Preserving a plants chemistry

Once an aromatic plant has been properly harvested, it is transported to a distillery where its oil is captured. Extracting essential oil is an extremely delicate process. If done improperly, distillation can dramatically alter or destroy a plant’s aromatic compounds. If distillation is completed with customized care, the resulting essential oil retains a strong chemical profile to provide therapeutic benefits to its users.

Steam Distillation

In the steam distillation process, steam from boiling water passes through the plant material and then carries the volatile aromatic compounds from the plant into a collecting tube.
In the tube, the steam is cooled and condensed into water. The lipid-soluble essential oil then separates from the water and the oil is collected. Time, temperature, and pressure are carefully monitored in this process and are catered to the needs of each plant so that the oils retain their beneficial chemical components.

Expression

Expression, also known as cold pressing, is used to produce several of doTERRA’s citrus oils. During this process, oil is extracted from the rinds of the fruit under mechanical pressure.
The fruit grazes against sharp rasping cylinders that scrape the surface of the rind, opening microscopic sacs containing essential oils. Water is then sprayed over the fruit to collect the released essential oil and the watery mixture passes through a filter removing remaining pieces of the fruit’s rind. The citrus oil is then separated and collected from the water. This expression process produces oils that are potent, effective and fragrant.