fast FACTS
ORIGIN
Europe
EXTRACTION
Pressing
MAY HELP WITH
Anxiety
Depression
Digestion
Skin conditions
Stress
fast FACTS
ORIGIN
Europe
EXTRACTION
Pressing
MAY HELP WITH
Anxiety
Depression
Digestion
Skin conditions
Stress
If you’re looking for a feel-good and uplifting essential oil to keep on hand, you can’t do much better than bergamot. Not only does it hold the power to boost your mental health, it also may soothe your stomach, calm aggravated skin, and stop pests from biting. Plus, its citrusy scent is so delightful that it’s a staple in perfumes and colognes.
The bergamot plant is a small citrus tree named for its hometown of Bergamo in Lombardi, Italy. You can also find it in Turkey and southern France. The oil itself comes from the rind of the plant’s fruit, a lemon-sour orange hybrid that ripens in winter and early spring.
Bergamot may help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.
Despite being called a “bergamot orange,” this fruit doesn’t look anything like the oranges you know and enjoy with breakfast. Instead, bergamot resembles a bumpy yellow or green pear. The oil is also light yellow or green and smells sweet, citrusy, and somewhat spicy and floral.
Bergamot is one of those versatile oils that can be useful in a number of ways. It may help you:
• Feel calm. In addition to brightening your day and helping you sleep at night, bergamot’s mood-enhancing properties may help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.
• Protect your skin. Bergamot does wonders for your skin thanks to its healing and protective qualities. It has the potential to fight acne, balance moisture, even skin tone, heal scars, calm itch, and reduce redness and irritation. Not to mention, a little dab may help you fend off a cold sore.
• Ease digestive troubles. Not only can a stomach rub with bergamot oil help relieve colic, indigestion, and flatulence, it may also stop menstrual cramps in their tracks.
Tea Time
If you enjoy Earl Grey, then you’re already a fan of bergamot. The bright and citrusy flavor profile of this British favorite comes from the bergamot orange, which is perfect for lifting spirits. (Caffeine from the black tea doesn’t hurt, either.)
• Get rid of pests. Although humans find bergamot soothing, bugs can’t stand it. That makes it an effective natural repellent for disease-spreading pests, such as ticks and mosquitos. You can even add the oil to shampoo to help repel lice.
Brightening your day and balancing your body may be as simple as infusing bergamot into:
• Massage oils. Combine a couple of drops of bergamot with lavender and coconut oil for a relaxing massage. You can also add peppermint and rub some on your stomach when experiencing digestive troubles.
• Compresses. Add 2 or 3 drops of bergamot to cold water to create a compress that may help cool you down or reduce a fever.
• Diffusers or inhalers. Diffuse bergamot with lavender or ylang-ylang for a calming scent or with peppermint or citrus for a mood booster.
• Soaps and lotions. When you want a spa experience at home, add a couple of drops of bergamot and lavender to your unscented bodywash or bubble bath. You can also add bergamot alone to unscented serums and moisturizers to soothe troubled skin.
Add bergamot to serums and moisturizers to soothe troubled skin.
Cool Down
As if bergamot wasn’t wonderful enough, it has one more handy quality: its soothing and cooling effects may help reduce fevers. Just add a couple of drops to a cold-water compress and apply it to the forehead or the back of the neck.
Some blending combinations for bergamot oil include: black pepper, chamomile, cypress, eucalyptus, geranium, lavender, lemon balm, neroli, patchouli, peppermint, rose, sandalwood, vetiver, and ylang-ylang.
Keep these tips in mind when using and storing bergamot oil:
• Keep it cool. High limonene oils such as bergamot stay freshest when kept at cool temperatures and in tightly closed containers.
• Avoid the sun. Bergamot oil is phototoxic. Avoid direct exposure to sunlight for up to 18 hours after using it.
• Don’t overdo it. The best ratio for bergamot is 1 to 3 drops of oil per 2 teaspoons or more of carrier oil.