Essential oils can also be taken orally. By ingesting them, their molecules are carried into the bloodstream through the digestive system. However, DO NOT TAKE ESSENTIAL OILS BY MOUTH UNLESS UNDER THE CARE OF A PHYSICIAN SPECILIZED IN MEDICAL AROMATHERAPY. Nature has given us a wonderful gift that we must cherish. Essences are powerful substances and we must treat them with enormous respect.

Extraction: How Essential Oils Are Obtained

Essential oils are the ‘signature’ of the plant, its fragrant principle. I’ll often mention, throughout the course, the need to dilute the essential oils we use. It is interesting to note that plants never use essential oils in their pure form. They store their essential oils in pouches and retrieve them in a diluted form whenever they’re needed. Isn’t nature smart?

Essential oils are usually located on the outer part of the plant (the skin of citrus fruits or the surface of the leaves) thus explaining the great affinity essential oils have for our own skin.

The different methods of extraction are based on three main characteristics:

    * Essential oils are volatile (from the Latin “volare”, to fly), which means they evaporate completely when exposed to air. This is the reason why we can smell them and benefit from the inhalation of small amounts. This specific quality allows us to extract them through distillation.

    * Essential oils are also lipophyle, which means they are easily absorbed by vegetable oils, fats and waxes. Thanks to this quality, we can extract oils from flowers through the extraction process called enfleurage.

    * Essential oils are also hydrophobic, which means they do not mix with water. This is important for the final stage of steam distillation.

There are many different methods of extraction. In this course, we’ll examine the five main procedures.

OIL INFUSION

Oil infusion, also called extraction by fats, is probably the oldest method of extraction. Plants are soaked in vegetable oil in a glass jar and exposed to the sun for approximately two weeks. At the end of the two-week period, the plants are strained out and more herbs are added to the fragrant oil. This is how the amazingly healing St. John’s Wort’s oil is made in France.