How to distill herbs with ADI

ADI makes it easy to capture the essence of plants and create your own essential oils and hydrosols at home or in your herbal studio. Depending on your herbs and goals, you can choose from three different distillation methods with ADI:

1️⃣ Steam Distillation
2️⃣ Hydro Distillation
3️⃣ Hydro-Steam Distillation

Each method offers unique advantages and can be tailored to the herb type and the product you want to make.

1. Steam Distillation

Steam distillation is the most common and versatile method for both fresh and dried herbs. It’s ideal for extracting essential oils and aromatic hydrosols.

🌸 How it works:
Steam rises from boiling water, passes through the herb material in the basket, and carries the volatile compounds upward for condensation and collection.

🔥 Steps:

1. Pour up to 3 liters of water into the ADI pot.

2. Place the herb material in the basket (fill up to the handle hole).

3. Assemble and start the distillation.

💧 Yield Tips:

• With a full basket of herbs, you can expect around 1 liter of high-quality hydrosol.

• Yield varies by plant type — roots and branches usually produce more hydrosol than leaves or flowers due to their denser composition.

✅ Why choose steam distillation:

• Clean and efficient process

• No need to measure water-to-herb ratio

• Produces pure, aromatic hydrosol and essential oil

2. Hydro Distillation

Hydro distillation is ideal for delicate flowers such as rose, jasmine, or chamomile, where direct contact with water enhances extraction and aroma.

🌸 How it works:
Herbs or flowers are submerged directly in water during distillation.

🔥 Steps:

1. Mix your herbs or flowers directly with water inside the ADI pot.

2. Use a herb-to-water ratio of about 1:5.

   • More water = lighter, gentler hydrosol

   • Less water = stronger aroma but risk of burning herbs

3. Start distillation and collect the aromatic hydrosol.

✅ Best for:

• Fresh flowers

• Gentle aromatic waters like rosewater or lavender hydrosol

3. Hydro-Steam Distillation

Hydro-steam distillation combines the best of both methods — allowing you to process more herbs at once and produce stronger hydrosols or higher essential oil yields.

🌸 How it works:
Some herbs are submerged in water (hydro distillation), while additional herbs are placed in the basket (steam distillation).

🔥 Steps:

1. Add up to 3 liters of water and mix in half of your herbs directly into the pot.

2. Place the remaining herbs in the basket above.

3. Start distillation.

✅ Why choose hydro-steam distillation:

• Increases total herb capacity

• Boosts essential oil yield

• Creates more concentrated hydrosol

✨ Tips for Success with ADI

• Always use clean, fresh, or properly dried herbs.

• Avoid overfilling the pot or basket — allow room for steam circulation.

• Keep the temperature steady for consistent quality.

• Store your hydrosols in sterile glass bottles away from sunlight.