By Amber Magnolia Hill, herbal medicine maker and founder of Mythic Medicine
The most common response I get when I mention our essences is something like "Oh, I love essential oils!" Essential oil and essence sound similar, so even people who know their way around herbal medicine can get confused about their differences. I remember being confused when I was first learning about them, too.
Twenty years and two herbal apprenticeships later, I’ve created this simple guide to essences. For anyone who's still a little uncertain, here's the simplified explanation of how essences work and what makes them different from essential oils.
Essences Versus Essential Oils
Essential oils are highly concentrated, steam-distilled extracts- the volatile, aromatic part of the plant. They're powerful and need to be used carefully, almost always diluted. Rubbing one on your skin won't leave it oily, because despite the name, it isn't really an oil at all. We do not use essential oils in our medicines, except for the optional rose essential oil in our Self Sanctuary body oil.
Essences are something else entirely: vibrational medicines that work on a more energetic level. There's no scent to speak of, and the effect isn't physical, the way a body oil's warmth is. It's subtler, working on emotional and spiritual layers rather than the tissues themselves.
Essences are story medicine: just a few drops at a time to gently influence body, mind, and spirit. They resonate because meaning brings healing- the stories we live and tell shape our experience and support our well-being. Each drop on the tongue is a pause, a remembrance, and a moment of mindful intention.
What Essences Are Made Of
Our essences combine flowers and plants from our land with mineral and stone essences, suspended in delicious herbal liqueurs. Each one is made with a specific intention- a feeling, a transition, a remembering- captured in the plants and stones themselves.
We currently make three:
- Kinship Woven in Deep Time. Made with Bridge's Brodiaea flowers, mugwort flowers, and abalone- for remembering how rooted you are in life and how resourced by the love of your ancestors, your descendants, your kin of all stripes.
- Unto Herself. Violet flower, mammoth tusk, and amber- for coming-of-age, matrescence, menopause, and other rites of passage that often go unmarked in our culture.
- What Is Within You. Wild iris and amethyst- for bringing forth what's uniquely yours to bring, especially when you’re lacking clarity or self confidence, and in seasons when it feels easier to disappear into everyone else's needs.
How To Use Essences
Simply put a few drops on the tongue, whenever you need them. There's no wrong time and no real ritual required, though I find it meaningful to pause for a moment when I take it- to actually feel into the intention (the story medicine) behind the essence I've chosen.
People often say these taste wonderful, which makes the few-drops ritual something to look forward to rather than a chore. And while the shifts can be subtle, you may experience changes like less fear around matters of the heart, and more ease moving through a transition. If you know someone going through a big change, these essences are also a favorite gift- a reminder that they're not navigating it alone.
Because essences work on a subtler level, you may not feel an immediate shift the way you would with a body oil. Essences are slower medicine, working quietly in the background. They support you through an emotional season, rather than addressing a single moment of tension.
Herbal Essences FAQ
What's the difference between an essence and an essential oil?
Essential oils are concentrated, aromatic plant extracts used in tiny diluted amounts- often for their scent and physical effects. Essences are vibrational medicines taken in drops on the tongue, working on a subtler, more emotional and energetic level, with little to no scent.
Will I feel something right away?
Not usually, and that's okay. Essences tend to work quietly over time, supporting you through a season or transition rather than producing an immediate physical sensation.
How many drops should I take?
Just a few drops on the tongue is enough- there's no need to measure precisely. Take it whenever you feel called to.
Are these the same as flower essences I might have heard of?
Yes, broadly- ours combine flower and mineral/stone essences together, suspended in liqueur, which is our own twist on the traditional practice.
Which essence is right for me?
It depends on what you're navigating. Kinship is for feeling connected and supported by the wider web of being, Unto Herself is for life’s transition moments and rites of passage, and What Is Within You is for bringing forward your unique gifts and talents- read through each description and see which one speaks to you.
