Pip! asked for clarification...let me see if I be more succinct.
Simplistically, infuse means to let sit or soak or stand in a liquid to extract a flavor, a characteristic or a property.
The essential oils we purchase are distilled or processed using what is known as solvent extraction and partitioning. While infusing oils with herbs (oregano was mentioned in the original discussion) will not result in the same potency as the distillation or solvent extraction method, it is a process that has been used by herbalists for generations and may well be the forerunner of the currently popular distilled oils. One advantage of homemade infused oils is knowing exactly how they were prepared and how they have been handled and stored.
There are literally dozens of sites online where the properties of herbs are discussed.
As a rule-of-thumb I use one cup of packed herbs to 2 1/2 to 3 cups of oil. Wash the herbs and remove any bruised or yellows leaves. Wrap them in a clean tea towel to absorb as much moisture as possible and then spread them on another clean tea towel to dry . Depending on the climate the humidity, etc. this can take several days to a week.
When the herb/s have dired, sterilize the jar or jars you will be using for the infusion/soaking. I use quart size canning jars with lids and rings. Bring a large pot of water to boil and either immerse the jars and its/their lids/rings or pour the boiling water in, over, and around the jar/s and lids/rings. Turn upside down on a clear dry tea towel to drain and then when cool enough to handle tip the jar/s on its/their side to allow it to dry completely.
Place the herbs in the jar/s, add the oil to within 1 inch of the top of jar, let sit for 20-30 minutes and cap. Do not over-tighten the lid/ring. Let the herbs sit in the oil for minimum of 45 days. Put another batch of herbs, washed , cleaned, and dried, into another sterilized jar and strain the oil into the jar with the fresh herbs., cap as before. Discard the "old" herbs, or better yet compost them.
Infuse/soak the new herbs in the oil for another thirty days, strain, and use the oil. Keep the oil in a dark, cool place during the infusion/soaking process and store is in a dark, cool place during use.
These infused oils can be used medicinally by the spoonful or to dress a bowl of salad greens, mixed into yoghurt, or in a variety of other ways.
Not only herbs but also flowers and other botanicals can be soaked in oil to extract their "goodness". Locally, a popular liniment is made by infusing glycerin with juniper berries, desert mallow, oak bark, and reed grass root. It is mixed 1/2 & 1/2 with rubbing alcohol and the –old timers- swear it cures 60% of what can ail a body. It feels good going on and has an earthy scent that is not unpleasant, but it is not, at least for me, a cure-all.
Any admixture of oil and herbs can ferment, just as any organic substance can ferment, and there is a very fine line between fermentation and spoilage. When infusing oils with herbs it is necessary to watch carefully for signs of fermentation; bubbles forming along the edges of the plant material or gathering around the top of the oil layer. Frequently early fermentation can be arrested by refrigeration.
Fermentation produced a slightly malty smell, spoilage smells bad.
FWIW.
Copyright ArthritisInsight.com