The Importance of Properly Distilled Essential Oils

Even slight variations in proper distillation result in a dramatic reduction of the quality of the essential oils. After extensive research of ancient and modern distillation techniques, Young Living developed a specialized steam process that uses extremely low pressure and low temperatures, without the use of chemicals or solvents.

Location, Location, Location

The Young Living distillers are purposely placed and built on the farms in areas away from the pollution of modern technology and close to the sites of herb cultivation. This allows Young Living ’s plants to be distilled immediately after being harvested (within 15 minutes of being harvested), whereas plants transported long distances risk being dried out, causing them to lose many of their valuable properties.

Video of planting and harvesting one of the Young Living lavender fields, many hands go into the organic growing of our lavender,

from seed to seal…

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Testing

After distillation, samples of the Young Living essential oils are sent to independent and in-house labs where they are tested for purity and quality. Independent laboratory testing shows that Young Living essential oils meet high industry standards set by two accepted world leaders of standardization – EC/AFNOR (European Community/Association Francaise de Normalization) and ISO (International Organization for Standardization). However, these organizations do not set standards for every single essential oil.

The oils without set guidelines Young Living tests using high-resolution chromatography and mass spectrometry (GCMS). These tests identify the necessary constituents determined by industry experts that qualify them as therapeutic-grade. This testing also exposes any adulteration or inferior essential oils. If any oil does not meet our criteria it is not sold with the Young Living label.

It is important to note here that not all essential oils on the market are tested. As a matter of fact, most are not tested and many have very little if any pure essential oil in them, while others are synthetically made using petro-chemicals. This would mean to the consumer that the ways in which Young Living’s oils are used you would not want to try with another brand.

In addition to extensive lab testing, Young Living allots a portion of ground for a testing site, named, Research Row. This miniature farm provides valuable information that can later be used on a wide scale. Here it is determined if a certain plant will grow in one of our climates on the farms located in Utah, Idaho, Ecuador or France. The plant’s specific nutrient needs are also determined and organic fertilizers and new organic pest control procedures are tested.

Experimentation on these test grounds increases the success when mass planting on the farms. It eliminates any surprises that may jeopardize the quality of our oils. Essential oil quality is extremely important. Young Living’s reputation depends on your positive experience with our essential oils.

Why is it so difficult to find pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils?

Producing the purest of oils can be very costly because it may require several hundred pounds, or even several thousand pounds of plant material to extract one pound of pure essential oil. For example, one pound of pure melissa oil sells for $9,000-$15,000.

Although this sounds quite expensive, one must realize that three tons of plant material are required to produce that single pound of oil. Because the vast majority of all oils produced in the world today are used by the perfume industry, the oils are being purchased for their aromatic qualities only. High pressure, high temperatures, rapid processing and the use of chemical solvents are often employed during the distillation process so that a greater quantity of oil can be prouced at a faster rate. These oils might smell just as good to the novice nose and cost much less, but will lack most, if not all, of the chemical constituents necessary to produce the expected therapeutic results.

Time and Temperature

Distillation can determine the value of the oil, or destroy the value of the oil.

Essential oil distilling is not just a job, it is an art. The operator of the distiller must have a full understanding of the value of oils in order to produce quality oils. If the pressure is too high, or the temperature is too high, it will change the molecular structure of the fragrance molecule, altering the chemistry constituents.

For example – distillation of lavender should not exceed 3 pounds of pressure, temperature should not exceed 245 degrees and should be distilled for 2 hours. A distiller who is only interested in profit will distill lavender for 15 minutes at very high temperatures and very high pressure.

How do Chemicals Get into Essential Oils

Chemicals get into essential oils in several different ways. Most commonly, producers extend the oils by simply adding alcohol, propylene glycol, or acetate to the distilled essential oil.

Some essential oil producers do not actually add chemicals to their oils. Instead, they inject chemical solvents into the water in their boilers during the distillation process, increasing output by about 18%. You can imagine what happens to essential oils when chemicals are added to water, which is boiled into steam and then forced into plants to extract their oil.

The very process of forcing chemically-treated steam into the plants fractures the molecular structure of the essential oils. It also seems impossible for an essential oil extracted through this method to avoid containing at least SOME of these chemical additives.

Most surprising was the notion of purity implicit in a book authored by the Research Chair of the International Federation of Aromatherapists in London. She acknowledges that “for effective therapeutic use it is crucial that only pure essential oils be used.” Yet, this author expressly included oils produced by solvent extraction on her list of acceptable “pure” essential oils.

With the solvent extraction process essential oils are extracted by immersing plants in chemical solvents, such as hexane, petroleum benzine, ether, or carbon tetrachloride. These solvents are later removed by vacuum distillation. Like the solvent injection steam distillation process, do you think it is possible to completely eliminate all toxic residue from oils extracted by immersing plants in toxic chemicals?

These extraction processes both destroy essential oils’ therapeutic properties and bring their own health risks from the residual chemical additives which remain in the essential oils they produce.

Why would anyone add chemicals to nature’s oldest therapeutic substance?

Probably a combination of ignorance and profit?

Depending on the plant, it takes from 250 pounds to several tons of plants to produce a SINGLE pound of essential oil. It takes about 250 pounds of lavender to produce a pound of pure lavender oil, 1,000 pounds of jasmine for 1 pound of pure jasmine oil, and several TONS of rose petals to produce a pound of pure rose oil.

As you might imagine, producers can dramatically extend their profit margin by extending the oils.

The volume of lavender oil shipped from France is 100 TIMES the volume grown and distilled there! This suggests that 99% of all lavender oil coming from France has been extended and adulterated with chemical additives.

Factors that Effect the Therapeutic Value of Essential Oils

Temperature, pressure and time must be precisely monitored to produce a complete essential oil. Distillation at lower temperatures and low pressure is the preferred method for producing high quality, pure essential oils. Just as over cooking our foods can cause vital nutrients to be lost similarly “boiling” plants to extract their essence destroys many of a plant’s fragile constituents, which gives essential oils their therapeutic properties. Keeping the distiller’s temperature low is a must.

Essential oils MUST be distilled for the proper length of time to release all their active constituents. For example, cypress must be distilled for 24 hours to release all the chemical constituents. Most distilling operations, throughout the world, only distill cypress one hour and 15 minutes.

Similarly, lavender does not produce all its therapeutically effective substances unless it is distilled for one hour and 30 minutes, but most lavender is distilled for only 15 minutes! Three-quarters of the volume is extracted during the first quarter of the distillation process. Many producers end the process there because the increased time does not significantly increase the volume. Time is “only” a crucial factor to extracting the plant’s therapeutic properties.

Another factor in the purity of the oils is the land on which the plants are grown. Inexpensive essential oils are usually produced by large farm operations that use chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Pesticides are oil-soluble and their residue remains in essential oils extracted from pesticide-treated plants.

Some of the lavendin (which is NOT lavender) grown in Russia and China (used to make much of the so-called lavender oil sold around the world) actually contains radioactive isotopes because of the nuclear fallout from Chernobyl. Imagine using an essential oil extracted from plants containing radioactive isotopes AND to which chemicals have been added to extend the oil — synthetic linolol acetate to improve the fragrance, and propylene glycol to increase the volume!

According to Bio/Tech News, Young Living Essential Oils, Inc. is the only major essential oil producer in the entire United States whose products are steam distilled, at low temperatures and low pressure, and extracted without chemicals of any kind.

Essential Oils are the Vitality, the Essence, the Energy of Plants

Pure essential oils will penetrate cell walls, affecting not just the skin, but the whole person – both physically and psychologically. They nourish, cleanse, detoxify, increase blood circulation, and support many bodily functions.

Do not be afraid to ask questions about the origins, extraction process, and quality of any essential oil you purchase. Insist on essential oils extracted from organically grown plants, with no chemicals in the extraction process, at the proper temperature and pressure, for the appropriate length of time – and – oils extracted from plants that ARE from therapeutic species of plants.

If we remain ignorant and continue to emphasize price instead of quality, essential oils will indeed be nothing more than a charming fragrance in novelty aromatherapy items.

You may be interested to learn how to save 12% or 24% on Young Living essential oils and oil enhanced products, click on this link to find out how.

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