| Angelica Essential Oil |
| Aniseed Essential Oil |
| Basil Essential Oil |
| BAY Leaves Essential Oil |
| BENZOE Essential Oil |
| Bergamont Essential Oil |
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| Lemon |
The lemon conjures
up images of freshness and cleanliness. Many commercial household
products borrow the lemon scent as a symbol for superior cleaning,
freshening, and disinfecting properties. However, all these
lemon scents clearly do not come from the fruit of the lemon
tree. Usually, a synthetic citral, produced from isopren, a
methylheptenon or dehydrolinalool compound is used. Natural
citral, however, can also be produced from much less expensive
plants like lemongrass and Litsea cubeba, a tree that grows
in China.
Some countries require that the lemon oil offered in pharmacies
contain a certain percentage of natural citral. The amount of
this substance in the plant is affected by weather conditions.
The natural citral in lemon oil may be insufficient, under adverse
conditions. That’s why lemongrass and synthetic citral
are sometimes used to bring the product up to specifications.
Sicily, with its reputation for producing the best lemon oil,
became very concerned about these regulations and asked the
Italian government to disallow importation of citral into the
country. German manufacturers of citral simply changed the name
of their product, thereby circumventing Italian law. Little
stands in the way of falsifying the essential lemon oil, particularly
since the presence of citral from sources other than lemon cannot
be detected, even with the aid of a gas chromatograph.
For reasons of commerce, big companies subject essential lemon
oil to further alterations. When the oil is used for the food
and drink industry, it must mix easily with other substances
and therefore be separated from its natural waxy component.
The wax will drop out by cooling the essential oil to about
1040 F. For aromatherapy, however, every essential oil must
be kept intact. The oil’s effectiveness depends upon the
delicate balance of all its different components. For therapeutic
use only unadulterated lemon oil is acceptable.
The essential oil of the lemon is located in the skin of the
fruit. The skin is cold-pressed and the substance is then separated
in a centrifuge. Prior to the invention of the centrifuge, the
skin was pressed by hand into a sponge. This method guarantees
that everything in the skin is passed on to the essential oil—which
includes any pesticides, if the trees have been treated. It
is important to ask for oil from organically grown trees. Like
all citrus tree oils, lemon oil has a shelf life of about 8
to 10 months. Larger quantities should be refrigerated, since
the oil is sensitive to light and heat. To guarantee longer
shelf life, a stabilizer is often added to lemon oil intended
for general use. Such an oil is also unacceptable for aromatherapy.
The purchase of essential lemon oil for aromatherapy is therefore
a delicate matter for dealers. Their only real guarantee is
direct contact with the producer.
Here’s an excerpt from my notebook, Easter vacation in
Sicily: “Everything around me glows in brilliant yellow
colors. Small trees carry an abundance of bright yellow fruits.
Likewise, the ground underneath the trees is like a lemon yellow
carpet, ‘woven’ from the yellow flowers of the ‘sour~
clover.” The clover passes its acid on to the lemon fruit.
Lemon trees need an abundance of light and warmth—they
are much more sensitive to cold than the orange tree—and
cannot tolerate shade.
The trees bear fruit year-round, with distinctly different degrees
of ripeness—from deep green to rich, full yellow. In between
the fruits are the white, star-shaped blossoms which in Sicily
still carry the old Arabian name zagara. One tree produces on
average about 200 pounds of fruit in a year, which will yield
about 1 pound of essential oil. Most oil is produced from the
green fruit.
In addition to the well known lemon, Citrus limon, farmers in
Sicily also grow Citrus medica. These deep green lemons are
much more sour, have a much thicker skin, and are preferred
for manufacturing candied lemon peel, used for baking at Christmas.
The essential oil of Citrus medica is rare. Its fragrance is
richer and more fruity than that of the ordinary lemon. The
lemon tree came to Sicily from Arabia in the 12th century; in
Sicily the tree has undergone further cultivation. Originally
at home in Asia, it is now grown primarily around the Mediterranean
and in America.
In aromatherapy the essential lemon oil has a wide range of
applications.
Surprisingly, in some aromatherapy publications it is no longer
mentioned. Since I use the oil extensively in my practice, I
have devoted a lengthy chapter to it. It is beneficial for both
physical and psychological problems. Lemon oil is an essential
oil with high vibrations, comparable to a high-toned whistle.
Sandalwood, in comparison, “hums like a bumblebee.”
Essential oils with high vibrations lift spirits, especially
when one may be feeling mental fatigue. Although lemon oil is
beneficial for both physical and psychological heaviness, it
mostly stimulates the mind— increasing concentration and
the ability to memorize.
Brain research concerned with the effects of fragrances has
found that lemon oil primarily activates the center of the hippocampus.
Scientists in Japan have studied the effect of lemon oil on
the ability to concentrate. They found that typing mistakes
were reduced by 54 percent when essential lemon oil was disbursed
in the room. In times of confusion, the essential oil helps
clear the mind and aids the decision making process. It does
this very effectively during times of psycholog ical turmoil.
In contrast to emotionally stimulating oils, like jasmine and
ylang-ylang, this essential oil is a rational oil. The oil is
helpful in calming stormy emotional outbursts or avoiding them
altogether.
The lemon tree requires strong light and has been used as a
symbol for the color yellow. It has been assigned to the stone
citrin, a transparent, yellowish crystal. Both essential lemon
oil and the crystal are helpful for shedding light on dubious
situations and emotional problems. Lemon oil is often recommended
for use in the aroma lamp at desks of people involved in intellectual
tasks. It works well in combination with hyssop. As a mercury
oil it stimulates communication. In contrast to lemongrass oil,
it conveys a definite warmth, which brings a sense of fun to
intellectual pursuits.
Lemon oil has high antibacterial properties. The vapor of the
oil helps kill meningococcus germs. Typhus germs may be killed
in less than an hour; germs causing pneumonia in three to four
hours; staphylococcus germs in five minutes. Its antiseptic
properties will last for twenty days. It is perfect for destroying
air-borne germs in hospital rooms, waiting rooms, and schools.
The essential oil is particularly effective when used in aroma
lamps and diffusers. In England, where aromatherapy is extensively
used in hospitals, this oil, among others, is used in patients’
rooms. It is particularly effective in neutralizing unpleasant
body odors of patients suffering from cancer, and it is psychologically
strengthening to usually depressed and fearful patients.
For colds or throat and mouth infections, gargling with lemon
oil (2 drops diluted in a half glass of water) and taking lemon
oil orally by adding it to a propolis tincture is helpful. For
asthma, the oil is also beneficial taken orally in combination
with other oils used to treat asthma, like Roman chamomile and
hyssop, as well as in an aroma lamp and room diffuser. Taken
internally and used for leg compresses, the oil also reduces
fever. Here, a cold compress to which lemon oil has been added
is very soothing.
For treatment of itchy eczemas, add lemon oil to a sponge bath—i
to 2 drops to a quart of water. For childhood illnesses accompanied
by itching skin, like measles, such a sponge bath is a great
relief. Since oils strengthen vascular tissues, it is used for
treating varicose veins. It may be applied in skin lotions and
compresses, mixed in a i-to-i ratio with cypress oil. Taken
orally it strengthens the heart and prevents the onset of arteriosclerosis.
Lemon oil stimulates red blood cell formation, and because of
its vitamin C content, it is beneficial for treating anemia.
Merely the sight of a lemon creates a sour taste in the mouth.
But taken orally it is not an acidifier. On the contrary, it
produces an alkaline reaction inside the body. That makes lemon
a good heartburn remedy and beneficial for treating high body
acidity.
Poor nutrition often leads to an acid-base imbalance. Refined
flour, oil, sugar, tea, coffee, too much pork, and overcooked
food create a high level of body acid. This may be the root
cause of many illnesses, particularly rheumatism and gout. Raw
vegetables, unrefined grain products, and herbal teas introduce
the alkaline foods needed to reestablish a healthy pH balance.
Essential lemon oil taken orally will help counteract a high
acid content in body fluids by stimulating production of potassium
carbonate, a neutralizing substance. In combination with the
oil of queen of the meadow, lemon oil is a preferred remedy
for rheumatism and gout, since it cleanses the body of uric
acid, a side effect of high acidity. In this case, the oil may
be taken both orally and topically.
The oil is a very good stimulant of the body’s own immune
system. It activates white blood cell formation and helps protect
the body during flu epidemics. For strengthening the immune
system, it may be combined with angelica. The oil has been recommended
for treating urethra infections, along with sandalwood oil.
Lemon and savory oils combined may be taken orally or in a sitz
bath and have been considered beneficial in treatment of male
sterility.
Lemon oil acts as an astringent, an antiseptic, a disinfectant,
and a styptic that stops wounds from bleeding. While one may
use the oil undiluted, it will sting. In combination with arnica
tincture diluted with boiled water in a 1-to-3 ratio, it becomes
an excellent remedy when used in a compress or as a cleanser
for treating bleeding wounds. Undiluted, lemon oil, like lavender
oil, may be directly applied to insect bites to take away itching
and avoid swelling. Its healing properties and fresh fragrance
make it a wonderful addition to a sauna bath. For the sauna,
you may mix it with eucalyptus, Swiss pine, or verbena.
Lemon oil adds a refreshing note to massage oils, in which it
acts as a muscle tonic. The oil is frequently added to cologne
water. Use it to make your own aftershave lotion, shower gel,
cologne water, and refreshing perfumes.
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