Essential oils have actually been around a long time. We know they at least go back to Biblical times. These natural oils were used for everything from skincare, medicines, to simply helping with massage and relaxation. Like spices and herbs, pure essential oils were once used as a currency from one trade port to another in ancient times. As you can now see, the uses of oil varied almost as much as the oils themselves. According Wikipedia, the earliest recorded use of essential oils was by Ibn al-Baitar in Spain. al-Baitar was a physical, pharmacist and chemist in his time. They continued to be popular in the middle ages and throughout the renaissance period. While essential oils aren’t new, the process of making them has evolved over time.
As I mentioned earlier, essential oils are derived from raw plant materials. In ancient times, they had one way of getting those plants converted into oils. They did that by taking the roots, the seeds, the leaves and crushing them. Can you imagine how long a process that must have been? Even with technology of today, it takes a lot of time and plant material to extract even a little bit of oil. Typically though, there are 2 main ways this process happens.