Absolutes and Essential Oils - Production

[Guest guest]

Hi y'all,

 

Because this list is growing daily .. I am pretty sure that we will

have a few new folks who are not sure of the differences between

Absolutes and Essential Oils .. and of the safety of using Absolutes.

 

Below is a reply I sent to this list back in 2004 .. I have updated it

a bit and I think it will explain these differences well enough.

 

Somebody asked:

 

> Can some one tell me what is the difference between an essential

> oil and an absolute?

>

> I've seen several different sites offer both products but there is

> never a definition of the difference.

 

There are definitions out and about .. but generally one has to search

for them. Before I'm through with this explanation you might be sorry

you even asked. ;-)

 

Lemme start by saying that this post is protected by Copyright!

 

Most of the explanations we do find are too short because they're

either briefs written by folks who might not have all the facts .. or

they are technical to a point that some folks don't understand them ..

and in both cases they can create more questions. I'll try to avoid

that by answering questions afore they are asked .. so I hope this

explanation is clear enough. I'm not known for brevity. ;-)

 

ALL Essential Oils are produced by one of the three following methods:

 

1. Steam Distillation: The plant material is suspended over the

water and as the water heats .. steam passes through the plant

material, etc.

 

2. Hydro-Diffusion: Similar to Steam Distillation except the steam

is forced downward from the top rather than passing through the

aromatic material from the bottom. Folks believe that some aromatic

oils are better when Hydro-Diffused .. and I agree with them .. that's

why I offer a number of Hydro-Diffused EO.

 

3. Hydro-Distillation: The aromatic material is in direct contact

with the water .. similar to clothing in a washing machine in contact

with the wash water. Rose Otto must be distilled in this manner

because steam will not pass through the Rose Blossoms after they

become heated and compacted. When using this method there is

normally a 3 to 1 ratio of water to plant material, i.e., in Turkey

most of the stills have a 2 metric ton capacity .. in that still they

place 500 kilos of Rose Blossoms and 1,500 kilos of spring water.

This ratio is important, as is constant monitoring of heat control ..

in order to avoid having the aromatic materials overheat .. or caramelize.

 

These are the only three ways I know of to produce Essential Oils.

 

Absolutes are not Essential Oils. They are Absolutes.

 

Cold Pressed Oils are not (in my opinion) Essential Oils. Some folks

consider certain CP Oils (like Citrus) to be Essential Oils - but I

don't. The rationale they use is that those Citrus oils are Volatile

Oils. My rationale for not accepting this is that we should adhere to

a universal definition in any industry .. or risk losing whatever

credibility we have. Do we have credibility now in AT? ;-)

 

Volatility alone is not (in my opinion) a determining criteria!

 

All extracted plant oils are Volatile to some degree .. but all

Volatile oils are NOT Essential Oils .. all dawgs are mammals but all

mammals are not dawgs! This subject can be debated till the cows come

home and we will not find agreement .. those who have been around the

News Groups a while will recall that we have NEVER been able to get

agreement on what " Aromatherapy " is either. ;-)

 

It serves no purpose to argue the semantics of this as it detracts

from the important points .. there is enough misinformation out and

about and some folks will fall on their swords when attempting to

validate the misinformation .. especially if it came from a

misinformed teacher's instructions. Ideally, we should use common

language in this industry.

 

Solvent Extraction: A misunderstood term. Essential Oils are ALL

Solvent Extracted. The Solvent used in the three forms of extraction

of Essential Oils (above) is .. Water. Heated Water - Steam. I point

this out because in the industry we say that Absolutes are Solvent

Extracted, and true it is .. but we should say which Solvent is used

because Water is a Solvent.

 

CO2 Extracted Oils: They also are not Essential Oils. But they, like

Essential Oils .. are Solvent Extracted. The solvent used is Carbon

Dioxide (CO2) in its liquid state. After extraction is complete the

CO2 then reverts back to its gaseous state.

 

Absolutes: Some aromatics do NOT take well to distillation .. Jasmine

for example. Some aromatics can't be distilled .. Vanilla for

example. Some can be Distilled OR extracted as Absolutes .. Rose for

example.

 

Why do we produce both Absolutes and Essential Oils from Rose Blossoms?

 

Because production of Absolutes requires less aromatic plant material,

thus .. Absolutes are not as costly to produce as are Essential Oils

made from the same aromatic materials. For those aromatic oils that

are produced both as Essential Oils and Absolutes there will not

always be a valid basis for price comparison.

 

Production of Absolutes is a multi-step process requiring both Hot

Processing and Cold Processing .. it starts with a Hot Process.

 

I'll use Turkish Rose Absolute as a tool for explaining this process.

The Rose Blossoms are literally washed in a hot process of Hexane ..

in a type of still, similar to the Hydro-Distillation method described

above .. but the Solvent used in the initial process to produce Rose

Absolute is not Water .. its Hexane.

 

Hexane is NOT as dangerous as it is commonly thought to be .. that is

not to say that in its pure state its harmless .. its NOT to be used

as an after dinner cocktail - drinking it would be harmful. But

Hexane will not be found in its pure state in an Absolute. Hexane is

used to produce many common cooking oils found in the kitchen.

 

Upon completion of this Hexane bathing process, the Hexane is drawn

off and what remains is a waxy substance called Concrete. Concrete is

thick and not generally suitable for use in AT .. though some folks do

use it in cosmetics and soaps, etc.

 

The still warm Concrete is then poured into containers (normally kilo

size) with a hole in the top of the container .. through this hole

will escape the remaining Hexane in the Concrete. Hexane is one of

the most volatile substances known to science so it does escape. Then

later .. sometimes weeks or even longer, the remaining (now cold)

Concrete is subjected to a Cold Process bath using another Solvent.

 

This final Solvent used to produce Rose Absolute is normally Ethanol,

or C2H5OH .. something we find in every bar .. Grain Alcohol.

 

The Absolute produced from the Concrete will have a bit of Ethanol

remain in it .. and maybe a trace (6 ppm or so) of Hexane. But it is

NOT harmful .. I repeat .. it is NOT harmful.

 

An extract from one of the many fine articles on Martin Watt's site is

below .. folks should visit his site at http://www.aromamedical.com/

 

This portion is from his page entitled " Misinformation On Aromatherapy

Issues http://www.aromamedical.com/articles/misinfor.html

 

Misinformation: " Absolutes should not to be used for therapeutic

purposes " .

 

Truth: " IN FACT several floral absolutes have been extensively tested

on humans for adverse effects and are passed as safe if used in the

appropriate amounts. Several absolutes are permitted food additives

under EEC, FDA & WHO regulations. Solvent residues are subject to

International regulations, and these levels are only a few parts per

million if for food use. Therefore, use on the skin in aromatherapy

is perfectly safe, provided the maximum levels recommended by RIFM are

not exceeded. As absolutes are cold processed, they represent the

perfume found in the living plant much more closely than the

equivalent distilled essential oil. " UNQUOTE

 

I'll comment on his last sentence .. the reason the odor of an

Absolute will more closely resemble the aromatic source it was

extracted from than will an Essential Oil is likely to be due to

chemical changes caused by heat during the distillation process. This

doesn't mean the oil loses its therapeutic properties. If that were

the case there would be no Aromatherapy .. but it is likely that some

of the natural trace chemicals might be altered by distillation .. and

the odor of an oil is not always due to the major chemical components

... often its due to some obscure trace chemical(s).

 

I'll comment on Martin's point on safe use.. " IF used in appropriate

amounts " . How do we learn the appropriate amount of a particular EO

or Absolute? The only source I know of that is referenced is Martin's

Safety Manual, " Plant Aromatics " . This reference publication has been

around for a long time. It contains, for various Essential Oils and

Absolutes, references on scientifically proven safe dilution for

dermal application of those Essential Oils and Absolutes. The old

edition of " Plant Aromatics " sold for years at $75. I published the

new, revised edition and offered it for years at $44.90 .. it is now

on sale for 25% off that price.

 

The revised edition came out in November 2001 and is now in the Fifth

Printing. I was exclusive dealer for North and South America. It

can be seen and ordered from me at the following URL .. folks in

Europe should contact Martin. http://www.av-at.com/plantaromaticsavnp.html

 

If you order it .. we will deduct the 25% when the order is received.

 

Now .. I will caveat my recommendation that you visit Martin's web

site with the following comments. I do this because though I agree

with maybe 99.44% of Martin's work .. I can't agree with all of his

positions and if I send folks to read things I don't agree with I need

to let them know that up front. ;-)

 

1. Martin is my good buddy and I have the utmost respect for him and

his knowledge. He has perhaps the most extensive research library of

any person in this industry .. he has spent many, many years doing a

lot of fine research. He has published and its good work. If I were

to measure his general knowledge of aromatic matters against my own ..

I would come out on the short end of the stick .. but I know a thing

or three .. even a blind hawg finds an acorn now and then. ;-)

 

2. Martin is a fanatic on safety .. this is a good thing because his

extreme position provides some balance to a lot of crap put out by

many others that totally disregards safe use of Essential Oils. But I

am not of the opinion that if an EO is not proven to be safe then it

should not be used. Many EO commonly used in AT have not been tested

for dermal use .. one of the many not tested is Peppermint.

 

3. Martin is an honest man with a tolerance for the hype that is

common in this industry and he's been around this industry long enough

to see a lot ofcrap. That's why he often comes across as a Troll, but

he's not really a Troll .. he just acts like one sometimes. ;-)

 

4. If someone wants to learn the CORRECT information about Essential

Oils and Aromatherapy .. and the SAFE use of same .. rather than later

having to weed through the humma-humma and unlearn bad information ..

I would recommend they consider taking Martin's Aromatherapy Course ..

its the best around and least costly Aromatherapy Course around .. its

at http://www.aromamedical.com/education.html

 

Back at the farm:

 

So .. we started with Rose Blossoms .. then obtained Rose Concrete ..

and finally we wind up with two products .. Rose Absolute .. and the

plant Waxes that are left behind after the final extraction process.

This wax is called .. Rose Wax. For the last few years this wax has

been highly sought after by folks in this industry .. for soaps or

whatever. Prior to this fad the remaining Rose Wax was a product we

dumped in the garbage.

 

And that's what Absolutes and Essential Oils are .. and how they are

produced.

 

> Thanks!

 

Welcome fer'shur .. and y'all keep smiling. :-)

 

Butch http://www.AV-AT.com .. Bulk/Wholesale/Retail GC Tested EO,

Rose Products, Tested Hydrosols and other nice things shipped from our

store in Downtown Friendsville, MD .. Pop: 597 .. ceptin' when I'm in

town .. then its 598 but they refuse to change the sign. ;-)