Is there an easy process to extract oils from flowers (like roses)? How?
by 
Winterfawn Porter
ANSWERS: 1
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While there are several ways to extract oil from flowers, distillation is by far the easiest. Distillation is basically creating steam, which picks up the essential oil of the flower. When the steam is cooled, you can catch the oil. "You can make rose water and extracts (or any other herb) at home. Take a large pot, insert a clean brick or rock, fill with rose petals or herbs or whatever around the brick. Cover with water and place a small glass dish on top of the brick. On top of the pot put a stainless bowl and fill with ice. Simmer about three hours depending how many petals or herbs you have, replacing the ice as needed. The bowl with the ice will condense the steam and drip down into the glass bowl. The water in the glass bowl is your rose water or whatever herb, on top will be a layer of oil. This is the essential oil. You can separate these and use the water in cooking and the essential oil in potpourri, lotions, soaps or whatever." [http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blherb1.htm] There's a longer article with excellent information here: http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/faqs/medi-4-1-distilling.html
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