Steam Distilling?

[bushman]

Has anyone ever tried to use a steam still to distill the essential oils out of plants before? Also has anyone tried to distal birch bark or wood to get the wood alcohol/turpentine off of it as well as getting the tar out of it?
Bushman

[mrkinsey]

Steam distilling is a way essential oils are obtained from rose petals to make rose perfume.  The biggest issue you'll run into is grinding the plants small enough to get the most surface area possible.  Whole pieces of birch bark/wood won't work terribly well.  You'll remove the outermost oils, but won't touch the inner portions.

[wodpow]

 we made rose purfume. with  lard  and alcohol.We spread the lard on a plate and put the rose petal on another container and put the plate on top of the other container and the lard would draw the smell of the petals into its self then we would wash off the lard with alcohol and put it in a container and freeze it the lard would collect at the surface and we would skim it off then we would gently cook off the alcohol to concentrate the rose essence distilling will only remove the alcohol and whats left will be the concentrated essences.