The essence of one thing is its basic or true nature. It also refers to a fragrance. Or the concentrated form of something, especially a plant, obtained by distillation.

Among the magicians, the word essence appears in many different contexts.

Espagyric elixires are also usually called essences. They combine the tincture of a plant with a distillate and the salts extracted from the ashes of the same plant. Through spagyric methods, all fat -soluble and hydrosoluble components are mixed with plant minerals to create a perfect remedy that captures the pure essence of the plant. essence of the grass without the strange material.

Many of the older chefs today refer to what is now marketed as extracts As essences. (Such as vanilla extract, orange, almond, mint, etc.) are basically tinctures and, usually, it is made with half a liter of good and strong alcohol by half a liter of vanilla pods, orange/lemon peels, etc. (Only the peel, the colored part, not the white one), dry leaves, etc. It covers and let stand in the dark for a season, then sneak and save in a cool and dark place.

Fuentedefinition FilosoFíusiacuraleza or fundamentTable 1: Essence definitions

They are used to flavor food and as a fragrance, and can end up in mop or mundane cleaning solutions.

The extraction of essential oil by distillation is probably what comes to mind today. Thus the fragrance of the grass and other fat -soluble components are preserved and concentrated. But essential oils are very concentrated and, therefore, often too strong to use them directly.

It is also expensive, since several kilos of plant matter are often needed to obtain a very small amount of oil. Therefore, essential oil is usually diluted, but since oil and water are not mixed, a neutral oil or alcohol is preferred. Formerly, when I was young, the old women referred to a mixture of a single oil in alcohol as essence; Orange pink essence, lavender essence, etc.

Sometimes they called it «water» instead of essence, which I think is more common. Basically it was a toilet water, but they were used mainly to perfume sheets and other things or added to pierrasuelos. An ounce of oil for each alcohol pint is a good proportion. And, as they were grandmothers, it didn’t have to be pure essential oil. Aromatizing oils of candy and perfume oils, synthetic or not, were used with the same frequency.

Today, the term essences usually refer to Bach’s floral remedies. These were presented for the first time by Dr. Edward Bach in the 1930s and have become quite popular homeopathic remedies. These essences are energetic, more than physical, since it is said that remedies contain the energy firm of plants and, in fact, usually contain very little real plant material. A mother tincture is made (in reality an infusion or decoction) and diluted in water or alcohol before the patient is administered.

Therefore, homeopathic remedies can contain the signature of a toxic plant, but without real toxins or in so small amounts that are insignificant. It is said that they act mainly on emotions, since Dr. Bach believed that all diseases had their origin in emotional disorders. Visit Bach Center website to know more.

There you can also download a PDF version of his book of the 30s Heal Thyself (check for yourself). It is interesting to note that the remedies are nowhere on the site or in the book called «Essences», and, I would personally have inclined to call them elixires … so I am not sure where the vernacular language came from.

I have also heard the term crystal essence as a synonym for the term elixir glass. I would not know how to say what is more correct.

Key concepts related to essence

Concept of writing is a philosophical belief in the inherent qualities in the face of existence of the intrinsic nature of the existence and identity to explore how the essence forms the true identity of each unique essence in spirituality.

Examples of essence in various contexts

Context Wexposphilosophytestics of Plato’s forms, aristotelbotanical essence essential oils of the plants perfumery