Essential oils are the mixture that captures and preserves the beneficial properties of the plants and is certainly at a higher concentration than other officinal formulas. Contrary to what one might imagine, however, these essences are rather difficult to make at home .
To obtain the oily juice of a plant, in fact, it is necessary to fully understand the operation of the distiller, an almost unique instrument for extracting the essence.
It takes about 100 g of flowers to produce about 600 ml of essential oil . The plant, before being placed inside the distiller, must be cleaned of insects and traces of other plants.
The basic distiller consists of two ampoules. In the first one starts boiling the water, this in turn is connected to another ampoule in which the lavender flowers are placed. The ampoule containing water will be put on the fire until boiling so that the steam produced can reach the flowers that will give off their essence .
This process takes place thanks to the encounter between water vapor and the essence of the flower and ends with the latter produced mixture which reaches a small container by means of a coil.
At this point, the essential oil is deposited on the surface as its density is lower than that of water .
In addition to the essential oil, there are other ways to use and enhance the properties of this plant to promote mind and body. Of all, lavender water .
How to distil lavender, lavender water
Preparing lavender water is a simpler procedure, but you should pay attention to the quantity of ingredients: you need to get 85 ml of distilled water, 28 ml of witch hazel or vodka (which will act as preservatives and help the lavender oil to blend together) with water) as well as lavender essential oil.
By shaking all these ingredients well, you will get a very useful mixture for domestic use: lavender water is in fact recommended on linen, clothes or on the pillow to treat insomnia thanks to its calming effects; in this way, you can also relieve stress symptoms and refresh the air .
The beneficial effects of lavender
Lavender is a plant of the Lavandula genus of the mint family . It is an aromatic herbaceous plant that produces flowers with the typical color between blue and lilac. Rich in beneficial properties, it can be used for beauty care as well as a natural remedy : this flower is in fact an excellent ally in case of skin burns and against nausea and intestinal pains.
The essential oil works very well as a relaxant, not for nothing is it used for during massages in order to relax the muscles . Still, lavender relieves headaches when it is caused by stress and tension, it is enough to rub one or two drops on the temples to get a first relief already.
Essential lavender essential oil has healing and regenerating properties . It can treat many skin infections due to its relaxing and soothing properties.
Furthermore, if used in boiling water for steam inhalation, we will bring significant benefits to the respiratory system. It is precisely for this reason that the essential oil of lavender is recommended for those suffering from asthma .
Finally, the dried flowers can be used for the preparation of oleolites, infusions and healing decoctions to be used for washing ulcers and wounds.
Among the multitude of species found there, 25 are native to the Mediterranean region and 30 from tropical Africa and south-eastern India .
However, lavender is usually grown in gardens and found naturally throughout the world. It is also grown for commercial purposes and its essential oil is extracted mainly for the use of perfumes .
