What is the difference between a herbal extract and an essential oil?
Herbs can be in several forms including fresh juices, dried powders, infusions, concentrates and other types of extract. Most of these retain the broad spectrum of ingredients found in the original plant material and consequently have the same or similar therapeutic properties. Essential oils are made by extracting the volatile fractions of plant through the process of distillation. They are very highly concentrated and generally reproduce the odour and taste of the starting material. They also have strong antiseptic and antibacterial properties and can help to preserve other ingredients from deterioration.
