Hydrosols

New Era Flower Waters

Hydrosols- Establishing Shelf Life and Stability

 

Hydrosols- Establishing Shelf Life and Stability

The pH

Generally hydrosols with a pH of 5.0 or less last longer than hydrosols with a pH over 5.0. As a very broad rule of thumb, I rate those under 5.0 pH at two years and over 5.0 pH at twelve to eighteen months. There are some exceptions, of course. I rate bay laurel (Laurus nobilis) at eight to ten months only. Although it is 4.9 to 5.0 pH, bay is quite unstable and will easily go off, even when kept sealed and under refrigeration.


I would like to get my hands on some bay with a 3.9 pH as listed by Franchomme and Penoel, to see if it lasts any longer. Perhaps it is the nature of the plant material, perhaps it is the distillation, but it is fragile. It is also very difficult to get a good one. I have had bay from four different sources and two were downright awful: musty, tasting more like branch or weed, no spice, no complexity, no relation to the plant I so love.


The other two were both good , but only one of them were excellent, I always try to buy laurel from this distiller now, and this is the one that has achieved the brilliant and remarkable results in dealinfg with swollen lymph nodes.This hydrosol is very close to the oil in smell and tastes just like the fresh leaf picked from the tree. I used to have an ancient bay growing near my house in England , and we would wander up the hill whenever supplies were low and pick what we needed for the kitchen.

The tree was magical, full of faeries I'm sureand although I already had a strong love for the herb in cooking, I developed a special resonance and love for this tree and its gifts of flavor and smell. If you are lucky enough to live in a climate that allows you to grow bay trees, do it! You will never regret it,and although they grow slowly, they live longer-much longer than you will.


Another fragile hydrosol is juniper berry. Again this is odd, because juniper's pH is usually 3.3 to 3.6, so one would assume that the shelf life should be long, but that's not always the case. Juniper berry water tends to grow gray, frog's-eggs-like spiraling mold if you let it bloom; this bloom is very distinctively different from any of the blooms in other hydrosols. It always fascinates me to see what form a bloom will take, but the grayness and spiral of the juniper is most unique.

Somehow I feel it is energetically quite different, taking the form of a spiral. Spirals are a powerful geometry and exists in many forms in nature, from how leaves appear on branches to the convolutions of seashells to water turbulence. Bearing in mind the vibrational properties of juniper, it is perhaps not surprising that the bloom assumes the DNA-like spiral, and I don't mind terribly if I miss the cues in pH change and lose some juniper to bloom; it's intriguing.


My two suppliers of juniper hydrosols both sell essential oils of juniper branch with berry and pure juniper and pure juniper berry but offer hydrosols only of the berry, so I assume that they are telling the truth and that there are no branch or green material in the distillation that produces the hydrosol.

The chemistry of the branch oil differs greatly from that of the berry oil, as does the cost. The berry oil is much lower in monoterpenes and in therapeutic applications would be a better choice if you had concerns about kidney health; however, the berry oil costs about twice what the branch or branch-and berry oil costs, so ost people don't use it.

The fragrance of the pure berry oil is more rarefied, as well, and is my personal preference. I have never seen a hydrosol offered of the branch or branch -and-berry distillation; I don't know why except to assume that the extremely high terpene constituents of the oil, which are non-water-soluble, make this hydrolate rather uninteresting from a therapeutic viewpoint. Whatever the reason may be, this is one of the "fragile" hydrosols, and I normally give it only twelve-months shelf life.

Reference: Hydrosols: The Next Aromatherapy: Suzanne Catty

Boswellia carterii/FRANKINCENSE

Boswellia carterii/FRANKINCENSE

pH 4.7- 4.9

Aroma and Taste
Extraordinary. The scent is sweeter than the oil but unmistakably frankincense. Slightly resinous, like the conifers can be, the odour is also a little warmer than the steam distilled oil, reminding me more of the CO2 extract.

The taste is quite bitter when undiluted but not unappealing. Diluted, it is divine and loses all bitterness, becoming soft, warm, and very dry.

Stability and Shelf Life
Unknown. Estimated at eighteen months.

Properties and Applications
Experimental. The first effect is of energetic expansion. Taking a drop or two undiluted gives the distinct sensation the the "energy body" is expanding outwards, rapidly, from the solar plexus.Try it before meditation, in ritual work, with crystals, or any form of energy healing.

The oil is known to deepen and expand breathing and open airways, and the hydrosol seems to retain that property and can dry up excess mucus in the lungs and help expel phlegm.

In "aromapuncture" treatments, one drop of frankincense on the lung points elicited a deep breathing that manifested an altered state almost on contact. Quite astounding and woth further exploration.

Internally frankincense is diuretic and very drying, and it should be explored for use in conditions where pus or discharge is present. It may be particularly beneficial in mout or gum infections as a gargle, perhaps combined with immortelle, as well as for infections of the reproductive and urinary systems, in combination with sandalwood or Cistus.



Topically frankincense is fantastic on the skin. Mist over the face and leave it to air dry and your skin will have a noticeably finer texture almost immediately.

Of great value where summer heat is combined with high humidity.

Frankincense can be used in face masks for an instant lift or combined with rock rose and others for daily wrinkle treatments.

Reference: Hydrosols: Suzanne Catty

Asarum canadense/ Wild Ginger/Canadian Ginger

Asarum canadense/ Wild Ginger/Canadian Ginger

pH 5.4

Aroma and Taste
The fragrance is incredibly mild, almost faint; there is no hotness to it, rather a sweet, not quite spicy note, with only the barest resemblance to real ginger. The taste is even milder , so mild I often double the dose if I drink it just for flavour, and the flavour is just gorgeous.

It is delicate, gentle, and closer to a flower than a root, neutral or perhaps on the cooling side instead of heating like the oil.

Stability and Shelf Life

Despite its pH, this hydrosol seems to have a long shelf life, eighteen months or more. I have one batch at two and one-half years that is still totally stable. 

Properties and Applications

Native Americans drank a tea of wild ginger for treating arrhythmia and heart pain. The cardiotonic properties of wild ginger are mentioned in several herbals, and I have found the hydrosol useful in calming and balancing people prone to anxiety attacks, type A personality, and illness-related to stress states.

The powdered root boiled into a tea was used as an antimicrobial by several First Nation tribes, and based on this I have also tried the hydrosol on respiratory infections with some success, taking one tablespoon undiluted every hour for as long as necessary in cases of bronchitis and severe chest colds.

One woman claimed it cleared up her chest in three days with no other remedies. 

Wild ginger also has traditional uses as a digestive and carminative, reducing gas and abdominal bloating, especially when caused by stress. Its effects on the nerves has also led to its use for neuralgia, sciatica, and headaches, including migraines.

It was used by the Pomo Indian women in California to balance the menstrual cycle and so may effect the endocrine as well as nervous systems.

Chinese medicine uses wild ginger to open the meridians and improve the movement of chi, and it can be used in vibrational healing for balancing energy, with good results.

I have consumed as much as three hundred milliliters of this hydrosol in one day and felt quite fantastic afterwards.

Highly energetic, this tiny plant with its barely belowground creeping rhizome, has been overharvested to extinction in may places. it is important, therefore, to buy only from sources that you are sure do not upset the balance of nature by unscrupulous wild-crafting. 

Reference; Hydrosols; The Next Aromatherapy: Suzanne Catty

Artemesia vulgaris / Artemesia

Artemesia vulgaris / Artemesia

PH 3.8-4.0

Aroma and Taste
The French variety of artemesia is quite different from the variety grown and distilled in North America. It is much softer in smell, decidedly herbal, but not too green. The taste is herbaceous, bitter, and astringent, very drying in the mouth when taken undiluted. In dilution, the flavour softens significantly and has a more warming feel.

Stability and Shelf Life
Moderately stable; lasts around eighteen months.

Properties and Applications
This is one of the hydrosols used by Nelly Grosjean, in conjunction with her frictions, for both the digestive and circulatory systems.

A circulatory system stimulant, artemisia seems to affect the capillaries and improves peripheral circulation. Artemesia can be used as part of a cleansing program to clean the blood, detoxify the liver, and improve overall digestion, especially in the spring or at the change of seasons.

 

t greatly aids anti-parasite treatments of all kinds, especially when combined with Roman Chamomile hydrosol and oregano, cinnamon bark, clove, and tarragon essential oils, which can be made into capsules with some bentonite clay.

Its bitter and astringent qualities make it beneficial to the renal system. Try an Aromatic Tincture of dandelion and artemesia hydrosol. 

I have found artemesia useful for respiratory complaints, particularly those of an allergic nature. it exhibits antihistamine, antitussive, anti-inflammatory, and mild expectorant effects, although I do recommend a patch test or internal test before using it on people with multiple sensitivities and asthma.

Internally, it is restorative for the reproductive system and can help rebalance the menstrual cycle when discontinuing oral contraceptives. 


Topically, it can be of benefit in a compress or bath for stiff, sore, or aching muscle caused by overexertion, especially when combined with black spruce and/ or Scotch pine.
Very energetic, it is useful in rituals, vibrational healing, and working with the elemental and spirit world.

Note: There are many varieties of artemesia and some are best avoided. Ensure the correct botanical name of the hydrosol you purchase. See also another Artemesia under tarragon (A. dracunculus).

Reference; Hydrosols; The Next Aromatherapy: Suzanne Catty 

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