Still Crazy After All These Years

Although the roots of aromatherapy are lost in antiquity, the modern practice can be traced to a 1920's French chemist by the name of Rene Gattefosse, who also came up with the name "aromatherapy". He often used essential oil stills to make the oils he did research on.

There are two types of essential oil stills -- steam stills and water stills. Both types are used today not much altered from the 1920's. Steam essential oil stills are used more often because they are quicker. You put the fresh flowers or what have you in a container, which is then heated. The steam under pressure strips the oil -- the spirit of the plant -- away from the flowers. But some flowers and herbs cannot handle the pressure of steam distillation, so then water essential oil stills are used. Their vacuum-sealed containers are heated in water until vapor forms. This vapor cools and drips the prized essential oil into yet another container.

There are small essential oil stills for the home that are sold, but they are only for those with a lot of patience and access to huge fields of herbs or flowers. It takes a tremendous amount of organic material to make even one ounce of therapeutic grade pure essential oil. Each flower petal or herb can only give off a minute drop of the oil.

Essential oil stills have been around for many years and their basic use hasn't changed much. You take some plant material like leaves and/or flowers, heat them with water under pressure, separate the oil from the steam, and collect the pure essential oil. Small-sized essential oil stills are readily available for the average person to make their own essential oils.