Essential oils are next to impossible to produce in a home environment as huge quantities of fresh plant matter are often needed to even produce a tiny amount of essential oil. However, for highly aromatic plants, you can get a bit of oil out of them.
Ingredients:
Large amount of fresh aromatic flowers or leaves, an air-tight canning jar, funnel, Benzoin tincture, screen, and a few sunny days.
Pull all stems off flowers or leaves and pack very tightly into the jar. Cap and place in the sun. The water and oils in the plants will evaporate over several days with the water condensing at the top, and the oils dripping down. Once the liquid stops dripping, open the jar and pull out the top layer of flowers or leaves. Squeeze out the bottom layer and bottle the oil and add a small amount of tincture of Benzoin to preserve it.
Magickal Use:
Essential oils are used when summoning or speaking to that plant's diva spirit.
They are often used in baths for purification or used out of the bath for purification and consecration of people, places and things.
Essential oils are also used in achieving altered states or for scenting the room instead of incenses.
Essential oils are sometimes used in the making of incenses.
Storage:
Store in an airtight container in a dark, cool, dry place. They can last between 3-12 months depending on the plant it came from and your care of the oil. Keep their jars closed whenever you aren't using them, otherwise they can quickly lose their potency.
NOTE: Due to their super-concentrated nature, essential oils can be potentially toxic, even in minute doses. Do not ingest.
Ingredients:
Glass jar with air-tight lid, almond, grape-seed, olive or other quality oil to use as a carrier and your Essential oil.
MAKE SURE that the jar AND lid are CLEAN and DRY.. Any moisture can cause the oil to mold or spoil.
This type of oil is actually very simple to make. Simply take your oil (called the "base" or "carrier") and add essential oil of your choosing. The general rule of thumb is 10-15 drops of essential oil per 8 oz. carrier. Mix and cover tightly. Vitamin E can also be added. You're done!
Magickal Use:
The uses magickally are generally the same as above, with the addition of using aromatherapy oils to replace incense, or in baths for cleansing or consecration. They can also be used for the cleansing and consecration of other people, objects or places.
Storage:
Store in a cool, dry, dark place, preferably in an air-tight glass container. Oils generally keep 6 months to 1 year. If it is an oil with a lot of protein (like comfrey oil) it will go bad more quickly. Try to keep the container closed whenever it isn't in use. Essential oils can quickly disperse, losing their scent and also medicinal properties.
Do not ingest aromatherapy oil, however, as essential oils, because they are highly concentrated, can be potentially toxic if ingested, even in minute doses.
Ingredients:
Glass jar with air-tight lid, casserole dish with cover (oven method), almond, grape seed, olive or other quality oil, and herbs. Fresh herbs are best, though dried can be used as well. When using fresh herbs, fill the container. Dried, use 1/3 to 1/2 the amount of fresh.
MAKE SURE that the jar AND lid are CLEAN and DRY.. If using fresh herbs, make sure that they are free of excess moisture as well! DO NOT wash the herbs, even if they seem a little 'dusty'. Any moisture can cause the oil to mold or spoil.
This is best done outside as it's a messy project, though fun!
Break up and bruise the herbs in your hands and place them into the jar. Pour oil over the plants to cover them and -gently- (so you don't spill the oil) tap the jar to see if you can get any of the air bubbles the plants may have trapped to go to the surface of the oil. Fill the rest of the jar with oil until it is above the rim. It's ok if you spill a bit, but make sure that the oil is -over- the rim. Carefully place the lid onto the jar and tighten it. Wipe the jar clean with a dry cloth, if you want to. Place the jar in a warm, sunny location.
The DAY AFTER you put the oil in the jar, tap the jar gently to see if you can bring up any more bubbles. Reopen the jar carefully and add more oil if need be. Fill the jar above the rim again, place the lid on tightly, then shake the jar.
For the next six weeks, keep the jar in a warm, sunny location and shake it daily. If you notice any air bubbles, open it up and add more oil as per instructions above. REMEMBER to keep the inside of the jar DRY!
After the six weeks are up, open the jar (it may be difficult) and strain as much of the plant matter out as you can. (This is another very messy part, but your hands will love you!). Put it into an air-tight glass container.
Method 2 is great when you need oil ASAP and don't have any on-hand. It's also good for plants that are high in protein and tend to rot while you're trying to make oil with them. Place herbs in a clean, dry casserole dish and cover completely with oil. Place the lid on and cook at lowest setting for about 3-6 hours. Be careful not to burn the oil. Remove from oven and let cool. Strain and pour into clean, dry, air-tight glass container.
Essential oils and/or vitamin E can be added once the oil has been strained.
Magickal Use:
Infused oils can have the same uses as Aromatherapy Oils though they generally tend to have more of a healing vibration to them. They also tend to have a stronger diva (head plant spirit) connection.
Storage:
Store in a cool, dry, dark place, preferably in an air-tight glass container. Oils generally keep 6 months to 1 year. If it is an oil with a lot of protein (like comfrey oil) it will go bad more quickly.
NOTE: Comfrey and other plants high in protein have a tendency to rot easily and can very easily foil your attempts to make an oil with them. These oils, even providing that you manage to make them without difficulty, tend to have a shorter shelf-life than other oils.
Mother essences are a combination of vibrational energy and homeopathic medicine and are a water-based preparation.
Ingredients:
Garden or field in bloom, bowl, scissors, dry day, clean water, three bottles 1oz or more and a small amount of high quality, high proof alcohol (100 proof vodka will do).
Do in the morning, if possible, between 10am and 1pm.
If you have a specific plant in mind, go out to the plant and ask its permission, otherwise go out into the field or garden and wander until you feel drawn to one. Ask its permission to harvest for a mother essence. If you get a positive response, sit down and meditate in front of it for a bit. When you feel both it and you are ready, look at the flowers cut off the one you feel drawn to. One flower is usually the right amount to take, though sometimes you'll feel drawn to take more flowers, or more of the plant.
Remember to thank it and leave something in return!
Place the bowl filled with water at the base of the plant and place the flower in it, then go do something else for 2 hours or so.
When you return, take the flower out of the bowl, thank the plant again, then pour the water into a clean bottle and add a small amount of alcohol to preserve it.
This is the Mother Essence. Label it. Mother essences are never used as-is, they are always diluted into stock essences, which are then further diluted into dosage essences, which are then taken a few drops at a time. Some people receive specific guidance from the plant when meditating as to how to prepare the stock and dosage essences, otherwise, follow this general rule-of-thumb:
Fill the second bottle with pure water. Label it as stock essence. For every 1oz of water in the stock essence bottle, add three drops of Mother Essence. Cap then shake to mix.
Fill the third bottle with pure water and label it as dosage essence. For every 1oz of water in the dosage essence bottle, add three drops of stock essence. Cap, then shake to mix.
Magickal Use:
Magickal uses vary from plant to plant. Those who deal with the spiritual side of herbalism know that one plant will tell someone one thing, then tell the next person something different, depending on what they feel that person needs to know. So, if you're going out with a specific purpose in mind for making a magickal mother essence, talk with several plants and see what you can find out. Uses vary wildly, depending on the instructions the plant gives, so make sure to write them down when you make it, and keep them with the mother essence bottle.
Storage:
Keep in a dark, dry, cool place, in an air-tight container for up to 1 year.
A wash is usually a water-based preparation.
Ingredients:
An infusions or decoctions and a non-plastic bowl.
Heat, leave at room temperature, or chill as needed, then pour into bowl.
Magickal Use:
Magickally, washes are used for ritual purification, of "washing away" problems, negativity, illness, etc. They can also be used for consecration of people, places and things.
Storage:
Keep in a dark, dry, cool place (refrigerate), in an air-tight container for up to a week before use. After use, discard immediately.
An infusion is 1 pint of boiling water poured over 1 oz. herbs and steeped, covered for 2-8 hours. Strain.
Storage:
Keep in a dark, dry, cool place (refrigerate), in an air-tight container for up to a week.
A decoction is the strongest of the water-based preparations. It is similar to a tea or infusion, but is much more concentrated.
Most herbalists make a decoction when using roots and barks, while leafy and flowery parts of plants are usually made into infusions.
Ingredients:
Glass jar with lid, or stainless steel pot with lid, herbs, water and strainer.
There are at least two methods of preparing decoctions, either way, they are very concentrated.
Boil 1 quart of water, pour over 2 oz of herbs, steep 2-8 hours, covered. Strain, cover and boil infusion down to 1 pint.
or
Boil 2 oz herbs and 1 quart (2 pints) water, covered, until there is only 1 pint water left. Strain.
Storage:
Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Essences aren't the same as essential oils or mother essences.
Essences are any preparation that involve dissolving the essential oils of a plant into water, oil, glycerin or alcohol. teas, infusions, decoctions, tinctures, and oils are all examples of essences.
Essences can be made by using fresh or dried, whole, crushed or powdered herb and/or essential oils and steeping it in a liquid, then straining it.
