Methods To Obtain Allspice Essential Oil

Allspice has a truly impressive nutritional value as well as properties that make it a pain reliever, an analgesic, antiseptic, and antioxidant. This natural supplement can help mend minor cuts and wounds and relax muscle pain. It also increases energy levels in the body in some cases.

At its core, distillation is more or less just producing steam. This high-temperature steam is passed through the herbal material. The steam bonds with the essential oil inside the plant suspended over the steam, and when the steam rises upwards, the drops of essential oil are not dissolved in it but remain separate. When the steam is cooled down, it transforms back into liquid water, typically with the essential oils floating on its surface. From there, the oil is removed from the water by either pouring or dripping.

1Direct Steam Method

Direct steam distillation involves the use of hot steam, which is pushed through the plant matter at a higher pressure. This particular method is most commonly used for fresh plant material with a high boiling point, typically woods, roots, and seeds. It also finds use in raw plant material, with spearmint and peppermint being two of the most popular.

The plants are cut and put on a metal distilling tank placed on a truck. After that, it is moved to the installed distilling tank. Steam is then forced through the fresh herbs at high pressure, and the droplets of the oil are moved by the steam and pushed through a vapor pipe on the top of the distilling tank and then into a cold condensing chamber.

2Cold Pressing Or Expression

This specific method of extracting oils are most typically used to prepare citrus oils, such as oranges, tangerines, or lemons. This method involves piercing and puncturing the oil glands through the process of rolling the fruit over sharp spikes that pierce the oil-producing glands of the fruit. After that, the fruit is pressed, which extracts the oil from the glands. Then it is washed off with a very fine spray of water to minimize the loss of oil.

From there, the juice is removed via another tube. Then oil is separated from the water through the process of spinning it around at high speed. A different method is separating the peel from the fruits and then cold pressing the skins. The essential oil is then extracted with a tiny amount of juice, which is divided through a similar method.

3Water Distillation Method

The methodology of water distillation is used when the plant matter has been thoroughly dried out and won't be damaged by boiling it. It also finds use in distilling powdered material, such as powdered almond as well as flowers, with rose and orange being the most common. These materials will need to float freely since they have a tendency to lump together during the process of steam being pumped through them.

This material is directly exposed to boiling water, which means that a great deal of care will need to be taken so that the water will not evaporate and leave the plant material to burn up. Another commonly used example of essential oil extracted using this method is turpentine gum. This essential oil is derived from a species of the pine tree (specifically Pinus palustris); the wood chips, pine needles, and gum of the tree are put into the distilling chamber, along with collected rainwater.

4Solvent Extraction Method

This is likely the most common modern means by which essential oils are prepared from flowers; the first step is that the petals are mixed into a solvent that is volatile, such as petroleum, benzene, ether, until the petals are wholly vaporized by the solvent. Then the solution is pushed through a filter, followed by the solvent itself being evaporated at a reduced pressure, which leaves the solvent extraction as concrete. The solvent is then purged from the concrete via vacuum pressure without any heat at all to prevent any harmful effects to the oil. This concentrated essence that emerges from this process is known as an absolute. Absolutes are very highly-concentrated products derived from flowers yet without any natural waxes.

The most crucial advantage extraction has over distillation is that a single temperature is used throughout the entire process. High temperatures used during the process of distillation can create a different chemical composition inside the oil, which then alters the natural scent. That said, this method is expensive when compared to a distillation method, especially since the solvents and chemicals may persist in the oil after the extraction.

5Enfleurage Oil Extraction

This method is an old one, and it was used in the production of pomade extracts and perfumes during the ancient days of perfumery. The petals of flowers, such as jasmine or roses, are layered onto a base of wax, cold fat, or heated oils. The process is then repeated every day until the base is suffused with the flower's essential oil. The pastes and waxes that result can contain up to one percent of the flower's essential oil.

Then the essential oil is removed from the paste or wax with a volatile fluid, most typically ethyl alcohol. During the last step of the process, the ethyl alcohol is reduced to steam via evaporation at low temperatures and reduced pressure, leaving behind a pure essential oil as a thick fluid. This ancient process has a significant advantage in that even the most incredible delicate elements of a flower's oils are kept intact. The two significant downsides, though, are that it is not terribly efficient and can be quite expensive. That said, flower oils produced with this method are devoid of terpene-hydrocarbons, a sure sign that the resulting oils are pure and unaffected by the distillation process.

6Water And Steam

Another frequently used distillation process is water and steam. This is always used for either dried or fresh plant matter that would be damaged by boiling. First, the plant material is set up on a perforated grid.

Water is below this grid and heated until wet, low-pressure steam moves through the plant matter. The central aspect of this method to keep in mind is that the steam is never really very hot and always produced at low pressure. Clove oils and cinnamon are two oils commonly produced by this method.

The warm and spicy aroma that results from allspice essential oil is similar in scent to cinnamon and clove essential oils. A high concentration of eugenol is at least partially responsible for this similarity in the smell. This oil is an exceptional oil to place into a diffuser during the autumn and fall months.

The essential oil of allspice in small dilution is often said to be an aphrodisiac. The rich and warm aroma of allspice oils also combines well with masculine blends. Even though allspice essential oil is well regarded for its usage in personal fragrances, arthritic, massage, and muscle-soothing applications, it can sometimes irritate the skin. Those who choose to use allspice oil for topical usage should be certain to dilute it thoroughly.