Steam Distilling Essential Oils

[Homercidal]

I have a few plants in the area with oils that I am considering performing Steam Distillation on, in order to get Essential Oils. At this point I understand basic distilling principles, but am curious to know if anyone has experience or resources in Distilling Essential Oils. I'd like to avoid any potential problems before I get started, and also gauge whether or not I really want to add another hobby to my list.

Please be aware that I'm not asking for comments or discussion on the distillation of Spirits. That is still (pun intended) not allowed here. I'm specifically looking for information on the process for getting the volatile oils from various herbs and plants, such as Wintergreen, Mint, Lilac, etc.

Posts related to distillation of spirits will be deleted.

Now then, from what I can gather online so far, the setup for distilling oils is basically a boil vessel, with water added to the bottom. The herbs/leaves go into a basket or held in a strainer above the water? Or is that stuff just added to the water?

The steam rises, carrying the volatile oils and goes through a tube at the top, which cools the vapor and drips a water/oil mixture into a collection vessel. After a while (how long?) collection stops and the oil is decanted from the water and stoppered up in a small bottle for later use.

I believe when I read about distilling oils from Wintergreen, it mentioned macerating the leaves first. Also, make sure the leaves are not able to plug the output port, or bad things will happen.

 

[Paps]

I could be wrong but i was under the assumtion that a maceration was/is allways done first. Often in a solution of both water and alcohol (50-50 ratio) as some things are soluable in water and others in alcohol.

Keep in mind that certain concentrations of common plants can be very harmfull. Best to research before dropping anything on your skin.

http://eethomp.com/AT/dangerous_oils.html

Some good info on that page there.

 

[Revvy]

I haven't done it, but I've been interested in doing something similar to make flavor extractions for cooking and brewing. Doing something small with pyrex and maybe a spirit lamp/alcohol burner. Kind of like pics of those things ones in alchemist's labs.

Something like this.

I've also wondered if making something like a Steam/Vacuum coffee pot would essentially do the same
thing.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ij55LlWgSrk[/ame]

Make magazine has a piece on the "Florence Siphon."

Seems to me the only difference between this style of coffee pot and a "still" is what is placed in the first vessel... in this case herbs and water or fat or alcohol instead of coffee beans.

 

[Weezy]

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=95

 

[Revvy]

I mentioned fat in the last post because I recall reading in the novel "Jitterbug Perfume" that one of the ways parfumers draw the essence of certain plants to then use in their mixes is by laying the really tender blossoms of certain plants on sheets of rendered fat (I think extremely purely rendered lard) for a period of time and the fat draws out the volatile oils out of the plant into the fat....then the work with the scented fat somehow.

 

[doug293cz]

I could be wrong but i was under the assumtion that a maceration was/is allways done first. Often in a solution of both water and alcohol (50-50 ratio) as some things are soluable in water and others in alcohol.

...

This makes sense, as it would increase available surface area, and likely break up some of the cell structure, making the essential oils more available for extraction.

Brew on

 

[Homercidal]

I could be wrong but i was under the assumtion that a maceration was/is allways done first. Often in a solution of both water and alcohol (50-50 ratio) as some things are soluable in water and others in alcohol.

Keep in mind that certain concentrations of common plants can be very harmfull. Best to research before dropping anything on your skin.

http://eethomp.com/AT/dangerous_oils.html

Some good info on that page there.

Yep, due caution will be observed. I'm mostly interested in the common plant oils for flavoring, or for scenting soaps. Even flavor oils used commonly are very dangerous in higher than minute amounts.

 

[Homercidal]

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=95

Nice! Looks like there's lots of reading material in there!

I'm surprised at how little information for specific plants is showing up in Google. I kind of assumed Mints and those things would be distilled all over by all kinds of people. I see lots of information on PRODUCTS being sold, but not much as far as instructions or process information.

 

[passedpawn]

Check out the Magical Butter Machine on Amazon. I believe they invented them in Port Richey, just north of me. Kind of expensive, but apparently it works. I don't have one, but I've been thinking about it for a while.

I'd guess 50% of the customers are 100% interested in one specific herb.

 

[doug293cz]

Check out the Magical Butter Machine on Amazon. I believe they invented them in Port Richey, just north of me. Kind of expensive, but apparently it works. I don't have one, but I've been thinking about it for a while.

I'd guess 50% of the customers are 100% interested in one specific herb.

I dunno, 50% might be low, especially in places like WA, CO, etc. I wonder if they see a sales spike today?

Brew on

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

This is about pot, isn't it?

 

[doug293cz]

This is about pot, isn't it?

Not the OP's intentions. Discussions on (il)legal drug processing as well as alcohol distillation are verboten on HBT. There may be some veiled references to a legitimate oil extraction device being used for other than its intended purpose, but those are humorous interjections.

Brew on

 

[passedpawn]

This is about pot, isn't it?

Haha, actually I think it's not. I've been thinking about doing extraction for years on various herbs (rosemary!) and especially flowers. I've got both magnolias and gardenias on my property. They only bloom for a brief time, especially the gardenia, but the fragrance is heavenly. I really want to extract their oils to burn in the house year-round. I've picked the flowers and placed in the house, but it's only a few days of it, then they are gone.

Which reminds me of Alberto El Frosto

Nature's first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf's a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay.​

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Here's a pdf about various extraction methods, including steam distillation:
http://agritech.tnau.ac.in/horticulture/extraction_methods_natural_essential_oil.pdf

 

[Revvy]

Interesting that this microstill instructable popped up in my mailbox with the daily instructables.

I don't know how adaptable it would be to essential oils, and unfortunately because of all the comments relating to the legality of distilling alcohol, there wasn't a lot of "constructive criticism" about inherent design flaws.

But it might be something worth looking at.

 

[Weezy]

Are you wanting to build your own or buy?

 

[DemonsRun]

Because I also own a Picobrew Zymatic - I saw that they have a new Kickstarter with an attachment for distilling hop oils

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1708005089/pico-c-craft-brewing-for-all#h:brewing-distilled

Also be aware that each state has varying laws and they are changing, some states possession of a still is illegal, and others it just has to be registered as for essential oil only. Virginia it used to be illegal to even posses a still, now it just has to be registered and inspected by VABC, the registering and inspection of the still is free.

 

[DemonsRun]

At CBC DC this year Glacier Hops farm had samples of Hopzoil™ steam-distilled hop oil (aroma) they had been making and it is powerful. I just put ~1/4ml of El Dorado oil in a 3.5 gallon IPA and I think I over did it (still needs to Carb up).

 

[Homercidal]

Wow. I hadn't even thought about distilling hop oil. Maybe this project will have to be moved to the front burner (pun intended, as always).

 

[Revvy]

Wow. I hadn't even thought about distilling hop oil. Maybe this project will have to be moved to the front burner (pun intended, as always).

I know, I just had the same thought when he posted that.

 

[passedpawn]

I just bought an essential oil setup. First test will be magnolia flowers, which I've seen dropping from my tree. Then hops.

 

[AkTom]

Keep us updated. I have a small indoor plumaria tree. I might have to try those flowers.