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Essential Oil Maceration Extraction Procedures

Maceration procedures utilize a variety of solvents to extract complex oils and fragrances from plant material. Traditional maceration procedures require whole or ground plant material to soak in a water, oil or alcohol-based solvent, inside a sealed glass container, at ambient temperature for days or weeks. Hundreds of plant species contain useful extractable oils, which may be used in aromatherapy, alternative medicine, cosmetics or foods.

  1. Plant Material

    • Plants produce and store different oils in different locations. Some useful plant oils occur in the roots, seeds, leaves, flower petals or bark of specific plants. The various parts of one plant may contain oils of drastically different chemical compositions. Sometimes, the root contains a useful oil, while the seed contains a poison. Always carefully separate the desired oil-producing part of a plant from the rest of the plant, and remove any soil or insect contaminants before beginning maceration procedures. Some maceration procedures call for whole plant parts, while others call for dried and crushed parts.

    Maceration

    • Maceration techniques vary depending on the location, composition and temperature stability of the extractable oil. Oils stored near the surface of the plant part may diffuse in a solvent more quickly than oils deep within the plant. Water soluble oils will diffuse in a water-based solvent, oil soluble oils in an oil-based solvent and alcohol soluble oils in an alcohol-based solvent. Heat sensitive plant oils degrade at elevated temperatures, but some oils will not diffuse in the solvent unless heated or boiled. Complete each maceration process exactly as described in a trusted recipe.

    Pressing

    • Maceration results in a lovely-scented debris-filled liquid. Many people remove the debris without specialized equipment by straining and pressing the liquid through layers of cheesecloth. Fold a large sheet of cheesecloth several times until light does not easily pass through it. Place the folded cheesecloth over a bowl, pour the liquid into the cheesecloth and pull up the edges of the cheesecloth into a sealed bundle. Gently squeeze the bundle with your hands to force the liquid through the cloth and into the bowl below.

    Product

    • The pressed and filtered liquid extract contains plant oils dissolved in solvent. Although not considered true purified and concentrated essential oil, many uses exist for this product including inclusion in aromatherapy applications, perfumes and massage oils. To create true essential oil, the extract requires further processing and purification to separate the plant oil from the solvent. Many essential oil recipes call for distillation, titration or chemical separation.

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