My First Presentation on Medicinal Plant Distillation at the Lithuanian Association of Aromatherapists Annual Conference

My Presentation on Medicinal Plant Distillation at the Lithuanian Association of Aromatherapists Annual Conference

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Distilling Plants: More Than Just Aroma
Panel Discussion

I had the privilege of presenting at the Lithuanian Association of Aromatherapists annual conference “The Practice of Contemporary Aromatherapy” on June 7th, 2025 in Vilnius.

Together with the other 2 presentations, this session was hands-on and interactive. The audience was split into small groups so that everybody could be in direct contact with the presenter. Dr. Rūta Aldonytė demonstrated clay and hydrolat in wound care, and Vilma Markaitytė showcased aromatic hand massage.

Distilling Plants: More Than Just Aroma

My presentation “Distilling Plants: More Than Just Aroma” focused on the hidden treasures of distillation – spent plant material and decoction (residual water) – and their potential uses in body care procedures and product making, gardening, and even textile dyeing.

I shared a bit of scientific research on what active compounds are still found in the plants and decoction after the distillation, talked about some products already available on the market, and showcased some wool samples that I dyed in the leftover plant decoction of our local plant species:

everlasting (Helichrysum arenarium),
chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla),
yarrow (Achillea millefolium),
common juniper (Juniperus communis),
and oak bark (Quercus robur).

Other colours came from:

cultivated lavender (Lavandula angustifolia, and no, it’s not purple! 😀)
Geranium spp that I grew on my windowsill.

Of course, everyone could try out the hydrolats too. It was very interesting to me to hear the feedback about the aromas. For example, some people were amazed by the aroma of oak bark hydrolat, while others almost couldn’t sense its scent.

My goal was to inspire fellow aromatherapists to explore the full potential of plants by learning about the medicinal and other properties that the entire plant offers. I strongly believe the better we understand the plant, the better aromatherapists we are.

Panel Discussion

The event also featured five traditional presentations and a panel discussion that I was honoured to be part of, too.

My topic was – standards of education set by the professional associations, with the US as an example (as I was certified by the school in the US). Dovilė Antulevičienė then explained about studies and licensing in Lithuania. Right now, one could be licensed only after completing 480 h of aromatherapy studies at Klaipėda University (Lithuania). No other aromatherapy school – local or foreign – is recognized by our licensing institution, and we agreed we should work on that.

Read my takeaways from all the presentations of this conference.