Witch hazel

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Witch hazel is a shrubby plant, which can reach a height of 6 m. Its leaves, deciduous, have a green color that tends to brown and in autumn they take on a warm ocher yellow color which makes it one of the most spectacular ornamental plants. The flowers, which vary in color from yellow to orange to dark red, are small, usually 2-3 cm long, and have an intense perfume reminiscent of the primrose. The fruits, on the other hand, are brown and very similar to nuts. Witch hazel grows wild both on the eastern coasts of North America and in forests. It loves the humid ones of Canada and the Northern United States. It was introduced in Europe around 1700 as an ornamental plant, but gradually it has been increasingly appreciated for its numerous therapeutic virtues.

Its remarkable properties can be traced back to the high concentration of active ingredients: in fact, it contains tannins, flavonoids, phenols and essential oils which perform a decongestant, anti-hemorrhagic and anti-inflammatory action. Native Americans had already discovered the astringent and vasoconstrictive properties of witch hazel: in fact, they applied the liquid obtained by boiling the twigs in water for a long time to bleeding wounds, and this quickly stopped the bleeding and facilitated the healing of the wound. This fact was also used by sorcerers as magic to heal the wounds of warriors, therefore it was considered a magical plant.

Witch hazel hydrolat is obtained from freshly cut and partially dried twigs. The twigs are macerated for about 24 hours in cold water followed by distillation and the addition of alcohol. For their soothing and protective effect on the microcirculation, witch hazel extracts are widely used in cosmetic products for reddened, easily irritable skin. Thanks to its astringent and purifying properties, witch hazel is also used in cosmetics intended for impure skin.

Ethical chain

The Emilian company that supplies us with witch hazel hydrolat carries out the extraction using a technologically advanced method based on ultrasound: it is an exclusively mechanical method in which the entire extraction process takes place at room temperature thus avoiding the disintegration of the thermolabile active ingredients , such as vitamins or essential oils. During the process, the ultrasounds are transformed into shock waves which spread in the containment tank through the formation of millions of micro-bubbles which grow until they explode. This phenomenon allows the rupture of the cell membrane, the emptying of the active principles contained in it and the consequent solubilization in the solvent medium: in this way almost total extractions of all the active principles contained in the plants are obtained, which cannot happen with a physical extraction. It is therefore an extraction method capable of keeping the organoleptic and functional qualities of the plants intact, with which real distilled waters are obtained and not simple flavored waters.