Like most citrus essential oils out there, bergamot essential oil is derived from the citrus fruit of a plant, scientifically known as Citrus Bergamia. The oil is extracted from the cold compression of the rind or the peel of the fruit and it is actually commonly added to make Earl Grey Tea. Bergamot has its roots in Southeast Asia but it is now popularly cultivated in the southern part of Italy, where it is named after the city of Bergamo in Lombardy which is the place where it was first originally sold and traded.

You may not know this but bergamot essential oil is a very important compound used in the manufacturing of perfumes because it can balance the different aromas and fragrances together to create a harmonizing blend for use. Besides this, bergamot essential oil has powerful health benefits and uses which you can use in your daily life! Read on to find out more.

Health Benefits of Bergamot Essential Oil:

1. Improves Mental Health

Bergamot essential oil is a natural antidepressant, with the presence of chemical compounds like alpha pinene and limonene. They stimulate and lift your emotional spirits, thus helping to combat signs of fatigue, low self-esteem, bouts of self-doubt, depression and even feelings of helplessness and disinterest.

The compounds in bergamot essential oil ultimately impact a number of physiological processes that seek to reduce mental and physical fatigue through increased circulation and beneficial hormonal secretions, such as dopamine and serotonin.

As such, you can avoid antidepressant prescribed pills, which might have unwanted and negative side effects and instead opt for a natural treatment! Additionally, bergamot essential oil seeks to relieve oneself of anxiety spells and stress, inducing peace, tranquility and mental clarity. It seeks to clear your mind and lets you focus on what really matters. The oil seeks to improve nerve functions and as such, it is good to place bergamot oil on your desk when you have an important examination to study for or if you need to make crucial work decisions.

A 2011 study published in Natural Product Communications found that a blend of lavender and bergamot essential oils resulted in significant decreases of pulse rates, blood pressure levels and the participants noted that they were more calm and more relaxed. Thus, this proves that the oil can be used in treating depression or anxiety in humans.

How to Use it: Using a diffuser or vaporizer, you can diffuse bergamot essential oil around your home or workplace at 50:50 dilutions with carrier oils (such as olive or coconut oil). You can also rub 2-3 drops of diluted bergamot essential oil onto your hands and breathe in the aromatic oil by cupping your hands together.

2. Kills Off Bacteria and Fights Infections on Skin

Because of its antiseptic and antimicrobial nature, bergamot essential oil is great for fighting off bacteria, both on the skin and internally. If you have cuts, wounds or scrapes, bergamot oil can be used as a disinfectant and antiseptic agent to clean such wounds and prevent complications or infections from resulting. It can certainly prevent wounds from incurring tetanus or becoming septic.

Furthermore, when it comes to wounds and cuts on the skin, its cicatrisant property promotes fast healing without the resulting scars because of the presence of phytochemicals in the oil which facilitates the speedy regeneration of tissue cells on the injury site. As such, if you have acne scars or other dark spots on the skin, you can try applying bergamot oil too as it tones the skin and facilitates cell regeneration. Your scars will fade away, thus ensuring better and smoother complexion!

How to Use it: If you have a wound or a cut, add 5 drops of diluted bergamot oil onto a cotton ball and gently rub it onto the infected area. To heal general scars around the body, you can add 10 drops of bergamot oil to your warm bathing water or add in a few drops into your daily skincare products to get rid of those pesky acne scars.

3. Improves Digestive Health

Bergamot essential oil also has a lot of benefits for digestion. Firstly, it stimulates the secretion of digestive enzymes and bile in your stomach and intestines, thus facilitating a smoother and proper digestion. It promotes the speedy breakdown of foods, allowing it to be absorbed into the bloodstreams efficiently and quickly.

Not only that, bergamot oil also induces muscle contractions and peristaltic movement of the gastrointestinal tract, which increases the pace of food movement and food waste too. This promotes regularity and reduces the risks of getting colon cancer because toxic substances in the food waste will not get stuck in the intestines for long. As such, this helps to relieve common digestive problems such as acid reflux, indigestion, constipation, irregular bowel syndrome and other uncomfortable conditions.

In addition, because of its antibacterial properties and ability to kill intestinal worms, it helps to combat food poisoning and kill off intestinal worms which can result in malnourishment and anemia, especially in young children. Thus, it is imperative to kill off such intestinal worms to prevent malnourishment, and what better way than using bergamot oil as an all-natural, effective remedy?

Research published in 2006 in the Journal of Applied Microbiology has confirmed that bergamot oil is the most inhibitory essential oil, out of lemon and orange essential oils, in preventing the various bacteria from growing that causes food poisoning.

How to Use it: Mix 5 drops of bergamot oil with a carrier oil (such as coconut, jojoba or almond oils) and gently rub it on your stomach to ease digestive issues and kill intestinal worms. For very young children, just one drop of the diluted oil may suffice.

4. Improves Respiratory Health

Because of its expectorant properties, bergamot essential oil is a powerful agent to relieve chest congestion due to an excess buildup of mucus and phlegm. It loosens up those substances and clears the nasal and respiratory passageways, thus providing a clear and unobstructed airflow. Therefore, you can now sleep better and breathe more easily as the recovery process speeds up.

Also, this helps to eliminate whatever germs and toxins that may be lodged within your respiratory and nasal tracts, which means it can effectively prevent infections and complications. This thus helps to promote a healthier respiratory system, alleviating problems of coughs, colds, bronchitis and other respiratory problems.

How to Use it: You can diffuse bergamot oil into a vaporizer or oil burner. Alternatively, you can add about 5 drops of bergamot oil into your hands and breathe in gently. By mixing it with a carrier oil, you can also rub it gently on your throat and chest area. For severe chest congestions, try mixing 5 drops of bergamot oil and eucalyptus oil each into your diffuser.

5. Alleviates Fever Spells

As a febrifuge, bergamot oil is an effective substance that reduces fever and seeks to lower body temperature. Firstly, because of its antibiotic and antibacterial attributes, it seeks to fight off viruses, bacteria and infections that cause fever, such as the influenza virus.

Furthermore, it actively seeks to stimulate gland secretions and the metabolic system, which will inadvertently produce warm and heat. This results in increased perspiration from the various sweat glands in the body, which helps to prevent body temperatures from rising. Sweating can also help get rid of toxic substances within the body, thus helping to purify the blood and eliminate harmful bacteria and viruses.

How to Use it: You can apply a few drops of diluted bergamot oil onto your chest, forehead and the backs of the neck. Alternatively, you can inhale from your palms directly in small doses.

6. Effective Deodorant

Bergamot oil is an important ingredient used in the making of perfumes, as abovementioned. The citrus-like, sweet and fruity fragrance is very refreshing and helps to ward off any bad bodily odours. Coupled with its antibiotic and antimicrobial properties, it helps to kill off any bacteria that is causing such bad odours in the first place. As such, you can add bergamot oil into your deodorants.

It can also be used as an air freshener to mask dingy and moldy smells in rooms, providing the room with a much more refreshed, citrus-like fragrance that is very welcoming.

How to Use it: You can add 2-3 drops of bergamot oil in warm water in a spray bottle and spray it around your body after a bath. For an added boost, you can mix it with lavender oil even. To use it as a room freshener, you can add 5-6 drops of bergamot oil into a bowl of water and dip a sponge over it to wipe over couches. Alternatively, you can transfer the mixture in a spritz bottle and spray it all over the carpets and wipe it with a dry cloth.

7. Alleviates Pain

Bergamot oil also has analgesic properties, in addition to its relaxant and sedative attributes. This means that it can help to offer pain relief. Since it stimulates the secretion of hormones, it lessens the nerves’ sensitivity to pain, thus helping to relieve symptoms of headaches, migraines, muscle aches and sprains.

A 2010 research study found in Pubmed has found that bergamot is effective in reducing tension and pain in the body. As such, you do not need to rely on over-the-counter prescription painkiller drugs as those might contain unwanted and negative side effects!

How to Use it: By mixing it with a carrier oil, you can create a massage blend to be gently applied onto the forehead area and behind the ears. You can also rub it on the affected painful muscle ache areas. Alternatively, you can diffuse the oil using a diffuser, vaporizer or distiller.

8. Improves Oral Health

It is extremely imperative to maintain proper oral hygiene habits and ensure the maintenance of oral health because you use it for communication purposes. Bergamot oil helps to heal infected teeth and protects them from developing cavities as well as inhibits the growth of other mouth-related diseases due to its germ-fighting and antiseptic properties. As such, it prevents bacteria buildup in your mouth. Because of its citrus-like qualities, it also helps to get rid of bad breath to give your mouth a refreshing burst of freshness.

How to Use it: You can mix 1-2 drops of bergamot oil into your toothpaste or add it into warm water to be used as a gargle mixture, making sure that you do not ingest the mixture.

Safety Precautions:

• Bergamot essential oil should not be used on pregnant and nursing mothers.

• Children should not take the bergamot oil in large dosages.

• Bergamot essential oil can possibly make your skin more sensitive to the sun so it is best to avoid going into direct sunlight for a minimum of 24 hours after using the oil on your skin.

• You should always store bergamot oil in dark bottles as one of its components, alpha bergaptene, can become poisonous if exposed to sunlight.

• Before applying it topically onto the skin, be sure to dilute it with a carrier oil and perform a skin patch test first.

• Bergamot oil may lower blood sugar levels in people who have diabetes and might result in blood pressure levels falling too low. Therefore, it is important to check with a medical expert and seek for professional health advice before using bergamot oil as a form of treatment for your various ailments.

• Do not use bergamot oil for at least 2 weeks prior to going to surgery.

References:

Fisher K, Phillips CA, “The effect of lemon, orange and bergamot essential oils and their components on the survival of Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli o157, Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus in vitro and in food systems”, Journal of Applied Microbiology (2006); 101(6)

Bagetta G, et al., “Neuropharmacology of the essential oil of bergamot”, Pubmed (2010); 81(6)

Hongratanaworakit T, “Aroma-therapeutic effects of massage blended essential oils on humans”, Journal of Natural Product Communications (2011); 6(8)