If the membrane is fractured while the oil is being released, the oil is damaged, and the molecular structure of the oil is altered. in nature, as the evening cools, the oil comes closer to the surface. As the day begins, the sun's warmth causes this membrane to relax, open and release the oil into the atmosphere. Vertical steam distillation gives us the greatest potential for protecting the oil and maintaining its integrity in order to protect its therapeutic benefits for fragrance and balancing the body. All of this must work on the areas in the brain that are connected to the limbic system, which affects emotional trauma release, appeases anxiety and helps overcome depression. Marcel Espieu, who has been the President of the Lavender Growers Association for 21 years in southern France, told me, when I was studying with him, that the best quality of oil would be produced when the pressure was zero pounds during distillation .
Temperature also has a very distinct effect on the oils.
At certain temperatures, the oil fragrance, as well as the chemical constituents, can be changed. High pressures and high temperatures seem to cause a harshness in the oil where even the oil pH and the electropositive and electronegative balance are greatly affected. For example, cypress requires 24 hours at a maximum of 245 degrees at 5 pounds of pressure in order for all of the active constituents and properties to be released. But if it is distilled less than 22 hours, 18-20 of the primary constituents will be missing, which are absolutely essential to the therapeutic application of the oil and the expected response. However, most of the distilling operations throughout the world distill cypress for only one hour and 15 minutes.