How To Steam Distill Basil Essential Oil At Home

Aromatic plant: BASIL

Scientific name: Ocimum basilicum

Family name: Labiatae

Appearance: light yellow liquid

Essence: An herbaceous plant commonly found in Asia, Europe, the Pacific Islands, North Africa and other regions, with a height of no more than 50 cm. The leaves are oval and pointed, and the flowers are purple-white. The leaves and flowers can be distilled to obtain a transparent and colorless essential oil with a very fragrant aroma. Like a combination of cloves and pine needles.

Basil essential oil, also known as perilla essential oil, is extracted from a plant called basil. Basil essential oil is one of the representatives of spicy essential oils. Basil essential oil has warm and spicy qualities.

About Basil has always been regarded as a precious plant by the Greeks. In Christian rituals, kings apply holy oil to purify their souls and increase the spiritual energy of the emperor. Basil oil is one of the components of holy oil, so basil is regarded as the king of plants. The English name of basil also evolved from Greek words. The scientific name of basil: Ocumum basilicum comes from the Greek basilikos, which means royal. Basil is known as the king. Among different types of basil, sweet basil is favored by the aromatherapy community. Therefore, basil essential oil extracted from sweet basil is usually used in aromatherapy. It has a good menstrual effect and nourishes the soul. Excellent product.

Basil essential oil can be obtained by extracting basil flowers, leaves or the whole plant. The extraction method of basil essential oil is usually distillation. The color of basil essential oil is light yellow to yellow-green. The smell of basil essential oil is very fresh, with a sweet and spicy grassy aroma.

Detailed explanation of the principle

The steam distillation method uses the principle that the vapor pressure of two mutually incompatible mixtures (water and essential oils) is equal to the sum of the vapor pressures of each component, so that essential oils with higher boiling points can be distilled at temperatures below 100°C. The steam is evaporated together, and then the oil and water are separated to obtain the essential oil.

Knowledge points applied in the principle:

1. Vapor pressure

Vapor pressure is an inherent property of a liquid, which refers to the amount of liquid molecules in a liquid that evaporate into gaseous molecules under certain conditions.

⑴Vapor pressure increases as the temperature increases. On the contrary, as the temperature decreases, the vapor pressure also decreases.

⑵The vapor pressure of the two mixed liquids is equal to the sum of the vapor pressures of each component, that is, the mixed vapor is lower than the vapor pressure of any component.

2. Boiling point

When vapor pressure = external pressure, the liquid can reach the boiling point and thus boil, causing the liquid molecules in the liquid to continuously vaporize into gaseous molecules. For example, the boiling point of water under standard atmospheric pressure is 100°C.

Explanation of the principle: When plants containing aroma and water are put into the same container, as the temperature rises, more and more volatile components of water vapor and aromatic plants in the container become more and more, and the vapor pressure continues to rise. When the two When the mixed vapor pressure is equal to the external pressure, the water begins to boil. Although the vapor pressure of the water is less than the external atmospheric pressure, the water can still boil, and the temperature at this time is less than 100°C. As the water boils, the aroma components of the spice plants change. The water vapor is continuously evaporated, thereby continuously obtaining mixed steam of water and oil, and then through condensation and oil-water separation, the essential oil is obtained.

Distillation process

1. Prepare a small distiller.

2. Prepare basil flowers and leaves.

3. Drying the plants will reduce the amount of oil, but because you will be able to accommodate more raw materials in each batch, the output will be greatly increased.

4. Add water to the still jar. Use clean water, the softer the water is better. Distillation time is around 3-4 hours.

5. Add basil raw materials to the still, and then place it on the false bottom or grate, trying not to touch the wall of the still.

6. Close the still and continue to heat the water until the temperature at which the essential oil is released is about 100-212 degrees Celsius.

7. Pay attention to the distiller to ensure that the water is not burned out. Depending on the length of time, the water in the condenser may need to be replaced to ensure cooling.

8. Collect the essential oil by filtration. After the distillation is completed, you can use dry and clean gauze to filter it to prevent the essential oil from being contaminated during filtration.