A term for "extracting essence from something"? [closed]

Would there be a fitting term to describe the process of obtaining the essence out of something - not necessarily chemically (so perhaps something other than "distill"), but rather getting the essence of a concept, or an idea.

"Extract" also seems to me like something removed from the general body of the concept rather than recognising its seed/source/essence.

"Essentialise" doesn't seem to exist in the common use. It definitely makes sense though.

It's perfectly good to use "distil" or "distill" (US) to refer to ideas as well as to chemicals. The Oxford Dictionary has

distil

VERB

Extract the essential meaning or most important aspects of.

with some examples

‘my travel notes were distilled into a book’

‘If you can't distill all your interests, skills, and role into two words, then obviously you've failed at the business card.’