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Aromatherapy Essential Oils - Methods of Extraction of Aromatic Essential Oils
By Michael Douglas

Evolution and History of Aromatherapy Essential Oils - A Brief Overview
By Michael Douglas

Learning The Proper Use Of Aromatherapy Products To Avoid Harm! By Joe Okoro

Aromatherapy Essential Oils - Methods of Extraction of Aromatic Essential Oils
By Michael Douglas

There are several methods of obtaining aromatic substances from plant material, most of which are described below. But strictly speaking, essential oils are only those obtained by distillation or expression.

Distillation

Distillation is the most widely used and the most economical method of extracting essential oils. There is a great deal of skill involved in the process of distillation in the if the precious essential oil is not to be lost or changed in its composition. Some plants are distilled immediately after harvesting, whereas others may be left for a few days or even dried prior to extraction.

In distillation, the plant material is heated, either by placing it in water which is brought to the boil or by passing steam through it. The heat and steam cause the cell structure of the plant material to burst and break down, thus freeing the essential oils. The essential oil molecules and steam are carried along a pipe and channelled through a cooling tank, where they return to the liquid form and are collected in a vat. The emerging liquid is a mixture of oil and water, and since essential oils are not water soluble they can be easily separated from the water and siphoned off. Essential oils which are lighter than water will float on the surface, whereas heavier oils such as clove will sink.

Expression

This method is reserved exclusively for members of the citrus family such as bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, lime, mandarin and orange. The essence yielded is found in small sacs which are located under the surface of rind. This process was originally carried out using simple hand pressure. The citrus essence was squeezed from the rinds and then collected in a sponge which, once saturated, was squeezed into a bucket. Due to the labour costs involved the majority of citrus oil is now expressed using mechanical presses.

Solvent Extraction

The process of solvent extraction does not yield essential oils. This method is employed for flowers, gums and resins and it produces 'absolutes' and 'resinoids'. The technique is used for higher yield or to extract oils that cannot be obtained by any other process. Jasmine, for example, is adversely affected by hot water and steam.

Absolutes

To yield an absolute the aromatic plant material (flowers, leaves, etc.) is extracted by hydrocarbon solvents such as benzene or hexane. The plant material is covered with the solvent and slowly heated to dissolve the aromatic molecules. The solvent extracts the odour and then the solvent is filtered off to produce a 'concrete'. A concrete is a solid, wax-like substance containing about 50 per cent wax and 50 per cent volatile oil such as jasmine.

To obtain the absolute the concrete is mixed with pure alcohol to dissolve out the aromatic molecules, and then chilled. This mixture is filtered to eliminate waste products and to separate out insoluble waxes. The alcohol is evaporated off gently under vaccum. The thick, viscous, coloured liquid known as the absolute is left behind.

Resinoids

Solvent extraction can also be used for gums and resins to produce resinoids. Resins are the solid/semi-solid substances which exude naturally from a tree or plant that has been damaged. Commercially, resins are obtained by cutting into the bark or stem, and the gum-like substance hardens once it is exposed to the air.

The natural resinous material is extracted with a hydrocarbon solvent such as petroleum ether, hexane or alcohol. These solvents are then filtered off and subsequently removed by distillation. A resinoid remains where a hydrocarbon solvent has been used (eg. benzoin resinoid). Resinoids are often employed by the perfume manufacturers as fixatives to prolong the aroma of a fragrance (as are concretes).

Enfleurage

The process of enfleurage also yields an absolute, although this method is virtually obsolete nowadays. It is very time consuming and labour intensive and, therefore, highly expensive. Formerly this was the main method of extraction for delicate flowers such as jasmine which continue to produce perfume even after they have ben picked. It involves the use of purified odourless cold fat which is spread over sheets of glass mounted in large rectangular wooden frames. Flowers are strewn upon this layer of fat which absorbs the essential oil. After approximately a day the flowers are removed to be replaced by fresh flowers. The process is repeated many times - even beyond months - until the fat is saturated.

Carbon Dioxide Extraction

The relatively new method was introduced only in the 1980s. The price is high because the equipment used is expensive. The process has been designed for the perfume industry. Oils which are extracted utilising carbon dioxide are supposed to be superior, pure and very close to the natural essential oil as it exists in the plant - and they are completely free of residues of carbon dioxide.

Hydrodiffusion/percolation

Hydrodiffusion or percolation is the most modern method of extraction. This process is faster than distillation, and the equipment is much more simple than that used for carbon dioxide extraction. Steam spray is passed through the plant material (which is suspended on a grid) from above. The emerging liquid composed of oil and condensed steam is then cooled. The result is a mixture of essential oil and water (as in the distillation process) which can be easily separated.

Maceration

For this process plants are placed into a vat of warm vegetable oil which causes the plant cells to rupture, causing the absorption of the essential oils. The vat is then agitated for several days. The resulting oil is filtered and bottled, and is ready for use as a massage medium. Examples of macerated oils are calendula, carrot and hypericum.

Evolution and History of Aromatherapy Essential Oils - A Brief Overview
By Michael Douglas

Aromatherapy is derived from two words, Aroma - meaning fragrance or smell and Therapy - meaning treatment. The term Aromatherapy is relatively new, derived from the work of René-Maurice Gattefossé in the early part of the twentieth century. Aromatherapy was used by the most ancient civilizations and is reputed to be at least 6000 years old.

EGYPT

It is widely thought that Aromatherapy began in Egypt. A medical papyri considered to date back to around 1555 BC contains remedies for all types of illnesses and the methods of application are similar to the ones used in Aromatherapy and Herbal medicine today.

The Egyptians used a method known as infusion (this process is described later on) to extract the oils from aromatic plants and incense was probably one of the earliest ways of using aromatics. Frankincense was burned at sun rise as an offering to the sun god, Ra and Myrrh was offered to the moon. The Egyptians were experts at embalming using aromatics to help preserve flesh. The Egyptians used to be massaged with fragrant oils after bathing.

CHINA

Aromatic herbs and massage were used in China long before the birth of the Christ. Along the Yellow River 5000 years ago the Chinese were using mugwort leaves and calamus roots for hygiene purposes. Emperor Shen Nung's medical text Herbal dates back to about 2700 BC and it contains details on 365 plants. Emperor Huang Ti is credited with The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine (2650 BC). In his work aromatic medicines and massage are referred to on several occasions. The book also forms much of the basis for acupuncture.

INDIA

In India plants and plant extracts were being employed from at least 3000 B.C. The oldest form of Indian medicine is known as 'Ayurvedic' and uses many different massage techniques, pressure points and also essential oils. One of the oldest known Indian books on plants called Vedas mentions basil, cinnamon, coriander, ginger, myrrh and sandalwood.

THE GREEKS

The ancient Greeks played a very important part in aromatic medicine, developing the knowledge acquired from the Egyptians.

The most renowned Greek is, of course, Hippocrates (460-370 BC) who became known as the 'Father of Medicine'. He adopted a holistic approach and advocated daily aromatic baths and massage. He wrote in his Aphorisms that 'aromatic baths are useful in the treatment of female disorders'.

Asclepiades (200 BC), a Greek physician, believed in gentle therapies such as bathing, massage, music, perfume and wine. He was opposed to the use of purgatives and emetics which were so popular at that time.

THE ROMANS

Pedacius Dioscorides of Anazarba wrote a five-volume book known as De Materia Medica in the first century AD. One of the volumes is full of information regarding the uses of plants and aromatics. Cypress, juniper, marjoram and myrrh are mentioned among the 500 plants described in this study. He mentions Kyphi claiming that it is calming and helps to relieve asthma attacks. Other formulae include 'Amarakinon' to treat haemorrhoids and menstrual difficulties, 'Susinon' to treat fluid retention and 'Nardinon muron' for coughs and colds. A great deal of our present knowledge of medicinal herbs comes from Dioscorides.

The Romans adored perfumes and aromatic oils and used them for massage and scenting their hair and clothing. In Rome the hetairi or prostitutes used scent lavishly. Galen, the physician to the gladiators, prepared ointments and he also produced a 'cold cream'.

AVICENNA

Born in Persia, the physician and scholar Avicenna (AD 980-1037), is credited with the invention of distillation. There was already a crude type of distillation in operation but Avicenna refined it by extending the length of the cooling pipe and forming it into a coil. This enabled the condensation of steam and vaporised essence to be far more efficient. Rose water made from rosa centifolia becomes popular. The Persians exported it to China and India and it was used for medicinal and culinary purposes. Perfumes were formulated using roses, lilies, narcissi and violets.

The Crusaders, during the Holy Wars, brought back knowledge of herbal medicines and perfumes, handed down from the Romans.

THE MIDDLE AGES

Religious orders cultivated their own aromatic plants - in the twelfth century the Germman Abbess, Hildegarde, was well known for growing Lavender.

In the Middle Ages lavender and other herbs made up into bouquets were used as protection against plagues. Frankincense and Pine were burned in the streets in the fourteenth century. Basil, chamomile, lavender, melissa and thyme were strewn on the ground and chamomile lawns became popular. Perfumes were used likely in England as people hardly ever washed themselves, so the perfumes masked unpleasant natural body odours.

THE SEVENTEENTH, EIGHTEENTH, AND NINETEENTH CENTURIES

Many English herbalists emerged during the seventeenth century - the most renowned herbalists include John Parkinson, John Gerarde and Nicholas Culpepper. In 1653 Culpepper wrote his famous Complete Herbal. The plague wreaked havoc once more and aromatic herbs were popular. The perfumers enjoyed an immunity to the plague because they were surrounded by essential oils. Essential oils were being used in mainstream medicine for a host of internal and external diseases.

During the nineteenth century practically all herbalists and some doctors were using essential oils. Potions were mixed up in apothecaries - each had its own still.

Scientists of the nineteenth century identified some of the chemical constituents of oils and gave them names such as 'geraniol' and 'citronellol'. Unfortunately this led to the development of synthetic copies of the main constituents of oils. The use of herbs and essential oils declined greatly as the drug companies started to flourish. Synthetic drugs, sadly, can produce numerous side effects and can be toxic and harmful.

THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

The birth of modern aromatherapy can be attributed to the French chemist René-Maurice Gattefossé. It was Gattefossé who coined the word 'aromatherapy' in 1937 with the publication of his book Aromatherapié. It is said that after burning his hand in an experiment, he plunged it into the nearest liquid which happened to contain the lavender oil. He used essential oils on the wound of soldiers who were injured during the First World War.

French doctor Jean Valnet, an army surgeon who had been influenced by the work of Gattefosse, made an enormous impact on the aromatherapy world with the publication of his book Aromatherapié in 1964. His book regarded is regarded as the aromatherapist's bible. He had used essential oils treating war wounds and after the war he continued to use essential oils.

Madame Marguerite Maury (1895-1964) introduced aromatherapy into Britain in the late 1950s. She applied the essential oils, diluted in a carrier oil, using massage techniques.

Nowadays aromatherapy is becoming an increasingly popular therapy for a wide range of ailments. It is practised by the professional qualified clinical aromatherapists in hospitals, clinics, hospices and surgeries. The demand for aromatherapy in growing rapidly.

Massage Manual - Educational guide for massage lovers dedicated to provide information about massage therapy, aromatherapy, essential oils and carrier oils.

Learning The Proper Use Of Aromatherapy Products To Avoid Harm! By Joe Okoro

If you have been using aromatherapy, you may know that some of the products when taken wrongly can cause severe side effects like irritation of the skin, nausea, vomiting and the rest. What this means is that we need proper use of each aromatherapy product to avoid some harm that wrong usage may cause. Aromatherapy products have information all over the internet that can help you to understand the functioning of each and every product you intend to use. All you need do is tap into articles that discusses aromatherapy and you will have this vital information at your finger tips.

I'm going to discuss how we can use some aromatherapy products in such a way as to avoid unwanted side effects. It may also interest you to know that each product have recommendations as to how you can use it. It is advisable you take any one of them according to dosage and advised administration.

African Blue Grass is an aromatherapy oil that causes irritations when used in areas not recommended. For instance, it is not recommended you use it around the eyes as this can cause serious eye problems. The main use of this oil is as an antiviral agent, astringent, anti-fungal agent, and also it is used for the treatment of wounds in the feet. It can be blended with other floral and citrus oils as a medium or strong scent oils.

Another oil is the Bay essential oils. It can irritate the mucus membrane and the flesh, thus it is advised that pregnant women do not use this oil. The oil functions as an antibiotic, anti-neuralgic, analgesic, sedative, insecticide, astringent, febrifuge, etc. Hence the oil can treat such health problems as circulation irregularities, rheumatism, muscle pain, skin infections, dental infections, diarrhea, neuralgia, and so forth.

Absinthe is an aromatherapy oil with a dark green nature. The only shortcoming of this product is that it can be used as a drug for getting high. It has also being observed that you can not use this product while using other aromatherapy products because the oils have anti-aromatherapy agents like thujone, neurotoxin, and so on. Other functions of this product includes treatment of fever, anorexia, elimination of tapeworms etc.

Angelica Root is an aromatherapy oil that should be avoided by pregnant women also. The oils is used in treating arthritis, migraines, bronchitis, water retention, stress disorders, migraines, and so on. The oil can be blended with Guaiacwood, sandalwood, Olibanum, Cedarwood, etc.

As varied as the aromatherapy line of products are, there are specific instructions and dosages as well as administration advice attached to each one and you have to follow the recommendation as advised on these oils. Following it will show that you are paying attention to safety and it will help you to make maximum use of all aromatherapy products.

Joe Okoro writes about Aromatherapy in his free reports. You can sign up for his courses and get additional information by visiting: http://www.coolcashjackpot.com/aromatherapyform.htm

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