The plants listed below suggest that many common herbs & spices, aromatic woods, and fresh fragrant garden flowers can be distilled to produce essential oils, or used to extract flavored and aromatic waters (hydrosols). Additionally, there are thousands exotic botanicals with relatively unknown essential oils that can be distilled and experimented with by amateur perfumists, horticultural hobbyists and aromatherapists, or anyone with curiosity and desire to experiment and explore production of their own essential oils.
Plant material |
Genus, species |
parts used |
% yield |
allspice |
Pimenta dioica |
ground seeds |
4.5 |
angelica |
Angelica archangelica |
root |
0.3 - 1.0 |
angelica, American |
Angelica atropurpurea |
all parts |
? |
angelica |
" |
seed |
0.6 - 1.5 |
anise |
Pimpinella anisum |
seed |
1.5 - 4.0 |
arnica |
Arnica montana |
root |
1 |
arnica |
Arnica montana |
flowers |
1 |
basil, lemon |
Ocimum basilicum |
leaves & tops |
0.5 - 1 |
basil, sweet |
Ocimum basilicum |
leaves & tops |
0.5 - 1.5 |
bay leaf |
Laurus nobilis |
leaves |
3 |
bennet herb |
Geum urbanum |
roots |
0.5 |
cajeput oil |
Melaleuca lucadendra |
leaves & twigs |
? |
calamus root |
Acorus calamus |
roots |
1.5 |
camphor tree |
Cinnamomum camphora |
leaves & twigs |
2 |
cananga |
Cananga odorata macrophylla |
flowers |
2 |
caraway |
Carum carvi |
seeds |
3.2 - 7.4 |
cardamom |
Elettaria cardamomum |
seeds |
8 |
carrot |
Daucus carrota |
seed |
0.1 - 7.1 |
cascarilla |
Croton eluteria |
bark |
3 |
cassia bark |
Cinnamomum aromaticum |
quills |
1.5 |
cassie |
Acacia farnesiana |
flowers |
1.9 |
catnip |
Nepeta cataria |
leaves & tops |
0.5 |
cedar wood |
Juniperus virginiana |
wood chips |
4.5 |
celery seed |
Apium graveolens |
seed |
3 |
celery leaves |
" |
leaves |
0.1 |
celery root |
" |
root |
3 |
chamomile, German |
Matricaria chamomilla |
flowers |
0.3 - 1.0 |
chamomile, Roman |
Anthemis nobilis |
flowers |
0.3 - 1.0 |
cinnamon |
Cinnamomum zeylanicum |
quills |
0.1 |
clary sage |
Salvia sclaria |
leaves & tops |
? |
clove |
Syzygium aromaticum |
flower buds |
14 - 21 |
coffee |
Coffea species |
roasted "beans" |
0.12 |
corriander |
Coriandrum officinalis |
seed |
1 |
dill |
Anethum graveolens |
seed |
2.5 - 4.0 |
dill leaf |
Anethum graveolens |
young plants |
0.3 -1.5 |
eucalyptus |
Eucalyptus species |
all parts |
1.0 - 7.0 |
fennel |
Foeniculum vulgare |
seed |
4.0 - 6.0 |
fleabane (erigeron) |
Conyza canadensis |
leaves & tops |
1 |
frankencense |
Boswellia sacra |
resin |
? |
galangal |
Alpinia species |
roots |
? |
garlic |
Allium sativum |
root bulbs |
0.1 |
geranium |
Pelargonium species |
leaves |
0.3 - 2.0 |
ginger |
Zingiber officinale |
rhizome |
3 |
hops |
Humulus lupulus |
flowers |
1 |
hyssop |
Hyssopus officinalis |
leaves & tops |
1 |
iris (orris) |
Iris germanica |
aged dried roots |
0.2 |
juniper leaves |
Juniperus species |
needle leaves |
1 - 2.5 |
juniper berries |
Juniperus communis |
fruits |
1.5 |
lavender |
Lavendula angustifolia |
flower tops |
0.5 - 1.0 |
lemon peel |
Citrus limon |
fruit rind |
2 |
lemon balm |
Melissa officinalis |
leaves & tops |
0.015 |
lemongrass |
Cymbopogon flexuosus |
leaves |
1 |
lemon verbena |
Aloysia triphylla |
leaves & tops |
1.5 |
lime |
Citrus aurantifolia |
fruit rind |
? |
lovage |
Levisticum officinale |
root |
0.5 -1 |
mace |
Myristica fragrans |
arils |
17 - 25 |
marjoram, sweet |
Origanum majorana |
leaves |
0.9 |
mignonette |
Reseda odorata |
flowers |
0.002 |
monarda |
Monarda species |
leaves & tops |
0.6 - 1.2 |
mustard, black |
Brassica nigra |
seeds |
1.5 |
nutmeg |
Myristica fragrans |
seed |
15 - 25 |
orange peel |
Citrus species |
fruit rind |
1.5 - 2.0 |
orange flowers |
" |
blossoms |
0.1 |
oranges, unripe |
" |
young fruits |
3.0 - 5.0 |
oregano-wild marjoram |
Origanum vulgare |
leaves & stems |
1.2 |
parsley |
Petroselenium crispum |
seeds |
6 |
parsley |
" |
leaves |
0.5 |
patchouli |
Pogostemon cablin |
leaves |
2.0 - 4.0 |
pennyroyal |
Mentha pulegium |
leaves |
1.5 |
pepper, cubeb |
Piper cubeba |
seeds |
2 |
pepper, black |
Piper nigrum |
seeds |
2.5 |
pepper, white |
" |
powdered seeds |
1.5 |
peppermint |
Mentha x piperita |
leaves & tops |
1.0 -2.5 |
perilla |
Perilla frutescens |
leaves |
? |
petigrain |
Citrus aurantium |
young shoots |
0.5 |
pine needles |
Pinus species |
leaves |
0.5 - 3.0 |
pine sap |
" |
resin |
15 - 35 |
poplar |
Populus species |
spring buds |
0.5 |
rose |
Rosa species |
flowers |
0.006 |
rosemary |
Rosmarinus officinalis |
leaves |
2 |
sage |
Salvia officinalis |
leaves |
2.5 |
sandalwood, white |
Santalum album |
root wood |
4.5 |
sassafras |
Sassafras albidum |
root bark |
4 |
savory, summer |
Satureja hortensis |
leaves & stems |
0.1 |
spearmint |
Mentha spicata |
leaves & tops |
2 |
spicebush |
Lindera benzoin |
leaves & stems |
? |
star anise |
Illicium verum |
seeds & pods |
3 |
styrax |
Liquidambar species |
gum resin |
? |
sweet cicely, American |
Osmorhiza species |
all parts |
? |
tangerine peel |
Citrus nobilis |
fruit rind |
0.5 |
tansy |
Tanacetum vulgare |
leaves & tops |
0.7 |
tarragon |
Artemisia dracunculus |
leaves & tops |
0.08 - 1.5 |
tea tree |
Melaleuca alternifolia |
leaves |
? |
thyme |
Thymus vulgaris |
leaves & stems |
2.5 |
tumeric |
Curcuma longa |
root powder |
5 |
valerian |
Valeriana officinalis |
root |
1 |
vanilla "beans" |
Vanilla fragrans |
pods |
0.5 - 3.0 |
vervain |
Verbena officinalis |
leaves & tops |
0.2 |
vetiver |
Vetiveria zizanioides |
root |
0.9 |
Virginia snakeroot |
Aristolochia serpentaria |
root |
1.2 |
wild ginger |
Asarum canadense |
root |
? |
wintergreen |
Gaultheria procumbens |
leaves |
0.6 |
wormseed |
Chenopodium ambrosioides |
leaves & tops |
? |
wormwood |
Artemisia absinthium |
leaves & tops |
0.5 - 2.0 |
yarrow |
Achillea millefolium |
leaves & tops |
0.15 |
ylang ylang |
Cananga odorata genuina |
flowers |
2 |
zedary |
Curcurma zedoaria |
roots |
1.5 |