The lemon is the most valuable of all fruit for preserving health. – Maude Grieve, Principal and Founder of The Whins Medicinal and Commercial Herb School in Buckinghamshire, England.
A Short History Of The Lemon Plant
Lemon trees are thought to have first been grown in India and slowly traveled throughout the Middle East and Europe through migration and trade. The tree wasn’t widely cultivated for commercial purposes until around 1150 in the Mediterranean region. Even then, Europe didn’t embrace the fruit for culinary uses until the 15th century.
When Christopher Columbus reached Hispaniola in 1493, he introduced lemon seeds to the new land, where they were planted for ornamental and medical purposes. By 1751, lemon trees were being grown commercially in America, starting from California. And then in Florida by the 1800s.
Today, the top ten countries that produce lemons include Turkey, Spain, United States, Iran, Italy, India, Mexico, People’s Republic of China, Argentina and Brazil.
Lemons are still picked by hand and there is an art to harvesting the fruit. They can’t be picked when they are wet and are usually taken off from the tree when they are still green. The fruit eventually turns yellow and the pulp gets juicier. They ultimately end up in stores or an oil production facility.
Lemon Oil In Aromatherapy
There is hardly anyone who does not love the scent of lemon. It’s simply invigorating and uplifting to the mood and senses! One Japanese study found that diffusing lemon and rosemary essential oils in the morning and lavender and orange essential oils in the evening improved cognitive function in Alzheimer’s patients. In another study, workers made 54 percent fewer errors while smelling lemon, 33 percent fewer errors while smelling jasmine, and 20 percent fewer errors while smelling lavender.
Caution
Important to note: Lemon essential oil can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight. When using lemon essential oil directly on your skin, it’s important to stay out of direct sunlight for at least 8 hours and use a sunscreen while outside.
Lemon essential oil can be used as a natural astringent for skincare.
Its antiseptic properties help in treating and clearing troubled skin by removing excess oil and detoxifying the skin. Adding a few drops into your facial wash or cleanser may help in removing dead skin cells and brighten up your complexion.
Lemon Essential Oil: One Bottle, So Many Uses
Lemon essential oil is one of the most easily recognized oils because of its refreshing, energizing and uplifting scent. The health benefits of lemon oil can be attributed to its stimulating, calming, astringent, detoxifying, antiseptic, disinfectant and anti-fungal properties.
- Laundry – Did you know that adding a few drops to the final rinse of your laundry will naturally freshen up your clothes without the use of chemicals? Besides, there is also a lesser chance of skin sensitivity compared to using fabric softeners, etc.
- Calming – The scent of lemon essential oil has calming and clarifying properties that are helpful when you’re feeling angry, anxious or run down.
- Mind booster – Diffuse lemon essential oil in the room to help improve your concentration on a task at hand. Alternatively, you can also place a few drops in your hands, rub and inhale.
- Insect repellent – insects do not like the scent of lemon oil. Combine lemon with peppermint and eucalyptus essential oil along with coconut oil for an effective rub-on insect repellent.
- Immune Support – Mix a few drops of lemon oil and coconut oil and rub on the back of the neck.
