Bergamot is a type of citrus fruit native to Italy, and essential oils from the peel and the extract from the juice are used to make medicine. Bergamot oil has several active chemicals and is commonly used as aromatherapy. When applied to the skin, the chemicals in bergamot oil can make the skin sensitive to sunlight. Bergamot is used for high levels of cholesterol or other fats in the blood, anxiety, mental alertness, joint pain, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these other uses.
Positive effects:
- Bergamot extract taken by mouth seems to lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad") cholesterol levels in people with high cholesterol.
- Several studies have shown that bergamot may help to reduce overall cholesterol and “bad” LDL cholesterol. It may also help to increase “good” HDL cholesterol and has the potential to be an effective supplement to cholesterol drugs.
- Studies have shown that an aromatherapy blend that includes bergamot may help with depression symptoms in older adults, people with terminal cancer, and women who are at high risk of postpartum depression.
- Supplementing with bergamot may help reduce inflammation, lower blood glucose, and help prevent cardiovascular disease.
- Bergamot essential oil has been found to reduce inflammation, lower cholesterol levels, and increase positive mood.
- Bergamot oil and its major active components, namely limonene, linalyl acetate, and linalool, have demonstrated anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties.
Negative effects:
- When applied to the skin, the chemicals in bergamot oil can make the skin sensitive to sunlight.
- Bergamot oil should be diluted before applying to the skin.
- Bergamot oil can interfere with certain medications, so its important to talk to a doctor before using it.
Ingredients or materials:
- Bergamot essential oil consists of a volatile fraction (average 95%) and a non-volatile fraction (5% or residual). Chemically, it is a complex mixture of many classes of organic substances, particularly in the volatile fraction, including terpenes, esters, alcohols, and aldehydes, and for the non-volatile fraction, oxygenated heterocyclic compounds as coumarins and furanocoumarins.
- The main compounds in bergamot oil are limonene, linalyl acetate, linalool, γ-terpinene, and β-pinene, and in smaller quantities geranial and β-bisabolene.
