Aromatherapy: Learn The Secrets Of Bergamot

Lush green leaves and tiny, white star-shaped flowers cover the branches of the bergamot tree, which can attain a height of sixteen feet. It bears a pear-shaped yellow fruit that is smaller than an orange and was once called the bergamot pear. The bergamot tree is the result of the crossbreeding of the lemon tree and the bitter orange tree, which created the bergamot hybrids Citrus bergamia and Citrus aurantium, subspecies bergamia.

A member of the Rutaceae family, bergamot originated in tropical Asia. Farmers in most countries have had little or no success in cultivating the tree commercially. Today, bergamot grows in the Ivory Coast in Africa, in the Calabria region of Italy and in Sicily.

A simple pressing or expression of the rinds of the sour green fruit renders a pale emerald green oil. It has a flowery lemon-orange smell with a slightly sweet balsamic undertone. The best-quality oil is hand-pressed. Peels from 1,000 bergamot fruits yield about thirty ounces of oil.

Beauty Benefits

Bergamot oil's antiseptic action makes it useful for the treatment of acne and skin infections. Its astringent quality helps regulate excessive oiliness of the skin or scalp. Its deodorizing action can freshen your body, your home or your office. Bergamot oil also repels insects and soothes insect bites. Along with neroli, orange and rosemary, bergamot was a component of the original eau de cologne. Modern perfumers prize it for the fruity floral bouquet it imparts to their creations.

Emotional Effects

Bergamot oil is refreshing and uplifting. It acts as a stimulant and tonic to balance the emotions. Research conducted in Italy indicates that bergamot oil relieves feelings of fear and anxiety, diminishes depression and sadness, and calms anger. Studies show that it equalizes emotions and moods by balancing the activity of the hypothalamus. Smelling bergamot oil can stabilize a person in a shaky emotional state. Bergamot oil evokes feelings of happiness and joy, and can restore self-confidence. During times of sadness or grieving, bergamot oil helps to heal emotional wounds and can inspire or restore loving feelings.

Reprinted from Aromatherapy for Vibrant Health and Beauty by Roberta Wilson with permission of Avery Books, a member of Penguin Putnam Inc. Copyright © 1995 by Roberta Wilson.

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