Aromatherapy is a wonderful support and enhancement to one's health and welfare, but this web site, it's advice, and products are in no way intended as a substitute for sound medical care. Essential oils are natural essences distilled or otherwise extracted from plant material. They contain concentrated chemical constituents, as they are found in the plant each comes from. The chemical constituents that make up each essential oil have largely been identified by scientific methods however, there are still components that have NOT been identified. There are several ways to extract essential oils from plant material.
Expression is used for citrus oils.
Distillation by hot water and steam is the most common method. Some delicate plants and flowers can't retain their fragrance and chemical constituents under high heat, so solvents are used to isolate the oils. Because of the varying expenses and difficulties of the extraction processes and the rarity of some plants or difficulty in growing them, prices of oils vary wildly. There is much substitution, adulteration, and extending that goes on in the production of essential oils. For this reason one must be very careful to buy only from reputable retailers.