Bergamot Oil for Cleansing, Confidence and Cures

Many of the people who bought our Peaceful Home Essential Oils have expressed delight and surprise at the odor and effects of the bergamot oil we included in that collection; it seems that bergamot is not as well known as some of the other oils – lavender, sweet orange etc.

So we thought it would be worthwhile to hunt down a really good article on what bergamot can do for you. like many other essential oils, bergamot is renowned and proven to enhance your mood and to boost confidence. Whenever my wife uses it, I always (yes always!) mistake it for a very expensive and quite delightful perfume.

Apart from its psychological effects, bergamot also has several medical uses, for example killing bacteria, healing scars, and generally improving skin tone and condition.

Where Does Bergamot Oil Come From?

Bergamot is a citrus plant that goes by the scientific name Citrus Bergamia. The plant is a hybrid of defined sour orange and lemon. The oil is taken from the peel of the fruit by means of cold compression, which is different than the steam distillation used to produce many other essential oils.

Bergamot is thought to originate in Southeast Asia, but is also widely cultivated in southern Italy, Ivory Coast, Argentina, Turkey, Brazil and Morocco.

Bergamot in Chinese Medicine

In traditional Chinese medicine, bergamot is used to help with the flow of vital energy to aid the digestive system. It’s also used to soothe indigestion and give relief from excessive intestinal gas.

Bergamot’s Role in Perfume Making

Bergamot essential oil is one of the main ingredients in expensive perfumes due to it’s ability to harmonize a whole range of perfume essences. It’s also used by the pharmaceutical industry to eliminate the unpleasant smells of medicinal products and for its antiseptic and antibacterial properties.

The Following information has been extracted from the Dr Axe website (credit and links below).

Bergamot Oil Benefits the Whole Body

There are a number of a surprising health benefits from using bergamot essential oil as a natural remedy. Bergamot oil is antibacterial, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic. It’s uplifting, improves your digestion and keeps your system working properly. Some of the most common benefits of bergamot essential oil include:

• releases emotional pain and stress
• works as a powerful antidepressant
• relieves joint and muscle pain
• aids digestive system
• soothes skin irritations and cleanses oily skin
• works as a sedative
• kills germs and bacteria
• reduces cough

Bergamot Oil Uses

1. Antidepressant — Depression can manifest with a variety of different symptoms, including fatigue, sad mood, low sex drive, lack of appetite, feelings of helplessness and disinterest in common activities. Antidepressant medications have serious side effects, including suicidal thoughts, weight gain and personality changes. The good news is there are all-natural remedies for depression that are effective and get to the root cause of the problem.
2. Stimulates hormonal secretions — Bergamot oil helps maintain proper metabolic rates by stimulating hormonal secretions, digestive juices, bile and insulin. This aids the digestive system and enables proper absorption of nutrients.
3. Cures infections — Bergamot oil is used in skin soaps because it inhibits the growth of germs, fungi and virus. When you apply the oil to your skin or hair, you reduce the risk of infection. Bergamot oil also cures infections of the intestines, kidneys, colon and urinary tract.
4. Relieves stress — Bergamot oil is a relaxant — it reduces nervous tension and feelings of stress and anxiety.
5. Reduces pain — Because bergamot essential oil increases hormone secretions, it lessens the sensitively of nerves that create pain. For this reason, bergamot oil is a great way to reduce the symptoms of sprains, muscle aches and headaches.
6. Heals skin — Bergamot essential oil is used to minimize the look of scars and other marks on the skin; it tones the skin by making the supply of melanin even. These scars can be the result of acne or skin infections or irritations.
7. Helps digestive system — Not only does bergamot oil stimulate the production of digestive juices, making the breakdown of foods in the digestive tract easier, it also stimulates muscle contractions in the intestines — quickening the digestive process by moving your waste through your intestines as your body absorbs nutrients.
8. Reduces fever — Bergamot essential oil fights infections caused by harmful bacteria. It also reduces body temperature by alleviating stress and stimulating hormone secretions. The feeling of warmth that happens when your hormone levels are elevated leads to sweat, and this helps in reducing a fever.
9. Cavity protection — Bergamot oil helps infected teeth. It removes germs from your teeth when used as a mouthwash, and it protects your teeth from developing cavities. This is because of its germ-fighting properties, which make it extremely useful when fighting cavities. Rub 2–3 drops of bergamot oil on your teeth, or add it to your toothpaste.
10. Kills intestinal worms — Because bergamot essential oil kills germs, it’s used to treat intestinal worms. Intestinal worms result in malnourishment and can cause anemia, which develops when you don’t have enough robust, healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout your body.
11.  congestion — Bergamot oil is an anticongestive, which means it relieves congestion and respiratory problems. This oil can be useful when battling a cold or cough. It loosens phlegm and mucus in the respiratory tract and helps the body to eliminate this undesired buildup by sneezing and coughing.

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Bergamot Oil Side Effects

Bergamot essential oil is safe for most people when added to food or applied topically in small amounts. Although the oil has been used extensively for many years, there are only been a few reports of phototoxic reactions to bergamot aromatherapy oil.
It may make the skin sensitive to the sun and more vulnerable to skin cancer — people who work with bergamot can develop skin problems, including blisters, scabs, pigment spots, rashes, sensitivity to the sun and cancerous changes. There have been serious side effects in children who have taken large amounts of bergamot oil, and it shouldn’t be used by women who are pregnant or breast feeding.

Bergamot oil may lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. This could affect blood sugar control and cause blood sugar levels to go too low. If you use bergamot oil and have diabetes, make sure to monitor your blood sugar levels regularly. If you are scheduled to have surgery, stop using bergamot oil at least two weeks beforehand — it may interfere with blood sugar control during the procedure.

Accreditation

Where noted above, information has been taken from the Dr. Axe website whom we acknowledge – it’s also a very good site.

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