Waking up in the morning and having a warm glass of lemon water can be a “moving and cleansing experience.” But, the power of lemon essential oil goes far beyond that. In my blog, Why Meditation (& Stress Relief) Is Natural Medicine, I mentioned how lemon can be used as natural remedy to calm the mind. Furthermore, lemon’s most active constituents, d-limonene, is being studied for its anticancer effects and immune-modulating properities. According to an article from Alternative Medical Review:
Being a solvent of cholesterol, d-limonene has been used clinically to dissolve cholesterol-containing gallstones. Because of its gastric acid neutralizing effect and its support of normal peristalsis, it has also been used for relief of heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux (GERD). D-limonene has well-established chemopreventive activity against many types of cancer. Evidence from a phase I clinical trial demonstrated a partial response in a patient with breast cancer and stable disease for more than six months in three patients with colorectal cancer.
Essential oils also have a strong antioxidant capacity. This means that doing something as simple as using that drop of lemon oil in your water daily could also be a powerful way to keep your body’s blood vessels healthy.
I recently was awed by lemon when I read an abstract that demonstrated that lemon essential oil has the ability to protect against the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, the “bad” cholesterol. If this cholesterol molecule is oxidized it can promote heart disease. Lemon’s gamma-terpinene content is what is thought to be the main constituent responsible for this protective effect.
Another amazing article I read on the power of lemon oil was entitled “Lemon Rx: 12 Evidence-Based Reasons Why it is a Powerful Medicine.”
In the article, lemon had the following effects:
- Assisting with healthy digestion
- Assisting with maintaining an ideal weight
- Supporting circulation
- Preventing oral yeast from growing
- Mood support
- Modulating inflammatory responses
Make sure you read the article for the other 6 reasons.
To learn more about essential oils visit my essential oils website.
Disclaimer: This information is applicable ONLY for therapeutic, Grade A essential oils. This information DOES NOT apply to essential oils that have not been AFNOR and ISO standardized. I use Young Living Essential Oils.
There is no quality control in the United States and oils labeled as “100% pure” need only contain 5% of the actual oil. The rest of the bottle can be filled with fillers and sometimes toxic ingredients that can irritate the skin.
This information is for information purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prescribe for any illness.
References:
Sun, J. D-Limonene: safety and clinical applications. Altern Med Rev. 2007 Sep;12(3):259-64.
J Grassmann, D Schneider, D Weiser, E F Elstner. Antioxidative effects of lemon oil and its components on copper induced oxidation of low density lipoprotein. Arzneimittelforschung. 2001 Oct;51(10):799-805. PMID: 11715632
Ji, S. Lemon Rx: 12 Evidence-Based Reasons Why It is A Powerful Medicine. GreenMedInfo.com. June 8, 2014.
Youdim KA1, Deans SG. Dietary supplementation of thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) essential oil during the lifetime of the rat: its effects on the antioxidant status in liver, kidney and heart tissues. Mech Ageing Dev. 1999 Sep 8;109(3):163-75.
Jung Hee Cha, Sun Hee Lee, Yang Sook Yoo. [Effects of aromatherapy on changes in the autonomic nervous system, aortic pulse wave velocity and aortic augmentation index in patients with essential hypertension]. J Korean Acad Nurs. 2010 Oct;40(5):705-13. PMID: 21157172
Myung-Ae Kim, Jung-Kyu Sakong, Eun-Jin Kim, Eun-Ha Kim, Eun-Ha Kim. [Effect of aromatherapy massage for the relief of constipation in the elderly]. Taehan Kanho Hakhoe Chi. 2005 Feb;35(1):56-64. PMID: 15778557
Myung-Haeng Hur, Joohyang Park, Wendy Maddock-Jennings, Dong Oak Kim, Myeong Soo Lee. Reduction of mouth malodour and volatile sulphur compounds in intensive care patients using an essential oil mouthwash. J Nutr. 2002 Apr;132(4):703-7. PMID: 17380550
Marta Rossi, Werner Garavello, Renato Talamini, Carlo La Vecchia, Silvia Franceschi, Pagona Lagiou, Paola Zambon, Luigino Dal Maso, Cristina Bosetti, Eva Negri. Flavonoids and risk of squamous cell esophageal cancer. Arch Intern Med. 2000 Apr 10;160(7):1009-13. PMID: 17192901
S C Wright, J E Maree, M Sibanyoni. Treatment of oral thrush in HIV/AIDS patients with lemon juice and lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) and gentian violet. Phytomedicine. 2009 Mar;16(2-3):118-24. Epub 2008 Dec 23. PMID: 19109001
Enza Maria Galati, Antonia Cavallaro, Tommaso Ainis, Maria Marcella Tripodo, Irene Bonaccorsi, Giuseppe Contartese, Maria Fernanda Taviano, Vincenzo Fimiani. Anti-inflammatory effect of lemon mucilage: in vivo and in vitro studies. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol. 2005;27(4):661-70. PMID: 16435583
J Grassmann, D Schneider, D Weiser, E F Elstner. Antioxidative effects of lemon oil and its components on copper induced oxidation of low density lipoprotein. Arzneimittelforschung. 2001 Oct;51(10):799-805. PMID: 11715632
Migiwa Komiya, Takashi Takeuchi, Etsumori Harada. Lemon oil vapor causes an anti-stress effect via modulating the 5-HT and DA activities in mice. Behav Brain Res. 2006 Sep 25;172(2):240-9. Epub 2006 Jun 15. PMID: 16780969
