In the Lab: Using a Simple Still for Home Extraction of Essential Oils
By Dennis Klocek 1 min read
Join Dennis, an experienced gardener with 50 years of expertise, as he walks you through the detailed process of distilling essential oils from medicinal plants, specifically lemon balm.
Learn how to use an old pressure cooker as a functional still, the importance of proper herb preparation, and the step-by-step distillation process using various laboratory glassware such as a Vigreux fractionating column and a Clevenger apparatus. Discover valuable tips to optimize your extraction and produce high-quality essential oils.
- 00:00 Introduction to Dennis and His Gardening Journey
- 00:34 Harvesting and Preparing Lemon Balm
- 01:49 Setting Up the Distillation Process
- 06:15 Using the Vigreux Fractionating Column
- 08:25 The Clevenger and Oil Extraction
- 11:00 Efficient Water Recycling System
- 12:33 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
(See In the Lab: Creating a Simple Still for Home Distillation/Extraction of Essential Oils for details on creating your own pressure cooker distilling device.)
Dennis Klocek
Dennis Klocek, MFA, is co-founder of the Coros Institute, an internationally renowned lecturer, and teacher. He is the author of nine books, including the newly released Colors of the Soul; Esoteric Physiology and also Sacred Agriculture: The Alchemy of Biodynamics. He regularly shares his alchemical, spiritual, and scientific insights at soilsoulandspirit.com.
Similar Writings
The Principles and Process of Gem Sprays for Medicinal Plants
Recent research on the relationship between climate change and plant growth has revealed an unusual paradox. It seems that the more CO2 a plant has available in the atmosphere the larger it grows. However this growth is accompanied by a ubiquitous 8% reduction in potassium, calcium, iron, zinc, and plant protein in the cells of…
The Alchemy of Plant Hormones & Plant Spray Applications
Using the alchemical language of sulf, sal, mercury, Dennis describes how certain minerals and hormones that govern plant growth can be seen as growth patterns of deposition and dissolution.
Understanding of these patterns can be used to select what elements to include in a plant spray.