Lemon Essential Oil
Not only is lemon one of the most recognizable scents that we have, it is also one of the most widely used components in products made with essential oils. From cosmetic and beauty products to supplying the pleasing fragrance for various cleaning products, you can find lemon in just about everything. It is been known for thousands of years that lemons themselves have major health benefits. They contain a huge amount of vitamin C, making them one of the most used citrus fruits in the world. When it comes to essential oil that is made from lemon, there are quite a few uses for that form as well.
The Basics about Lemon Essential Oil
Part of the benefit of lemon essential oil comes from the limonene that it contains. For this reason, lemons are used across the globe to make all sorts of different products from beverages to cleaning solutions. But the health benefits of lemons are what are most important when it comes to using the essential oil. The health benefits are quite numerous, helping with the digestive system, reducing stress and treating a large range of physical and mental conditions. You can find lemon in some form or another in many of the beverages that are popular, including soda.
How is Lemon Essential Oil Manufactured?
Making lemon oil doesn’t require a complicated process or specialized set of tools but in order to create the quantity of essential oil that you can actually get some benefit out of, you are either going to have to do a lot of hard work, pressing the lemons yourself, or buy your oils commercially. Lemon essential oil is manufactured by cold-pressing the lemon peel which maintains the lemon’s flavor, color and nutrient content. While some essential oils are procured through the process of distillation, distilling lemon will result in a much less pleasing scent than cold-pressing and will negate a number of benefits.
Types of Lemon Essential Oil
When it comes to essential oils, there’s really only one type of lemon that is used. This is the standard lemon that you would find in your grocery store if you went to the produce section. Some people prefer to make their own lemon essential oil through the cold-press method because lemons are so readily accessible but only a few follow this practice.
How to Use Lemon Essential Oil
As for the ways that you can use lemon essential oil are quite a few to choose from. Unlike some essential oils such as lavender, lemon essential oil is perfectly safe to ingest and can be used as a food ingredient for things like cakes, pies and beverages. In addition, lemon is used extensively in aromatherapy because of the pleasant smell that it offers. You can use it in a diffuser or add it to a massage lotion. You can even add lemon essential oil to your existing cosmetic products or apply it to areas on the skin that you are trying to heal, such as acne, warts, calluses and burns.
Composition of Lemon Essential Oil
Lemon essential oil contains a number of things, but one of the components that makes up the majority of the lemon essential oil is limonene. Generally, limonene makes up between 50 and 60 percent of lemon essential oil. Some of the other ingredients include organic compounds such as pinene, terpinene, and terpineol.
Aromatic Description of Lemon Essential Oil
When it comes to using lemon essential oil for aromatherapy purposes, the scent should be familiar to everyone. Lemon essential oil basically smells like lemons, and while citrus oils can be rather sharp and bitter, lemon is one of the nicest scents out there. Lemon may not be as sweet as similar essential oils, such as lemongrass, but it does have a unique scent that is all its own.
Precautions & Side Effects of Lemon Essential Oil
As for the side effects and precautions that you should be aware of when it comes to lemon essential oils, there really isn’t a whole lot to be concerned about. Obviously, anything that you use in excess can be bad, but if you are diffusing lemon essential oil, diluting in it in a carrier oil or only using a few drops, you should have no problems. The same recommendations go with lemon essential oil as with any other essential oil that you use – always test a patch of skin before you apply a lot of the undiluted oil, and pregnant women and children should avoid essential oils altogether.
Attributes of Lemon Essential Oil
| Attribute | X | Definition |
| analgesic | Reduces pain in muscles and joints | |
| anti-arthritic | Reduces arthritis symptoms | |
| anti-infectious | X | Prevents infection |
| anti-inflammatory | Reduces inflammation | |
| antibiotic | Keeps biotic infections from developing | |
| antidepressant | Helps to alleviate depression | |
| antiemetic | Prevents nausea and vomiting | |
| anti-galactogogue | Reduces milk supply in the body | |
| antifungal | X | Kills harmful fungal life forms |
| antimicrobial | X | Kills microbial life forms that cause disease |
| anti-neuralgic | Counteracts nerve pain | |
| anti-rheumatic | Counteracts pain from rheumatism | |
| antiseborrhoeic | Keeps the body from making an unhealthy amount of sebum | |
| antiseptic | Prevents growth of organisms which cause disease | |
| antispasmodic | Prevents spasms from occurring | |
| antiviral | Kills viral agents | |
| aperient | Relieves constipation | |
| aphrodisiac | Increases sexual desires | |
| astringent | X | Causes skin tissue to contract – to counter lines and wrinkles |
| bactericidal | Kills bacterial agents | |
| carminative | X | Prevents formation of gas in the GI tract |
| cholagogue | Assists with the discharge of bile | |
| cicatrisant | Assists in the formation of healthy scar tissue | |
| circulatory | Promotes healthy circulatory system function | |
| diaphoretic | Induces perspiration | |
| decongestant | Reduces or eliminates congestions of nasal cavities | |
| deodorant | Eliminates and prevents body odor | |
| depurative | Helps to detoxify the body | |
| Digestive | Helps with the digestion of food | |
| diuretic | Removes excess water from the body | |
| expectorant | Loosens mucous and helps clear it from the body | |
| emenagogue | Promotes healthy menstrual discharge | |
| febrifuge | Aids in the reduction of fever | |
| hepatic | Promotes healthy liver function | |
| hypotensive | Helps to lower blood pressure | |
| Insecticide | Kills certain types of insects or pests | |
| muscle relaxant | Relaxes tight muscles and prevents muscle spasms | |
| nervine | Reduces anxiety and calms the nerves | |
| sedative | Aids in calming or induces sleepiness | |
| stimulant | X | Increases physiological or nervous system activity |
| stomachic | Aids in a healthy appetite or digestion | |
| sudorific | Promotes or aids in activation of sweat glands | |
| tonic | Tones the skin or muscles | |
| vermifuge | Kills parasitic worms | |
| vulnerary | Promotes rapid healing of wounds |
What is Lemon Essential Oil Primarily Used For?
Lemon essential oil is very good at a number of things: many people prefer it to other products when it comes to skin care. Because it is astringent, detoxifying and antiseptic, it is the perfect choice to treat a variety of skin problems: from acne to renewing aging skin. Lemon essential oil is also very good at treating stress. It helps with all sorts of mental conditions, from nervousness to fatigue and helps you feel better, more alert and have more energy throughout the day. Lemon essential oil is also a great immune system booster and it helps with asthma and insomnia too.
Other Uses for Lemon Essential Oils
There are a few other uses for lemon essential oils that you should be aware of. First of all, lemon is not only added to cleansers and soaps because it smells nice. It actually makes cleaning products better. Lemon is a disinfectant and it can be used to clean all sorts of surfaces where germs live. Lemon is also added to surprisingly large number of perfumes and has other uses as well.
Recommended Combinations Involving Lemon Essential Oil
There are a few different other essential oils that you can mix lemon with. Lemon can be used with lavender quite successfully (although that should be no surprises since lavender mixes with just about everything) and it also can be used with eucalyptus, chamomile, juniper, neroli, ylang ylang and fennel.
The Final Word on Lemon Essential Oil
Lemon essential oil is truly one of the oils that are absolutely essential when it comes to using EO for health and wellness. There are many different benefits that you get when you use lemon essential oils and they can be mixed with a lot of different things. The main strength with lemon essential oils is that they are able to be used in so many different ways, from desserts and other food items to beverages, as well as cosmetic products, cleaning supplies and much more. Lemon essential oil should be a staple in your collection of essential oils.
