ACHS President Dorene Petersen led a rosemary distillation on the American College campus Wednesday, June 17. From the ACHS Botanical Teaching Garden, Dorene and ACHS student participants harvested about 10 lbs. of fresh rosemary.

The distillation was a terrific success and led to a great yield. From the 10 lbs. of rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis, which was stripped from its woody stems to ensure the highest quantity of anti-inflammatory ester borneol acetate, nearly 45 mls of essential oil was extracted, and nearly 1,000 mls of hydrosol.

As a thank you to the attendees who volunteered their time to help with the harvest and distillation, everyone took home a vial of rosemary essential oil and some hydrosol.

Hydrosols, also known as flower water, are steam distilled from plant material. Hydrosol is similar to essential oil, but less concentrated. They are often used externally in skin care, and work well as a simple mist.

For more information about harvesting rosemary for distillation, check out ACHS on YouTube. A video of President Dorene Petersen explaining the process of harvesting and distillation of essential oil will be available for download on ACHStv soon.

To participate in a future ACHS distillation, check out the College community wellness classes calendar. On July 17 ACHS is hosting a U-Pick Lavender Open House on the ACHS campus. Then, on July 18, ACHS Senior Vice President Erika Yigzaw will lead a lavender distillation at Sherwood Lavender Farms.