Let’s Talk About Bergamot Oil
The name bergamot may sound awkward, but yes, it is a plant that used to be common in Asia and Europe. Until recently, other people from other parts of the world started understanding its benefits to health and skin and started using it in their meals and skincare products.
Bergamot is a flowering plant from the citrus family. It produces fruits similar to oranges but is quite smaller than oranges and is extremely sour.
Every part of the Bergamo plant is useful in protecting and maintaining good health and perfect skin. Both the essential oil and the juice extracted from this plant are edible. In other words, you can add either of them to teas, smoothies, or yogurt.
The essential oil is yanked from the peel of the plant. The process of extracting bergamot oil is quite different from that of other essential oils. Rather than steaming, bergamot oil is extracted through cold pressing. This oil contains numerous properties that are health benefits, and cosmetic industries do not joke with it because it gives the skin a touch of freshness and succulence.
Hence why, it is added to many skincare products. Due to its natural calming scent, cologne industries use it as one of their cologne ingredients. Have you tried a bergamot-laden cologne? You should.
In addition, it is a great ingredient choice in the kitchen. It gives foods a nice aroma, but it also adds mouth-watering flavor to foods. The juice from the bergamot plant is mostly used to this effect (cooking), and it takes a lot of processing to result in a sweet, savory juice. This is because the original taste of the fruit is sour.
Having understood what bergamot looks like, what it tastes like, and what it is used for, it is important to delve into other things. Let’s look at how the oil extract from the peel of this amazing plant can improve health and help maintain a healthy you.
Health Benefits of Bergamot Essential Oil
According to research, bergamot essential oil can be used for skin care and rejuvenation. Still, it can also be added to foods and meals to build the immune system, ensure a healthy metabolic process, and the thorough breakdown of food in the body.
It is also known to be effective at renewing the body by eliminating free radicals that may cause cell damage. It is also a natural anti-aging oil that also speeds up the healing of wounds. What is more? Bergamot essential oil is packed with antibacterial compounds, which makes it stand out among other essential oils.
Other ways through which bergamot essential oil can impact your health positively include;
Aids Metabolism
Thanks to its stimulating effects, bergamot oil, when added to teas, smoothies, or yogurts, stimulates the sufficient secretion of hormones that speed up the metabolic rate of the body.
Insulin and other hormones get secreted in healthy amounts upon bergamot’s contact with the body. Through its stimulating effect on insulin, high blood sugar automatically drops to healthy levels. Apart from blood sugar regulation,
it also aids digestion and speeds up all the other bodily processes. From digestion to absorption of nutrients, conversion of food to energy, and excretion, bergamot oil is effective through all these processes. It stimulates hormones that ensure that these processes are carried out smoothly and effectively.
Relieves Stress
When the brain releases dopamine and serotonin, stress, anxiety, and mood disorders fizzle out. Bergamot is known to trigger the brain to release these compounds. In other words, bergamot is an essential oil that can help reduce stress and mood disorders like anxiety and depression. Studies carried out on some women in Asia showed that they had better moods after inhaling bergamot essential oil.
Anxiety and depression are two major mood or psychological disorders that cannot stand bergamot. Experts also believe that adding bergamot oil to teas and taking them regularly can help improve mood and relieve stress.
May Reduce Bad Cholesterol
The internet is filled with stories and content about how bad cholesterol is for the body. Although, this is partially true, as not all cholesterols are bad. There are 2 types of cholesterols, namely LDL and HDL. The former is the bad one that the internet talks about, while the latter is the good one that you need in your body.
Bergamot, according to studies, has been linked with the possibility of reducing bad cholesterol (LDL) and increasing good one (HDL). Drinking teas made with bergamot juice or essential oil regularly can help reduce the level of LDL (bad cholesterol) in the body and help maintain a healthy level of good cholesterol (HDL).
Relieves Pain
Due to its pain relief properties, bergamot essential oil can speed up the pain relief process when applied to the affected area. In addition, when the oil is massaged directly into the skin, it helps reduce muscle soreness and spasm.
This oil is used as traditional pain relief by many people in different parts of the world. Also, apart from physical pain, drinking teas and taking yogurts and smoothies that have bergamot in them can help reduce stress and help you relax. Bergamot oil can also be massaged into the forehead to reduce headaches.
Although research is still ongoing to confirm this. However, people who have tried it for headaches have recorded significant improvement.
Prevents and Eliminates Infection
Bergamot essential oil is packed with antibacterial and antifungal properties. This makes it a great natural disinfectant. It can be used to clean surfaces to get rid of germs. It can also be used to clean wounds. In this case, not only does it rid the wounds of germs and infections, but it also scurries the healing process of the wounds.
Furthermore, experts claim that adding a few drops of bergamot essential oil to your bathing water regularly can help prevent or eliminate infections by up to 85%. What is more? Bergamot essential oil, when ingested, can clear the gut and other parts of the digestive tract of infections.
Combats Food Poisoning
Studies have shown that bergamot essential oil is capable of eliminating certain bacteria that can cause food poisoning. Some of these bacteria include; campylobacter jejuni, bacillus cereus, staphylococcus aureus, and E. coli O157, among others.
You cannot be too careful with foods when trying to avoid food poisoning. Some of the bacteria that induce food poisoning hide behind vegetables, chicken skin, and many others. Washing them thoroughly and cooking them well will help reduce the chances of poisoning.
However, if you ever fall victim to food poisoning, you should try ingesting two drops of bergamot oil three times a day for relief.
Bergamot Essential Oil is an Awesome Skincare Oil
Skin conditions varying from acne to eczema and premature aging that comes with wrinkles, among others, can be treated at home easily with a bergamot oil skin regimen. Apart from skin conditions, if you need healthy, supple, and shiny skin, you should be thinking of adding bergamot essential oil to your skincare products.
Begin with two or three drops of bergamot essential oil in your bathing water or bathing soap. Then, after the bath, dry your skin with a soft towel and apply bergamot essential oil to your skin. Or, you can churn it with your other skincare products. This bergamot oil skincare procedure is appropriate for both skin conditions treatment and mere skin maintenance.
It is important to note that exposing your skin to direct sunlight after applying bergamot oil to your skin can cause skin damage. Thus, you should apply the oil at night after a bath or apply it during the day when you are sure you will not get exposed to the sun.
Grows and Strengthens the Hair
Bergamot essential oil does not only prevent or eliminate hair conditions like dandruff, but it also ensures the swift growth of the hair. It does this by unclogging the hair pores on the scalp, causing the hair to grow out rapidly. In addition, it gives the hair a shiny color, maintains the texture of the hair, and prevents the hair from unnecessary breakage.
You can apply bergamot essential oil directly to your scalp or hair, or you can mix it with your other hair care products.
Conclusion
Bergamot essential oil is one amazing home remedy for various conditions. It boosts the immune system, leaves you infection-free, protects your skin and hair, and combats pain and muscle soreness.
