How to Distill Lilac

Lilacs are a group of about 30 flowering plants in the Syringa genus, especially Syringa vulgaris. They are members of the olive family and native to temperate Asia and Eastern Europe. Lilacs have a strong fragrance that makes it useful for flower water and perfumes. The essential oil also is commonly used in aromatherapy and home remedies. The following steps will show how to distill lilac.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Pick the lilacs. Avoid areas that may have been sprayed with pesticides or car exhaust like along the side of a road. The flowers must be processed as soon as they are picked because the essential oil is continually evaporating. It will take many flowers to distill a tiny amount of oil.
2. Fill an enameled teapot with the clean, fragrant petals and cover them with distilled water. Place the lid on the teapot.
3. Attach one end of a length of rubber tubing to the spout of the teapot and drape the length in a bowl of ice water. Place the other end so that it empties into an empty bowl.
4. Heat the teapot to a slow simmer. As the steam passes through the ice bath, it will condense and drip into the empty bowl. Allow this product to stand until the essential lilac oil rises to the surface of the water.
5. Collect the oil with a clean cotton ball and squeeze it into a bottle. The water left in the bowl is lilac flower water.