What Is Bergamot Oil?

The use of bergamot oil as a scent for perfumes has a long history. Even though today, we consider a cologne to be a scent that has a lighter concentration of essential oils, in the 1700's the original "eau de cologne" was created from a mixture that contained neroli, lavender and bergamot oil. Today bergamot has a variety of uses, including aromatherapy.

Function

There is a wide disagreement about the origin of both the name and the tree. Experts claim the tree comes from Southeast Asia and was later introduced to Europe. Some believe that Greece was its ancestral home. The name may come from the Turksih phrase "beg-armundi," which means "the lord's pear" or after the town where they first sold bergamot, Bergamo in Lombardy, Italy.

Identification

Most bergamot grows in Calabria, Italy. The tree is only about 12 feet high. The leaves are smooth, and the tree is evergreen. The fruit of the bergamot is pear shaped, but is a citrus fruit. It has flowers, which are star-shaped and blossom in the spring, produces green fruit that ripens and turns yellow. Originally scientists debated how this natural hybrid developed but now most agree that the plant is a cross between the lime tree and the bitter orange. Often people misconstrue the oil of the bergamot for the herb bergamot, which is monarda didyma and named after the bergamot tree because of its citrus smell.

Function

Bergamot oil is in many different commercial products. Earl Grey tea gets its distinctive flavor from the oil of the bergamot fruit. Bergamot is in over one third of the world's perfumes or colognes. Bergamot components are used in treatments for psoriasis. Bergamot plays an important role in aromatherapy. While bergamot oil is the primary use of the plant and comes from the skin, the juice and pulp find use in cooking.

Theories/Speculation

Use bergamot oil in aromatherapy when you feel depressed, tense or just plain stressed out. The oil has antiseptic and antibiotic qualities and is a powerful analgesic. It helps digestion and infection. Bergamot oil is a quicker picker-upper when you feel down in the dumps or just recovering from an illness. When used in burners, it's effective for respiratory problems. Blended in massage oils or put in the bath it's a treatment for PMS. When you blend bergamot oil into a base cream it can be used for acne, psoriasis, cuts, cold sores and even chicken pox.

Warning

The use of bergamot on the skin causes photosensitivity and sometimes rashes. If you use bergamot as a skin treatment or in massage oil, stay out of the sun. Ingesting too much bergamot oil from sources such as Earl Grey tea, can block the absorption of potassium.