used in distillation
3. Country of origin and duty levied over the material.
4. Atmospheric conditions
5. And yield of oils from plant material, labor cost and time.
One should not compare the distillation process with artificial or synthetic process of making because the actual oils are only steam distilled. The same doesn’t contain the foreign aroma.
In Aromatherapy, only steam distilled or hydro distilled oils are recommended which has been used for curing flu, cold, nausea and many other problems. It also helps boosting up the emotional healing for balanced and good life. It helps us to build confidence.
Finally, essential oils really help us to offer real and proper essence of nature.
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