Lemon essential oil: benefits and how to use it in everyday life

O lemon essential oil it has been part of natural medicine for a long time. Conceição Trucom, in her book “The healing power of lemon”, says that lemon “is a food praised for millennia for its qualities”.

In Ayurvedic medicine, it is considered a great healer, ranked among the most beneficial foods known to mankind.

There are many benefits and applications of lemon oil in everyday life, making it one of the darlings of Aromatherapy. Tahiti lemon, Sicilian lemon, clove or rose, Galician lemon… there are about 100 species of lemon around the world and many of them give rise to different oils.

Here, we will talk more about the Sicilian, which is the most easily found. We will talk about the main benefits and indications, what lemon essential oil is for and if it is indicated to ingest lemon essential oil, in addition to other curiosities and tips for use.

Characteristics of lemon essential oil

You know when you squeeze a lemon and feel it in your hand? What comes out of the shell is the essential oil. To produce the bottle that you can find in specialized stores, it is extracted from the skins of the fruit by cold pressing.

Lemon essential oil has a fresh, pure and frugal scent. Incidentally, its smell is often confused with lemongrass essential oil, as both have limonene in their chemical composition, an important monoterpene, which works as a fat dissolver, antiviral and immune stimulant.

In popular culture, they are classified as tranquilizers and vasodilators, lowering blood pressure. However, they do not act on the Central Nervous System like tranquilizers. So, it doesn’t matter if you use lemongrass or lime for this purpose.

The main difference between them is that like all citric oil, which has limonene, it can be a powerful natural chemotherapybut lemon is the most effective, as it has a higher concentration of this active ingredient.

Remembering that you should never abandon medical treatment. Essential oils, like all integrative techniques, help and are complementary to treatment, but cannot solve health issues.

In addition, lemon essential oil is rich in furocoumarins, which, if exposed to the sun, can burn.

Therefore, it is photosensitive and should not be used pure on the skin, only diluted in a carrier base and, even so, avoid exposing yourself to the sun during the 24 hours after use. Even in the Aromatherapy paste, it can come into contact with the skin in the sun and burn.

Lemon essential oil: benefits

There are many therapeutic properties of lemon oil. Below, see the main ones:

antibacterialantiviralastringent anticoagulantincreases the body’s defenses and the immune systemantistressantifungalhypotensivedepurativeantisepticdetoxifyingdecongestantdiureticblood purifier

What is lemon essential oil used for

In addition to everything listed above, lemon oil has several specific indications. Used alone or with other oils, forming blends, it can help in many aspects of our life, especially emotional ones.

See some of the usage tips, as well as what not to do with it.

not emotional

Helps with the organization and clarity of ideasOrders and clears thoughtsImproves physical and mental fatigueIncreases concentrationWorks flexibilityHelps with depressive states, sadness and anguish Directs us when we need to make an important decision in lifeIncreases inner joy and optimismHelps to detoxify the liverCleans the air in the environment Emotionally Charged Helps improve people’s mood. When used on the throat chakra, it decongests it, helping the person to express themselves better. In these cases, I like to associate lemon and patchouli oils for communication. Using the energy of colors, the blue color of this chakra combined with the yellow of lemon, gives rise to the color turquoise, which emanates high frequency and effectively commands self-expression.

in cleaning

Lemon oil along with tea tree is great to use when cleaning your home, as the blend will work as an antiseptic on all surfaces. Just drip a few drops into the water you are using and clean the house. To wash dishes, mix 3 to 4 drops of lemon essential oil with a neutral dishwashing product, preferably without harmful chemicals and more natural. You will also get much more effective cleaning.

Can you ingest this oil?

Although it is recommended by many specialists to eat half a lemon (fruit) squeezed every morning on an empty stomach and/or with a pinch of salt (tip from Conceição Trucom) with a little turmeric and black pepper or even a pinch of cinnamon or ginger, as a morning shot, drip 1 to 2 drops and ingesting lemon essential oil instead of the fruit is contraindicated.It can generate adverse reactions due to the high concentration, so I don’t recommend it. And if you have gastric problems, it’s best to always talk to your doctor about it.