Bergamot
Useful properties, essential oil and contraindications to the use of bergamot
Bergamot is an interesting tree of amazing beauty
Bergamot is a citrus medicinal, perennial and aromatic plant. This evergreen tree can be up to 10 meters high. Flowers during the flowering period are fragrant, can be either single or connected in bunches. The bergamot fruit is a berry whose shape resembles a ball, sometimes flattened, very similar to an orange (which is why bergamot is called an orange-bergamot). The diameter of the fruit is 6–7 cm. Outside, the fruit is covered with a three-layer shell. The bergamot skin is easily peeled from the fruit slices. The bergamot pulp is very juicy and contains few seeds. The bergamot fruit tastes very pleasant, slightly sour, but much less than lemon. However, if we talk about bitterness, then bergamot bypasses grapefruit by far.
Bergamot bloom begins in April-May, and the fruits ripen from November to January. Bergamot is very common in Italy and Asia. It is widely bred in Southeast Asia. Bergamot is unpretentious to soil, resistant to drought, loves moisture and light.
On the branches of the plant there are many thorns, each of which is 10 cm in length. Bergamot can be grown indoors, just like lemon.
Bergamot is very fond of summer residents not only because of its pleasant aroma, but also because it has such bright and beautiful pink flowers.
Benefits of bergamot
Bergamot is an antiseptic, it has the ability to heal wounds, which is why it is used to make various tonic lotions, the purpose of which is to relieve skin irritations. In addition to all this, bergamot is an integral part of cosmetics that cleanse the skin of acne.
Due to its antiseptic properties, bergamot normalizes the respiratory, urinary and digestive systems.
Bad mood? And here bergamot will help. It is enough just to smell this wonderful fruit - and your mood immediately rises and improves. For the same reason bergamot is used in the treatment of stress and depression (for example, postpartum depression).
The healing properties of bergamot
Bergamot has a tonic effect. The plant is used as an antiviral agent for colds, flu. And also bergamot helps with colds instead of an antipyretic agent.
Bergamot also has anti-inflammatory properties. Bergamot oil heals burns, insect bites, eczema, varicose ulcers and psoriasis.
Bergamot contains substances that normalize blood pressure and cure vegetative vascular dystonia.
Bergamot stabilizes the secretion of sweat and sebaceous glands (for mixed and oily skin), has antiparasitic and antifungal effects.
Bergamot is a powerful aphrodisiac, in other words, it is a source of inexhaustible erotic powers, fantasy and great imagination.
Bergamot essential oil. Applying bergamot oil to hair
Bergamot essential oil is widely used in cosmetology for the reason that it calms the nervous and skin systems, moisturizes and nourishes cells and penetrates deeply into the very structure of hair and skin.
From the fruits of bergamot, or rather from their skin, essential oil is extracted. For this, only unripe fruits - "orange nuts" are useful. And at the moment, the latest technology allows you to extract essential oil from both the leaves and flowers of this amazing plant.
Essential bergamot oil contains many unique components that are in many ways superior to any artificial drugs. The essential oil contains bergapten, which produces melanin in skin cells and stimulates hair growth. In addition to bergapten, essential oil contains medicinal substances such as linalson, linalyl acetate and limonene.
Bergamot essential oil is perfect as a hair remedy for people who have excessively active sebaceous glands on the scalp. The oil has a high concentration, which is why it must be used in minimal doses.
Let's take an example of aroma combing of hair with bergamot essential oil. So, you need a wooden comb, then you need to apply 2-3 drops of this oil to the teeth of the comb and comb your hair well. First, you start moving in the direction from the back of the head to the forehead, then from the forehead you move to the back of the head, then from one temple to the other, and vice versa. During a thorough brushing, the bergamot oil will cover the hair with a thin film, thereby nourishing it.
Bergamot essential oil can be used in other ways - for example, add it to a traditional hair mask.
Bergamot use
Bergamot has long been used in folk medicine. It relaxes blood vessels, normalizes the functions of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract. Rubbing bergamot oil on the stomach area will improve digestion.
Bergamot is used as a means to destroy microbes, relieve inflammation. Ingredients made from bergamot kill lice, fleas and fungi on the skin.
Bergamot is a medicine that is more suitable for the male half of humanity. It enhances their "sexual power".
Bergamot will help with skin diseases: abscess, scabies, ulcers, herpes and acne. It is used for diseases of the respiratory system such as tuberculosis, tonsillitis, bronchitis.
In addition to these diseases, bergamot can help with cystitis, colic, fever, stomatitis, vaginal itching, gonorrhea and other various diseases.
Contraindications to the use of bergamot
Bergamot contains furocoumarins. These substances have photosensitizing properties that lead to severe skin pigmentation. Therefore, do not rub with bergamot oil in the summer or before going to the solarium. It is especially dangerous to use bergamot products for allergy sufferers.
As for what concentration the essential oil should be, it must be diluted 1:10 before use, as undiluted oil will irritate the skin.
The author of the article: Sokolova Nina Vladimirovna | Phytotherapist
Education: Diploma in "General Medicine" and "Therapy" received at the Pirogov University (2005 and 2006). Advanced training at the Department of Phytotherapy at the Peoples' Friendship University of Moscow (2008).
