Hydrolatherapy or the use of floral waters

The hydrolate is the water charged with volatile principles collected during steam distillation of a whole plant or part of a plant (and not just flowers).

The active ingredients of the plant used combined with water will make the hydrolate an undeniable deep cleanser of the body.

Hydrolates, or floral waters, are mainly known for their culinary virtues but their therapeutic qualities are still largely unknown to the general public. Yet floral waters have existed for millennia and were already used in ancient Egypt.

The hydrolate is the water charged with volatile principles collected during steam distillation of a whole plant or part of a plant (and not just flowers).

The term hydrolate comes from the Latin word “hydro” meaning water and the French “lat.” or “lait” (milk) because this substance has a milky appearance in the minutes following distillation.

During the distillation process, new molecules appear under the effect of moisture and heat, while other heavier molecules are not carried along.

This is how two distinct products are extracted and collected in the essencier: the essential oil and the hydrolate. The latter is neither a infusion, nor a decoction, nor a maceration.

The hydrolate is more concentrated in active ingredients than herbal teas and although impregnated with the same aromatic molecules as essential oils, its concentration in active ingredients will be less than the latter, thus making it less dangerous to use and with fewer contraindications (possible use for children and pregnant women in particular...).

Hydrolates can therefore be used both by external route; lotion for the body and face, in compress or spray (rose, cornflower, geranium or chamomile floral waters for example) and by internal route. In the latter case, it will be used pure or mixed with water or an herbal tea, as a treatment or in the form of a preventive or maintenance cure, even as a gargle or mouthwash.

The active ingredients of the plant used combined with water will make the hydrolate an undeniable deep cleanser of the body.

There are currently about sixty hydrolates and there are also blends such as plant drinks for winter, for the skin, for sleep…

Perfectly fitting into phytotherapy as well as organic cosmetics, the hydrolate becomes an essential ally of natural well-being.