Oil Prep Metaphors For Your health

I want to explain oil prep as a metaphor, in continuing our look at procedures for obtaining essential oils (nature’s living energy). See links to other articles below.  Distillation, Pressing and Solvent Extraction are the primary oil preparation methods. They are metaphors for how you take care of your health and maintain above-the-line health.

Distill Yourself!

You are an embodiment of organic energy so the processes for attaining or bringing out your best or True Self may be similar. When pounds of organic matter are distilled, for example, the intent is to separate the “wheat from the chaff” so to speak.

Water is heated to the temperature necessary for its steam to gently separate the essence from the roughage. This enhances the oil’s retention of healthy compounds, because it avoids “killing” the energy of the plant.

In the same way, imagine working up a sweat and boosting circulation through exercise, dance, sauna, sweat lodge, swimming, or sex.

When we engage the body physically, the friction and movement separates the nutrients, blood and lymph flow from the dross. The roughage, excess, and unneeded matter is released. What’s left is our purified self.

Warm fluids are detoxifying and help to balance the solidity of the body. Drinking warm and cleansing lemon water, first and last thing daily, is mentioned several times on this site.

Twist and Stretch Yourself

Yoga, on the other hand, firmly presses  (and twists) the whole structure of the body. The press-and-hold massage is like enfleurage. This old technique of pressing flower petals to yield their essence would often last for hours.

If you do yoga intensely over time, you will increase strength and endurance, as this video demonstrates (photo at top is from it).

Your resulting flexibility can be visualized as a time-lapse photograph of a bud, slowly coming into full flower. Its full beauty is shown when all the petals and aerial parts are stretched to their maximum. Petal colors are their brightest. That this occurs in daylight for most flowers supports this analogy.

Some people need much more sun than others in order to drink in nutrients such as vitamin D. Yoga is best outdoors because the benefits are magnified. In contrast, most of us press ourselves to the limits, without the intense patience that yoga provides. See Do I Move You for more guidance ( above photo is courtesy that site).

It is a noteworthy mercy that the pressing, twisting, stretching flexibility of the human body lasts much longer than a blooming flower. However, new life in the form of essential oils is created from the cold pressed flowers (and citrus rinds). So we do get to enjoy another form of nature’s bounty.

Extract Your Best Self!

The third method of producing essential oils discussed earlier, solvent extraction, is where technology meets biology. This NAHA* article explains why the process is safe and can lead to better retention of therapeutic (and perfume) compounds in oils. Solvents coax the oil away from the waxy residue of the flower petals (concrete matter). Jasmine and Neroli are obtained in this way.

Similarly, as part of personal care, you may take supplements that coax and detoxify your system. They leave you more energized and healthier. Good bacteria in the gut (probiotics) act somewhat like solvents. They collect unneeded remains of a meal and assist the body to expel them. Enzymes and minerals increase metabolism and this also helps the body to express itself with less blockages and pain.

Pay attention to the sources of supplements in your health food store. Don’t go for cheap — go for information from a knowledgeable sales associate. I look for mature team members when I want to ask questions, because they have been around for awhile. They usually have more in-depth knowledge about companies that make the supplements.

And how about extracting mercury**-filled cavities? Have you exchanged yours for non-mercury amalgams? Many have said that this has increased their health and well-being, due to removing the negative effects of mercury in the body.

Oil Prep Is Not To Be Taken Lightly

Using chemicals or a solvent to increase to enhance body performance often occurs in sports. Aggressive teams turn to lab-made steroids to boost the performance of athletes, but this “doping” for sports profitability is illegal. This is an extreme example.

Going overboard in oil production to optimize profitability does happen at the extraction stage. However, it  usually happens when lab-created compounds that mimic the essential oil makeup are added rather than extracted. Those who wish to cut corners in oil prep often resort to using inferior plant matter as the source of their oils. This is why the best companies use organic seeds as their starting point for the best aromatics.

Avoid succumbing to an oil’s cheap price, which draws your attention away from untruthful manufacturing. There is no good reason to trust marketers whom you do not know. They may have a lot of money to put their products in big-box stores, but their oil products’ safety is questionable.

Pure oil preparation for manufacturing is too important to ignore. Authentic oil products are proven to be health- and life-expanding. If you’d like help sorting through your essential oils or purchasing well-made oils that I’d recommend, go here.  You may also use the Search function to read many more articles about oils on this website. And you can call or text me at (201) 966-1170 anytime.

*National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy

According to the European Commission’s Impact Assessment: (2016)