Why is it so difficult to find pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils?
Producing the purest of oils can be very costly because it may require several hundred pounds, or even several thousand pounds of plant material to extract one pound of pure essential oil. For example, one pound of pure melissa oil sells for $9,000-$15,000. Although this sounds quite expensive, one must realize that three tons of plant material are required to produce that single pound of oil. Because the vast majority of all oils produced in the world today are used by the perfume industry, the oils are being purchased for their aromatic qualities only. High pressure, high temperatures, rapid processing and the use of chemical solvents are often employed during the distillation process so that a greater quantity of oil can be prouced at a faster rate. These oils might smell just as good to the novice nose and cost much less, but will lack most, if not all, of the chemical constituents necessary to produce the expected therapeutic results. Time and Temperature Distillation can determin
