Witch Hazel Hydrosol

[Guest guest]

Hi Marge,

 

>>If there is no Essential Oil .. there is no Hydrosol. Cucumbers

>>have no EO. Based on the definition these folks are using .. one

>>could put Horse Manure in a still and the liquid that would result

>>from this could be sold as Horse Manure Hydrosol.

 

I stick by what I wrote above.

 

> what about Witch Hazel hydrosol... to the best of my knowledge there's

> no witch hazel eo... but the hydrosol (the water based distillate of

> the witch hazel plant) is wonderful for skin care.

>

> Essential Oils, Hydrosols, Accessories, Hard to find Books and Videos

> <http://www.naturesgift.com>

 

Witch Hazel is distilled .. and almost all that is sold in the USA is

distilled in Connecticut by the American Distilling & Manufacturing Co.

http://www.whazel.com/faqs.htm

 

There is Essential Oil in Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) .. and its

a tough one to extract. There is no Witch Hazel Essential Oil sold (as

far as I know) and I expect that might be for the same reason there is

no Nigella sativa (Black Cumin) Essential Oil sold .. low yield. Black

Cumin oil is extracted via pressing .. and the Essential Oil and other

chemical components (tannin, gallic acid, fat, etc.) in Witch Hazel are

extracted via distillation.

 

Also .. Witch Hazel extract has a history for use going back hundreds of

years so trying to sell an ultra expensive Essential Oil would require

the talents of a con artist to write the marketing spiel.

 

The United States Pharmacopoeia says it contains tannic and gallic acids

and some volatile oil. Volatile Oil = Essential Oil .. same term.

Another source states that Witch Hazel contains:

 

Constituents:

 

Bark: 10% tannin including hamamelitannin, gallic acid, saponins,

volatile and fixed oil, resin.

Leaves: c6% tannin, flavonoids, volatile oil.

 

The branches are cut in the fall and distilled for more than 36 hours.

Witch Hazel is (as far as I can determine) distilled longer than any

other aromatic. The rendered liquid extract is used in creams and

various medications.

 

Another source of info is one that most folks in this industry know

well: Grieve, M. 1931 A Modern Herbal, (ed. C.F. Leyel 1985), London.

 

Witch Hazel Tea is a common drink in the southeast USA even today.

 

There are Monographs out and about on Witch Hazel .. just not easy to

find because most of the research is old .. its been proven and accepted

before our grandparents were born.

 

How did it get the name " Witch Hazel " ? One claim is that in colonial

America, the shrub's flexible forked branches were used as a " witching

stick " by dowsers .. we still have some water witches in my neck of the

woods in KY.

 

In America, most herbs are sold as dietary supplements .. but not Witch

Hazel .. its one of a very few American medicinal plants that's approved

by the FDA as an ingredient in non-prescription drugs.

 

Witch Hazel extract is great for skin care but there are many more uses

for it. Witch Hazel extract was one of the first patent medicines in

the USA .. " Pond's Extract " .. developed around 1840.

 

Y'all keep smiling. :-) Butch http://www.AV-AT.com