This may sound more complicated than it really is. Some of you may be picturing a scene out of your high school chemistry class with beakers and white lab coats, but it's not that scary, really. It is not a huge endeavor in the least, but there are important steps that you need to follow carefully to do it right.
The oils of herbs and flowers have been cherished for millennia for their condensed scent of the plants we love. Even today, oils of certain plants are very valuable, because it takes many plants to excrete the potent oils we want. For example, one drop of herb oil is equal to a handful of fresh DRIED herbs.
There are many different methods for extracting these oils, I have listed a few below.
The oils of herbs and flowers have been cherished for millennia for their condensed scent of the plants we love. Even today, oils of certain plants are very valuable, because it takes many plants to excrete the potent oils we want. For example, one drop of herb oil is equal to a handful of fresh DRIED herbs.
There are many different methods for extracting these oils, I have listed a few below.
The Extraction
Oil by Evaporation
The idea is that you are separating out the oil because it boils at a higher temperature than water.
So after the water has evaporated off, the oil is left behind.
Sun Extracted Oil
Set the crock outside in full sun in a place where it will be undisturbed. If rain comes, bring your crock inside. After about a week in the sunshine, an oily residue or scum will start to develop on the surface of the water in the crock.
Take some pieces of cotton and absorb all of the oil that you see in the crock. Squeeze the liquid into a dark colored glass bottle.
Do not put a lid on this bottle, first cover with a cheesecloth to keep dirt and dust from getting in, but will allow it to breathe, and any water in the bottle to evaporate, leaving only the essential oils. After about 3 days you can seal the bottle.
Cooked-Out Oil
Take the crushed herbs of your choice and put them into a bag. Put this bag into a kettle of water and slowly simmer this for about 24 hours over a very low flame or a slow fire.
Oil Into Oil
Since so little oil comes out of your herbs, and if you only have a small quantity at your disposal, you can use this method of mixing your herb directly with an oil of your choosing.
Grind to a pulp your herbs in a mortar and place it in a small bottle. For a 1 cup bottle, you only need 2 Tbl. pulped herb. Pour a high quality cooking oil over the herb until the bottle is almost full. To this, add 1 tsp. distilled vinegar.
Cover your bottle tightly and place it in an area that gets full sunshine daily. Shake this twice a day for 3 weeks. Strain out the herbs and your herb oil is ready to use.
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