Lemon oil

What Is Lemon Essential Oil?

Lemon, scientifically called Citrus limon, is a flowering plant that belongs to the Rutaceae family. Lemon plants are grown in many countries all over the world, although they are native to Asia and believed to have been brought to Europe around 200 A.D.

In America, English sailors used lemons while on the sea to protect themselves from scurvy and conditions caused by bacterial infections.

Lemon essential oil comes from cold-pressing the lemon peel, not the inner fruit. The peel is actually the most nutrient-dense portion of the lemon because of its fat-soluble phytonutrients.

Benefits

1. Helps Relieve Nausea

If you are looking for a way to get rid of nausea, especially if you are pregnant and experiencing morning sickness, lemon essential oil serves as a natural and effective remedy.

A 2014 double-blind, randomized and controlled critical trial investigated the effect of lemon inhalation on nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. One-hundred pregnant women with nausea and vomiting were divided into intervention and control groups, with the intervention group participants inhaling lemon essential oil as soon as they felt nauseous.

Researchers found that there was a statistically significant difference between the control and intervention groups in the mean scores of nausea and vomiting, with the lemon oil group having much lower scores. This suggests that lemon essential oil can be used as a tool for reducing nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.

2. Improves Digestion

Lemon essential oil can help soothe digestive problems, including issues like gastritis and constipation.

A 2009 animal study published in Chemical and Biological Interactions found that when lemon essential oil was given to rats, it reduced gastritis symptoms by reducing the erosion of gastric mucosa (the lining of your stomach) and working as a gastro-protective agent against stomach legions.

Another 10-day, randomized control study sought to verify the efficacy of lemon, rosemary and peppermint essential oils on constipation in the elderly. Researchers found that those in the aromatherapy group, who received abdominal massages using the essential oils, had significantly lower constipation assessment scores than those in the control group.

They also found that the number of bowel movements was higher in the experimental group. The natural constipation relief among participants in the essential oil group lasted two weeks after treatment.

3. Nourishes Skin

Lemon essential oil benefits your skin by reducing acne, nourishing damaged skin and hydrating the skin. Lab studies show that lemon oil is able to reduce cell and tissue damage in the skin that’s caused by free radicals. This is due to lemon oil’s strong antioxidant activity and anti-aging effects.

A scientific review published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine indicates that lemon essential oil is also effective against skin issues like blisters, insect bites, greasy and oily conditions, cuts, wounds, cellulite, rosacea, and viral infections of the skin like cold sores and warts. This is because lemon oil’s antimicrobial compounds work to treat dermatological conditions naturally.