Understanding Herbal Preparations and Extractions

If you saw my most recent post, I mentioned that “oil of” is not the same as essential oil. Essential oils are also not the same as tinctures or infused oils, and they should not be used interchangeably.”

I felt this would be the perfect opportunity to further explain the differences and enlighten you, whether you’re new to this information or simply brushing up on your knowledge.

So these terms describe different types of herbal preparations, and the method used to extract or prepare a plant determines what kind of product you end up with.

This is why an essential oil is not the same as an infused oil, and why neither should automatically be substituted for a tincture or another type of herbal preparation.

Essential oils aren't tinctures. Essential oils aren't infused oils. And “oil of” does not automatically mean essential oil.

Understanding the difference starts with understanding the terminology. So let’s dive in..

First, What Is an Herb?

An herb is simply plant material used for an herbal preparation. This could be the:

The plant can be fresh or dried.

When you see the word “herbal,” it means something is related to a plant. It doesn't tell you exactly how the plant was prepared.

Herbal Powder

An herbal powder is dried plant material that has been ground into a powder.

The plant itself is still there. It hasn't necessarily been extracted.

Think of it this way:

Dried herb → ground up → herbal powder

So remember:

Powder ≠ extract

An extract means certain plant compounds have been pulled out of the plant using a particular method.

Infusion

An infusion is basically an herbal tea.

You place plant material in water and allow it to steep. This is commonly used with softer parts of plants, such as leaves and flowers.

For example:

Chamomile flowers + hot water = chamomile infusion

The water pulls certain water-soluble compounds from the plant.

Decoction

A decoction is also made with water, but the plant material is usually simmered rather than simply steeped.

Decoctions are commonly used for tougher plant parts such as:

For example:

Ginger root + water + gentle simmering = ginger decoction

The biggest difference between an infusion and a decoction is how the plant is prepared and what part of the plant you're working with.

Tincture

A tincture is a liquid herbal extract traditionally made with alcohol, often mixed with water.

Basically, the herb is soaked in the liquid for a period of time. The liquid pulls certain compounds from the plant, and those compounds aka medicinal properties and benefits become part of the finished tincture.

The final tincture can vary depending on things like:

And this is important:

Tincture ≠ essential oil

Glycerite

A glycerite, or glycerin extract, is an herbal preparation made using glycerin as the main extraction liquid, usually with some water.

Glycerin is different from alcohol and oil, so it creates a different type of herbal extract.

Glycerites are sometimes used when someone wants an alcohol-free preparation.

Herbal Vinegar

Herbs can also be extracted into vinegar.

The vinegar can pull certain compounds from the plant and create an herbal vinegar.

Herbal vinegars are often used in cooking and traditional herbal preparations.

Again:

Herbal vinegar ≠ tincture ≠ essential oil

Each one is prepared differently.

Oxymel

An oxymel is a traditional preparation made with vinegar and honey, often combined with herbs.

The name comes from old Greek words connected with vinegar and honey.

There are many different recipes for oxymels, so the exact preparation can vary.

Infused Oil

An infused oil is made by placing plant material into a carrier or fixed oil and allowing certain oil-soluble compounds from the plant to move into the oil.

For example:

Calendula flowers + olive oil = calendula-infused oil

The finished product is mostly the carrier oil, along with compounds that were extracted from the calendula.

This is very important:

Infused oil ≠ essential oil

They may both come from the same plant, but they are made very differently.

Fixed Oil or Carrier Oil

A fixed oil is a nonvolatile plant oil, usually obtained through pressing or another method.

Examples include:

These oils are often called carrier oils when they're used to dilute or carry other ingredients, including essential oils.

Essential Oil

An essential oil is a very concentrated aromatic preparation containing volatile compounds from a plant. In simple terms, these are natural plant compounds that easily evaporate and often give a plant its strong aroma.

Essential oils are commonly made through methods such as:

Essential oils are chemically different from regular fixed oils and infused oils.

They are also highly concentrated, so they should not be treated like ordinary cooking oils or carrier oils.

And remember:

Essential oil ≠ infused oil

Hydrosol or Hydrolat

A hydrosol, sometimes called a hydrolat, is a fragrant plant water produced during the distillation process.

During distillation, steam moves through the plant material. When that steam cools and becomes liquid again, the resulting water contains small amounts of plant compounds and fragrance.

So, while hydrosols and essential oils can come from the same distillation process, they are not the same product.

Herbal Extract

The word “extract” is a broad term, which all of the preparations above are essentially working to do.

An extract is made by using some type of process or liquid to pull certain compounds out of plant material.

The extraction liquid might be:

Elixir

A elixir is a sweetened, flavored liquid or health tonic that uses a liquid base (like alcohol, vinegar, or glycerin) to pull out the healthy parts of plants and honey or sugar to make them taste good.

Syrup

An herbal syrup is an herbal preparation combined within a sweet liquid base like sugar.

The herbal ingredients might come from an infusion, decoction, extract, or another preparation.

So the syrup is the finished product, not necessarily how the herb was extracted.

Poultice

A poultice is prepared plant material that is applied externally to the body.

The plant material might be fresh, dried, powdered, or prepared in another way.

So a poultice is how the herb is being used, rather than a specific extraction method.

Compress

A compress involves soaking a cloth, preferably cotton or similar material in an herbal liquid and applying it externally.

The liquid could be an infusion, decoction, diluted extract, or another herbal preparation.

Again, compress describes how it's applied, not necessarily how the herb was extracted.

Salve

A salve is a semi-solid preparation usually made with oils and waxes. It may contain an infused oil, herbal extract, or other botanical ingredients.

For example:

Calendula-infused oil + beeswax = calendula salve

The word salve is the finished product, not the extraction method.

Balm

A balm is another type of topical preparation.

Balms commonly contain oils, waxes, and sometimes herbs or aromatic ingredients.

A balm might contain essential oils, infused oils, extracts, or a combination of ingredients.

So:

Balm ≠ essential oil

Cream

A cream is generally a mixture of water and oil.

An herbal cream might contain an infused oil, herbal extract, essential oil, or another botanical ingredient.

The word cream tells you what the finished product is like. It doesn't tell you how the herb was extracted.

Different Ways Herbs Are Extracted

Now that we've covered some of the terminology, let's look at the main ways plants can be prepared.

Water Extraction

Water can be used to make:

Water generally pulls out water-soluble compounds from the plant.

Alcohol Extraction

Alcohol, often combined with water, is commonly used for:

The amount of alcohol and water can affect which compounds are extracted.

Glycerin Extraction

Glycerin can be used to make:

This creates a preparation that is different from an alcohol-based tincture.

Oil Extraction

Oil can be used to make:

The finished product is a fixed or carrier oil containing certain oil-soluble compounds from the plant.

Steam Distillation

Steam distillation is commonly used to produce:

This process focuses mainly on the plant's volatile aromatic compounds.

Hydrodistillation

Hydrodistillation is another distillation method used to produce essential oils and aromatic waters.

Expression

Expression, or mechanical pressing, is especially important for certain citrus oils.

Instead of primarily using steam, the oil is physically released from the plant material.

CO₂ Extraction

CO₂ can also be used to make specialized botanical extracts.

These products can have a different chemical profile from an essential oil made through steam distillation.

A Simple Way to Compare Them

Preparation	How It's Made	What You Get
Powder	Plant is ground	Ground plant material
Infusion	Plant + water	Water-based preparation
Decoction	Plant + water + heat	Water-based preparation, often for tougher plant parts
Tincture	Plant + alcohol/water	Liquid herbal extract
Glycerite	Plant + glycerin	Glycerin-based extract
Herbal vinegar	Plant + vinegar	Vinegar-based herbal preparation
Infused oil	Plant + carrier oil	Oil containing certain plant compounds
Essential oil	Distillation or expression	Concentrated aromatic preparation
Hydrosol	Distillation	Aromatic plant water
Dry extract	Extraction + removal of liquid	Concentrated solid or powder
Fluid extract	Concentrated extraction	Concentrated liquid preparation
Salve	Oils/waxes + herbal ingredients	Semi-solid topical product
Cream	Water + oil/emulsion	Topical cream
Lotion	Liquid/semi-liquid formulation	Topical product
Syrup	Herbal preparation + liquid base	Sweet liquid preparation
Poultice	Prepared plant material	External application
Compress	Herbal liquid + cloth	External application

 

Why Does All This Matter?

One of the biggest sources of confusion in herbalism is thinking that because two products come from the same plant, they're automatically the same thing.

They're not.

Let's use calendula as an example.

You could have:

They're all made with calendula, but they're different preparations.

The same thing applies to lavender. You could have dried lavender, lavender tea, lavender tincture, lavender-infused oil, lavender essential oil, lavender hydrosol, or lavender extract.

Same plant.

Different preparation.

Don't Automatically Substitute One Preparation for Another

Different herbal preparations can have different:

That means swapping one preparation for another can completely change a recipe, formula, or intended use.

If a recipe calls for an essential oil, an infused oil is not automatically an equal replacement.

If it calls for an infused oil, an essential oil is not automatically an equal replacement.

If it calls for a tincture, neither an essential oil nor an infused oil is automatically the same thing.

The 3 Questions I Always Recommend Asking

Whenever you're buying, making, or using an herbal preparation, ask yourself these three questions:

1. What plant is it?

Make sure you know which plant you're working with.

2. What part of the plant was used?

Was it the:

Different parts of the same plant can contain different compounds.

3. How was it prepared?

Was it:

These questions can tell you much more than the product name on the front of the bottle.

The Bottom Line

Herbal preparations aren't automatically interchangeable just because they come from the same plant.

The plant matters.

The part of the plant matters.

The preparation method matters.

The final product matters.

The more familiar we become with herbal terminology, the easier it is to understand what we're actually buying, making, and using.

Once you understand that distinction, herbal terminology starts to make a whole lot more sense.