This clean smelling citrus essential oil is not only good for helping you make decisions and to improve your concentration, but cuts down on acidity in the body - thereby assisting the digestion, as well as with rheumatism, arthritis and gout, while also sorting out cellulite, abscesses, boils, carbuncles and acne.
Oil properties
Lemon oil has a sharp, fresh smell, is pale greenish-yellow in color and is watery in viscosity.
The shelf life of lemon oil is only 8-10 months, if it is to be used in aromatherapy, but can still be used in fragrance therapies after this time, such as vapor therapy.
Origin of lemon oil
A native of India, this evergreen tree grows up to about 6 meters (20 feet) and has dark green serrated oval leaves with pink/white flowers that are highly perfumed. The trees have thorns and fruit that turn from green to yellow on ripening.
The name is derived from the Arabic 'laimun' or the Persian 'limun'. The tree was brought to Europe by the Crusaders in the Middle Ages and the fruit has a good content of vitamins A, B and C - an ounce a day was given to sailors in the Royal Navy to alleviate scurvy and other vitamin deficiencies.
In Japan, it is used in diffusers in banks to reduce worker-error and it is a popular flavoring agent for food and perfumes.
Extraction
Lemon oil is extracted from the fresh fruit peel by cold expression.
Chemical composition
The main chemical components of lemon oil are a-pinene, camphene, b-pinene, sabinene, myrcene, a-terpinene, linalool, b-bisabolene, limonene, trans-a-bergamotene, nerol and neral.
Precautions
Non-toxic, but can cause skin irritation and sensitizing in some individuals. Since it is a photo-toxic oil, it should not be used (even in low dilution) before being exposed to the sun.
Therapeutic properties
The therapeutic properties of lemon oil are anti-anemic, antimicrobial, anti-rheumatic, anti-sclerotic, antiseptic, bactericidal, carminative, cicatrisant, depurative, diaphoretic, diuretic, feb