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Effects of Bergamot Oil

Even if you have never heard of bergamot oil, you probably know its citrusy scent. Bergamot, made from the outer peel of bitter oranges, is used to create an attractive aroma in cosmetic and deodorant products, as well as to flavor some foods and beverages, including Earl Grey tea. Like most aromatherapy scents, bergamot can be used for a variety of healing purposes, but also has some side effects.

  1. Mental and Emotional Benefits

    • Aromatherapists prescribe bergamot to ease anxiety, irritability, insomnia, stress and fatigue. It can increase mental clarity while lifting people out of the fog of depression. The sweet-tart bitter orange scent has the ability to "disperse stagnant Chi," according to Gabriel Mojay, author of "Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit."

    Physical Healing

    • Bergamot oil has antibiotic, antiseptic, disinfectant and analgesic properties. It has been used against an array of health complaints, including cystitis, arthritis and malaria. It eases the pain of many skin conditions ranging from chicken pox to vitiligo to psoriasis. It can speed the healing of wounds and help prevent skin dryness and cracking. Bergamot is also used as a natural insect repellent. It prevents nausea and stimulates digestion, assisting in nutrient absorption and decomposition of sugars, thus helping to lower blood sugar levels.

    Skin Side Effects

    • If using bergamot to treat skin conditions, use low concentrations of the essential oil (1 percent) and avoid sunlight or UV light for 72 hours. One of the components of bergamot, bergaptene, becomes toxic with sun exposure. Rashes and pathological cellular alterations of skin can result if bergamot-treated skin is exposed to sunlight.

    Internal Side Effects

    • Do not consume large quantities of products containing bergamot oil. Bergaptene, one of the chief active ingredients in bergamot, can alter potassium channels in the body, resulting in serious, if temporary, consequences, including muscle cramps, twitching and blurred vision. A 2002 issues of the British medical journal "Lancet" reported on these effects in a 44-year-old man who drank over a gallon of Earl Grey tea, which contains bergamot, on a daily basis.

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