About PhiBee Aromatics: Essential Oil and Hydrosol Distillers in Sedona, Arizona

PhiBee Aromatics is a family run business (named after our girls) and began out of a love and passion for the native plant world. We bought our first distillation system in 2005, and have since distilled over 100 different species of native and locally cultivated plants. We wildcraft in a sustainable fashion, attempt to benefit the plants in our trimming techniques, and are permitted by the US Forest Service. We have also worked with the Nature Conservancy on many occasions.

Clare began studying medicinal herbs in 1987, and the native plants of the Southwest when she moved to Arizona in 1991. She completed a 235-hour AIA and NAHA approved Aromatherapy Certification course in 2012, speaks nationally and internationally on the aromatic plants of the Southwest, and has written for Aromatherapy Today and the International Journal of Clinical Aromatherapy. She also has consulted on numerous international distillation projects, and has conducted volunteer distillation trainings, sponsored by Partners of the Americas and Prosperity Catalyst, in both Jamaica and Haiti.

While Max is a full time architect, he is also an avid botanist and photographer. He has contributed over 6,000 plant specimen collections to local herbariums, and catalogued over 1,200 native plants in the Sedona Oak Creek Canyon region. His plant photos have been widely published in Southwest native plant books and journals. He has also recently completed a treatment of the Genus Carex (sedge species) in Arizona, and is currently working on a treatment of other sedges and rushes of the Southwest.

Together we have travelled to Europe several times to study EO distillation and helped set up a distillery in Iceland.

Every plant is different in terms of its abundance, availability, time and treatment involved in processing, length of distillation, and yield of essential oil. The prices of the oils reflect these variations, and are the retail prices (shipping included). Please inquire for wholesale prices, and know that some of these plants do not produce enough oil for wholesale quantities. At the end of each essential oil description, we have included a suggested method of application. It is only one suggestion, and by no means covers the possible uses of each oil. It is recommended that you work with an Aromatherapist for your safety and for effective dosages.

All of the plant and landscape photos on this website are by Max and Clare Licher, with the exception of a few cultivated plants. The logo photo and design are by Sophia Licher.

Video Interview

Jenn Cohen, from Verde Valley TV, invited us to appear on "The Verde Valley Experience", a program that showcases local artists, entrepreneurs, musicians etc. It was a lot of fun and inspired us to clean up the distillery!

Our segment starts at 40:40.