How to extract catnip oil

Here is the simple truth about how to extract catnip oil. It's not a secret to any of the companies who produce perfume or other essential oils. However I've not found it explained in detail that allows people to actually accomplish this task.

The "BIG SECRET" is all you need is a reflux still to perform fractional distillation.

For the best information about building a reflux still see the book "Making Gin and Vodka" by John Stone.

Here you see two stills, both work.

Simple distillation will not extract the oil as it is soluble in water.

What you don't see in these photos is the packing material that fills the pipe from bottom to the condenser.

I use a jacked condenser, I've seen something that looks like what I have and is sold on ebay. That is not made by me and I urge you to check his specs before trying to get his product to work for extracting catnip oil.

Important notes: The ratio of diameter to length of still below the condenser should be at least 24:1.
The other about the product sold on ebay is that his design does not use packing material.

I know that because he says his still will produce 30% alcohol.
The Still I built using packing material will yield up to 96% alcohol with one distillation.

What is the packing material?
Stainless steel cleaning pads, not the ones filled with soap.
That's what makes the difference.
It's what let's you extract the catnip oil.

That's a five gallon plastic paint bucket.
If you discard the stems, dry the leaves and flowers. You can get ten to twelve kilos of catnip in this small container.

Expect three to three and half milliliters of catnip oil per kilo.

I used two, three hundred watt heaters to supply the heat.
Make sure the heaters are all the way to the bottom and fill with water about six inches from the bottom.

If you are using a stainless steel container and heat from the bottom that's fine as well.

Bring up the heat very slow. It should take about an hour before the bottom of the still starts to feel hot.

It's a good idea to use a digital thermometer near the bottom of the jacketed condenser.
The readings you get are relative but are consistent.
Example: you may notice that you start to get oil when the thermometer indicates forty nine degrees C. The actual number is not important but whatever that number is will be the same every time so long as it is not moved.

It can be done without a thermometer by feeling the heat as it moves up the still.

Unlike my certificate from TEFL International this is not pretty to look at but it's useful!

This still is a mix of the designs offered in the book by John Stone.
His plans are superior to mine but like everything else here I had to come up with something simple enough to have made.

The cost of this still was about $150 to have made in Thailand.
It was made about two years ago and would cost more were it made today.

Were this still placed on top of a larger container and enough heat supplied you could get about two and a half liters of oil in ten hours.

I know that because when making alcohol that's the amount and time required to distill.

I do not drink alcohol. My reason for making it was for use as part of my product.
See the label above.

The still described here is probably more expensive and a larger scale than most people would require for personal use.






Here is what most of you have been waiting for: How to extract catnip oil on a very small scale.

What I show here will handle about 4 lbs of catnip.

Start with 1/4 inch copper tube 4 1/2 feet long.



BEFORE bending the copper tubing carefully fill with packing material from the bottom to about one foot.

Note how the coil at the top gradually goes up with each turn.

It's called packing material but don't make it tight. Use a wire and force the packing material one tiny piece at the time.


Check after each bit is put into the tube that air flow is not restricted.
Just blow from either end if it's not easy to push air through it's too tight.

You want something that will not build up pressure when the can below is heated.
Restricted flow makes the still less efficient and could cause the top of the can to pop open.

1/4 inch dia and 1 foot filled with packing material gives a 48:1 ratio (12 inches / .25 .

This will give excellent separation of oil from water.

Fill the can with dried catnip leaves and flowers.

Add water till the can is half full.

Set the can on top of a hot plate.
Use a light timer with a wattage capable to match the hotplate.

The next part is where most people will go wrong. SLOW, very slowly bring up the heat.
It should take about half an hour before the bottom of the tube starts to get hot.
You can feel as the heat moves up the tube.

It should take about 45 minutes before oil starts to drip one drop at the time.

Use small bottles and catch the oil about 3ml at the time.
The reason for this is because when the oil is completely extracted what comes next is water.

Had you taken all the oil into one container you would have water in all of the collection.

Please if you have questions communicate directly with me via the comment section.
I will not respond to questions on forums where I may be listed.
You can feel the tube as the