Lemon essential oil is probably the most familiar to essential oil lovers. As a daily maintenance, my family and I are used to using 1~2 drops of cold white water every morning. I saw this article in Dr. Axe two days ago, but I was still attracted by the new scientific research (the last paragraph). Some of them are heard for the first time, so I translated them and shared them with you. Who says there is no scenery in a familiar place?

The article reads as follows

Want to support metabolism, nourish skin, clean, and learn some incredible DIY recipes for essential oils? If so, then you will want to start learning all the benefits and uses of lemon essential oil.

Lemon is the most famous because it has the ability to remove toxins from any part of the body and is widely used to stimulate lymphatic drainage, restore energy, purify the skin and act as an insect repellent.

According to a study published in the International Journal of Food Microbiology last year, lemon essential oil may actually be the most powerful antimicrobial agent of all essential oils. (Antibacterial activity here may refer to broad spectrum, but if it refers to "antibacterial" or "antifungal" alone, lemon is obviously not the most powerful).

Another study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology and Medicine found that smelling lemon essential oil can improve the activity of nervous system, thus promoting the decomposition of body fat.

Lemon essential oil is one of the most important essential oils at hand, which can be used as tooth whitening agent, laundry freshener, fat-reducing cream, facial cleanser, household cleaner and so on.

What we can tell you is that Ayurvedic medicine (the oldest medical system in India) has widely used lemon or lemon essential oil to regulate health for at least 1000 years. The health benefits of lemon essential oil have been scientifically confirmed.

Benefits of lemon essential oil

Dr. J.V. Hebbar, an assistant professor at Alva Ayurveda Medical College, believes that the benefits of lemon include:

Ten uses of lemon essential oil

As you can expect, in addition to all these medicinal effects, there is also a list of applications of lemon essential oil, which lists my ten favorite ones:

1. Laundry-If you leave your clothes in the washing machine for too long, just add a few drops of lemon essential oil and your clothes won't have that unpleasant smell. You can put it in water and rinse it clean.

2. Tooth whitening-Mix lemon essential oil, baking soda and coconut oil, rub teeth for 2 minutes, and then rinse. (The story of essential oil sent an article "What happens when you add a drop of essential oil when you brush your teeth?" , reconfirmed here)

3. clean your hands-when repairing cars and bicycles, your hands are greasy, but ordinary soap doesn't work? Don't worry, just add a few drops of lemon essential oil to the soap and you can wash your hands!

4. Natural disinfectant-want to disinfect your countertop, clean your moldy shower, and stay away from alcohol and bleach? Add 40 drops of lemon essential oil and 20 drops of tea tree oil to a 16 ounce (about 500ml) spray bottle, and then add purified water and a little white vinegar as traditional cleaning products.

5. facial cleanser? -Lemon essential oil can improve skin and make skin soft and smooth. Lemon essential oil deeply nourishes the skin. Lemon essential oil, baking soda and honey can be used as lemon facial cleanser, and natural materials can avoid acne. (Here, we mainly use the cleaning and sterilization function of lemon essential oil to wash it with clear water, so don't worry too much about photosensitivity. )

6. Polishing of wood and silverware-A cloth soaked with lemon essential oil is also very suitable for cleaning wood.

7. Remove stickies-Use lemon essential oil to help remove stickies left by children, such as stickers and chewing gum.

8. Help to lose weight-drop 2 drops of lemon essential oil in a water cup and drink it together, 3 times a day, which can support metabolism and play a role in losing weight. (It's best to make it cold and white)

9. Improve your mood-spreading lemon essential oil in the air can improve your mood and resist depression. (It is more economical to diffuse with ultrasonic aromatherapy machine)

10. Immune support-lemon essential oil can support lymphatic drainage and help you prevent colds. Mix with coconut oil and apply it to your neck. (Can also be used with other essential oils)

Study on lemon essential oil

At the time of writing this article, there were 5 19 scientific researches involving lemon essential oil. The secret of lemon success seems to be limonene, a powerful anti-cancer antioxidant.

Some reports even speculate that the limonene content in lemon essential oil is as high as 70%! Undoubtedly, science is rapidly catching up with the therapeutic use of 1000 years ago, and finally confirmed the application of lemon essential oil in many Ayurvedic drugs. This sentence seems ironic, as if to say that "science was born too late, and human beings have had this wisdom for a long time", but it does not mean that Ayurveda medicine is scientific. )

It is also important to note that lemon essential oil comes from cold pressed lemon peel, not pulp. Peel is the most dense part of "fat-soluble phytonutrients" in lemon.

In March this year, a study was published to evaluate the effect of lemon essential oil on nausea and vomiting during pregnancy in aromatherapy. Shockingly, among the 100 women who participated in the study, only two days later, the symptoms were reported to be significantly lower than those in the placebo group. After 4 days, nausea and vomiting in the essential oil group decreased by an average of 33%! (This ratio is very high. Supplement: The placebo group and essential oil group mentioned here refer to the most commonly used methods in clinical research: large-sample randomized double-blind controlled trial, and practical "drug" group and placebo group must be set up, and the experimental results should be compared to remove the influence of placebo effect on the experimental results)

Regarding the supplement of lemon essential oil, researchers from the Central Institute of Food Technology in India paid attention to how geraniol (a powerful phytonutrient in lemon essential oil) can help reverse diabetic neuropathy, and found that the supplement of lemon essential oil (geraniol) significantly reduced the sciatic nerve injury. Interestingly, in the eight-week study, the cell function has also been restored, which shows that regular use of lemon essential oil can help regulate our energy storage and play a role in preventing diseases, heart dysfunction and premature aging.

If this is not enough, the researchers also observed that the level of dopamine depletion has improved, which helps people overcome addiction, improve mood and resist depression. Dopamine is the source of human happiness, and its secretion level has a great influence.

Don't forget cleanliness and food quality. A study conducted by the US Department of Agriculture found that lemon essential oil was added to food to protect food from human pathogens such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella. Lemon essential oil is another reason why it is an ideal household cleaner. (What is even more attractive is that essential oils help you present different foods. The story of essential oils also published an article entitled "Food+Essential Oils, A New Attempt to Touch Taste Buds")

Finally, lemon essential oil also has research and promotion on skin health. The benefits of lemon essential oil to skin include reducing acne, nourishing damaged skin and moisturizing. You can make your own natural facial cleanser with lemon essential oil, baking soda and raw honey. Because it is facial cleanser, you don't have to worry too much about photosensitivity. If you are really worried, you can use it before going to bed at night. )