Hydrosols ** What Are They

[Guest guest]

Hey Sharon,

 

> I am wondering if you could once again explain what Hydrosol is. I just did

> not have much idea that it would be anything therapeutic, but thought it was

> more perfume. sharon

 

Below is a repeat of a post I made to this list in December 2003.

 

Hydrosols are a by-product of the distillation process. When we distill

an aromatic .. we get four products .. the essential oils, hydrosol,

waste aromatic material .. and waste water. Don't confuse the water

used to distill with the hydrosol .. little of the water will make it

through the distillation conversion .. but the hydrosol (which is simply

an EO bearing water) will.

 

The hydrosol is that water that is condensed into the Florentine Flask

and upon which the essential oil, which is lighter than water, is

floating. Hydrosols contain water soluble aromatic chemicals not found

in the EO as well as the oil soluble chemicals found in the EO. Check

it out for yourself in the photos on pages 1 and 2 of the following:

http://www.av-at.com/distillation/rosadamascena1.html

 

Hydrosols are far less concentrated than EOs .. and are safer and

gentler to use than the EOs .. but they do contain microscopic amounts

of the EO. That amount will depend upon two things .. the price of the

EO and how hydrophilic the hydrosol is. Meaning .. some EO will remain

in the water at a greater percentage .. and if the EO is not costly, it

is not economically feasible to remove it all. But for some, like Rose

Otto in particular and also Melissa .. both very hydrophilic, a process

called cohobation removes the lion's share of EO from the oil-bearing

waters via a second form of distillation .. of the waters only.

 

Some folks prefer the term Hydrolat .. and some prefer Hydrosol .. I can

handle either .. but I can handle ONLY those two terms. Many rumors

exist about Hydrosols .. some are based on normal misinformation common

in this industry .. others are based on incorrect information in some

publications. Contrary to popular belief, Hydrosols are NOT clear as a

crystal .. they will look cloudy if not filtered often and the filtering

begins at the still .. but we do it again after a barrel has set in

place for a while. The reason is because in addition to traces of EO in

that water, there will also be fine pieces of plant material - so it has

to be filtered fine'er than fine.

 

On terms .. I don't have a BIG problem with the term " Distillate " but I

think it leaves much to be desired as it can be confused with other

things. I do have problems with " Aromatic Waters " but it is probably

more descriptive of what folks normally get - but not what they really

want. To me, that's like recombined or condensed fruit juice. Folks

take some distilled water, drop in some EO or Absolute and then shake

their booty till its ready to sell. But it has to be shaken often and

it does NOT have the water soluble chemical components of a Hydrosol.

 

The term I hate and one that is prohibited in my company - is FLORAL

WATERS .. folks who don't have stills can make floral waters - but they

can't make hydrosols or hydrolats without a still. This process is not

too different than soaking horse manure in distilled water.

 

I'll tell you something you should watch out for with some Hydrosols -

microbacteria and mold!!! From a safety standpoint there is even far

more reason to test Hydrosols than there is EO .. Hydrosols are often

taken internally by many folks - rubbed on the skin and in the eyes by

many other folks .. so in my opinion, its important to test them on a

regular basis .. and we do that every 90 days .. at Superior Labs, Inc.,

2514 Billingsly Road, Columbus, Ohio 43235. If you know of any other

person in the USA who does this .. please pass their name to me. ;-p

 

Hydrosols are mostly water and water is an ideal breeding ground for

microbes, fungus and mold. Ideally, you can extend the shelf life

(somewhat) by refrigerating hydrosols and that's because refrigeration

slows the growth of bacteria - that's why we use refrigerators for

foods. Refrigeration reduces the likelihood of these things happening -

doesn't prevent it - reduces it. Doesn't prevent your mayonnaise from

going bad either but reduces the likelihood and extends the shelf life.

 

Ensuring that containers used for Hydrosols are sterile is important.

The drinking water we get from the tap is NOT sterile .. and reports of

analysis of my Hydrosols indicates that they are more sterile than many

of the bottled drinking waters found on grocery shelves. How can this

be? As I said, when they exit the still they are sterile. For my

Turkish hydrosols - I have new barrels constructed and deliver them to

the still .. they have my codes stamped in them so I can control such

things - not easy with other distillers but I have put the word out that

I will stop buying from anyone who takes shortcuts. I'm telling you all

this because folks in this industry do not tell of their failures - they

only talk of their successes - so watch out.

 

SO - ideally ALL Hydrosols should be refrigerated. But keeping them

locked tight, out of sight, out of the light and not contaminating them

ourselves by touching the lip of the bottle or the cap or pouring unused

hydrosol back into the container, etc., also helps greatly in avoiding

contamination. It is almost always the end user who contaminates

hydrosols - same with cosmetics.

 

BUT keep in mind that when one buys 3,000 kilograms (three metric tons)

as I do, finding a refrigerator that large is a difficult task .. so, I

keep my 50 kilo barrels in a temperature controlled warehouse in

Maryland .. never less than 57 degrees or so there.

 

Most EOs will not have bacterial contamination. And this also holds for

some Hydrosols .. Oregano hydrosol will not have bacterial contamination

as the carvacrol in the oil doesn't let them survive. All Hydrosols are

sterile upon leaving the still .. but some can be contaminated by the

end user if they are handled incorrectly after the distillation process.

 

There are many therapeutic uses for hydrosols - especially Rose ... its

used for cooking, as a spritz for and directly in the eyes to cure

conjunctivitis .. Yarrow Hydrosol is effective as an anti-inflammatory

for problem skin .. Oregano Hydrosol is antimicrobial and calms the

stomach .. adds digestion. All of the Hydrosols have therapeutic value.

 

That's it I reckon. Y'all keep smiling. :-)

 

Butch http://www.AV-AT.com