Essential oils are aromatic liquids obtained from plant material – flowers, buds, seeds, leaves, twigs, bark, fruits, and roots – through steam distillation or mechanical pressing. They are concentrated plant extracts that retain the natural smell and flavor of their source.

The characteristic fragrance of essential oils is attributed to the unique composition of chemicals in the plant, including: hydrocarbons, terpene alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, phenols, and esters. This variation affects the smell, absorption, and effects on the body. The chemical composition of an essential oil may vary within the same plant species and is unique to the botanical genus/species, chemotype and plant part from which it is derived.

Medicine Flower has established long-standing relationships with our suppliers, as well as stringently testing our products in state of the art labs allowing us to sell only the preeminent quality oils.

Factors such as global market conditions, geographical sourcing, and unanticipated weather events can affect the quality of the oils from year-to-year. These are similar concerns for many natural products when supply is constrained.

Confirming Identity & Purity

Medicine Flower regularly assesses the quality of our essential oils through the evaluation of purity and identity. This protects our retailers and consumers, ensuring they get the product they paid for.

We utilize numerous physical or physiochemical techniques, including:

• Instrumental testing such as Refractive Index, Optical Rotation, Specific Gravity, Gas Chromatography (GC), and Inductively Coupled Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS);
• And, Organoleptic Evaluation, focusing on appearance and odor.

Testing is the Difference

The orthogonal approach to essential oil testing by Medicine Flower facilitates a complete characterization of the essential oil and guarantees the product identity, purity, and safety.

Note About Therapeutic Grade

Labeling an essential oil therapeutic, medicinal, or aromatherapy grade could be misleading. A number of companies use these terms, even though no governmental agency or other pharmacopeial organization approved grading standard is used consistently throughout the essential oil industry. This terminology can be used by any brand as a deceitful measure of quality and has no real bearing on the identity, purity, or safety of an essential oil.

At Medicine Flower we take the quality and purity of our essential oils very seriously. We only use the best labs to guarantee the identity, purity, and quality of our essential oils. We work closely with our growers and suppliers to safeguard the quality of our raw materials. By confirming all aspects of essential oil quality, we promise that what is on the label always corresponds to what our customers get in the bottle!