The Turmeric rhizomes used to make our hydrosol are grown in Hawaii on a second-generation, family farm where Turmeric, Ginger, and Galangal have been cultivated organically for many years. Fresh Turmeric rhizomes (known as `ōlena in Hawaii) are harvested every week when in season and are shipped to order – in this case, overnight to the Pacific Northwest for distillation the next day. Choosing only perfectly mature, juice-grade Turmeric ‘fingers’ that are moist, plump, and brimming with all the water-soluble components intact allows our distiller to offer this amazingly fresh product rarely seen in stores. Our producer notes that early-season rhizomes – those harvested beginning in March – seem to have more floral nuances than those harvested later in the season.[1]

Even though curcumin extractives and related compounds are not found in the hydrosol, we think Turmeric Hydrosol is a brilliant way to utilize the beneficial hydrophilic molecules present in this water-storing rhizome for application on thirsty or dehydrated skin. Turmeric Hydrosol may be used in masks and steams, as a toner or topical wash, and to moisten skin before application of facial oils.

Our hydrosols are distilled using fresh plant material that not only allows capture of all the volatiles, but most importantly, the cellular water from the living plant. It is this cellular water, imbued with nourishing minerals and fatty acids, that make it dynamic and vibrant compared to using dried out material with a resulting loss of those skin-refreshing and important aromatic molecules.[2] Aromatic hydrosols contain the water-soluble active principles of the plant. They retain a tiny amount of essential oil compounds (about 0.2 grams/liter[3]) – mostly the gentler, more hydrophilic aromatic esters and alcohols (like citronellyl acetate and phenylethanol) – and are subsequently unlikely to cause skin irritation.[4]

The gentleness of hydrosols is ideally suited in the delivery of their attributes for children, the elderly, and those with pronounced sensitivities. They are also a profound and delightful way to experience and appreciate the life force – with all its potentiality for wholeness – found in the aromatic waters of the plants.

PLEASE NOTE: The hydrosols we offer are specifically distilled for the hydrosol, not as a co-product or even a by-product. The plant's cellular water and many components – normally lost under pressurized short steam runs for essential oil, or by using dried material – are what the producers specifically distill for by using only fresh plant material right from their farm or from local farms to ensure that the plant material is as fresh as possible.[5]