Question from joyinjesus
I came accross an herbal product that listed in its ingredients oleaginous extract of rosemary, thyme … Is oleaginous extract a way of saying it was extracted using petroleum?
This product is advertised as safe, non-toxic. But since I don’t know what that means and am having a hard time finding the answer on the internet, I am afraid to buy it.
Please help me with this. Thank you so much for this web-site. I think it is literally a life-saver for me.
Debbie G.
Debra’s Answer
According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, oleaginous means ” resembling or having the properties of oil : oily; also : containing or producing oil.” So an oleaginous extract of rosemary or thyme would be an oily extract, which makes sense, because many herbs have oil in them.
As for how they are extracted, herbal extracts are typically obtained by compressing herbs with a hydraulic press while soaking them in alcohol or water. The alcohol or water is allowed to evaporate, and the remaining substance is the concentrated extract.
What I couldn’t find is what type of alcohol is used–petroleum-based or grain alcohol. Readers, any knowledge about this?
