How to Extract Hyssop Oil

"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean." That ancient Biblical injunction perfectly captures pungent, woodsy Hyssopus officinalis. The herb also yields an incredibly potent essential oil when steam distilled. According to organicfacts.net, hyssop oil can treat respiratory problems, heal eczema, bruises and wounds and even disinfect the house. Professional stills make short work of extracting essential oil from hyssop and other botanicals. But a simpler method exists for the amateur herbalist. A basic home still can be made with little more than a stockpot, a bowl and few ice cubes.

Things You'll Need

• Fresh hyssop
• Knife
• Enamel or ceramic stock pot and lid
• Canning rack or clean brick
• Heat-proof glass or ceramic bowl
• Distilled water
• Ice cubes
• Jar
• Small bottle or vial

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  In the early morning hours, gather a generous basketful of flowers and leaves from your hyssop plants.

• 2

  Rinse, dry and chop the hyssop.Crush the plant material slightly to release its volatile oils.

• 3

  Place a clean brick or canning rack at the bottom of a stock pot.

• 4

  Set a heat-proof bowl on top of the rack or brick. This bowl will act as the "receiver" of the condensed hyssop vapor.

• 5

  Surround the interior bowl with the chopped hyssop. The herb should come about halfway up the side of the bowl.

• 6

  Pour enough hot distilled water over the hyssop to cover it, but do not spill water into the bowl.

• 7

  Turn the burner to high until the water boils, then lower to a simmer.

• 8

  Invert the lid of the stockpot and use it to cover the pot The lid's handle will now hang down on the inside of the pot, forming a perfect "drip mechanism" from which the condensed steam can drip into the bowl.

• 9

  Place several ice cubes on the outside of the inverted lid, in the center depression. Continue adding fresh cubes as the older ones melt.

• 10

  After three or four hours, turn off heat and remove the interior bowl, which should have filled with the condensed drops from the vaporized hyssop water. This is your hyssop hydrosol, or herbal water.

• 11

  To extract the essential oil from the hydrosol, pour it into a jar and place it in the freezer. The liquid part of the mixture will freeze, but the plant's volatile oils---the hyssop essential oil---will not.

• 12

  Pour the essential oil into a small bottle or vial. Cork the mixture and store in a dark, draft-free place.