Lemon Essential Oil

Sweet, sweet summertime. Oh, how I adore you! One of our favorite oils to use this time of year is lemon. It has such a happy, revitalizing scent, which makes it a staple in our diffusers on these warm days! Lemon essential oil has a hefty list of uses and benefits since it is antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory. So, now you see why it is a fan-favorite and very handy to have around! This truly is a full-body-benefiting oil. It can affect everything from your mood to your fat cells and organs. Not to mention all of the benefits it provides when you use it in cleaning sprays and skin products. Let’s get a little more specific...

Supports Cognitive Health
Lemon can have a huge impact on your mood! It boosts creativity and regulates serotonin and dopamine activity, according to mice studies, and, according to a student study, it enhances attention levels, concentration, cognitive performance, mood, and memory during learning processes. Because of its antioxidant properties, it also provides protection for neurons by scavenging free radicals.

Benefits Respiratory System
Lemon is one of the best oils that you can use to treat allergy symptoms. It is anti-inflammatory and will help to kill airborne bacteria and potential allergens when diffused. It can lessen the immune response to allergens in the first place, making symptoms less severe. When inhaled or applied topically, it helps to encourage lymphatic drainage which can aid coughs, congestion, and mucus secretion.

Improves Gastrointestinal Health
Lemon can help with your digestive health by relieving bloating and constipation, as well as gastritis symptoms. Lemon can reduce the erosion that occurs in the lining of your stomach from stomach acid, therefore offering some relief from indigestion and nausea. If you suffer from morning sickness, inhaling lemon essential oil could benefit you as well! It has shown to decrease nausea symptoms by 33%! It can also aid with weight loss because it can cause an increase in the breakdown of fat cells when ingested or applied topically.

Supports Healthy Skin
It is important to note that lemon essential oil is photosensitive, and when applied topically, makes your skin sensitive toward sunlight as well! To be safe, wait about 12 hours before exposing your skin to sunlight if you have topically applied any lemon essential oil.

Lemon essential oil is very nourishing to the skin. It targets free radicals which are harmful to skin cells and can accelerate aging. It makes topical skincare with infused vitamins more effective by enhancing the release of vitamins E, A, B6, and C. It also can be applied topically as an insect repellent to keep mosquitoes and ants away. 

Detoxifying
As mentioned earlier, lemon essential oil encourages the drainage of the lymphatic system. This is highly beneficial as the lymphatic system is responsible for helping to remove waste and toxins from the body. In rat studies, the oil has shown to reduce oxidative stress and damage in the liver and kidneys.

Anticancer Properties
While more research is still needed, there have been some interesting studies conducted about the efficacy of lemon essential oil on human tumors. It has shown to diminish prostate, lung, and breast tumors. It has also been found to induce the natural cell death of Leukemia cells. 

So, whether you take advantage of its disinfecting properties by adding it to your cleaning products or diffuser, or you use it for its many health benefits, lemon is a perfect oil to keep as part of your basic oil tool chest. It is a simple and safe oil to use (when being mindful of its photosensitivity) and can be perfect to implement in your daily life. What are your favorite ways to use lemon essential oil? Let us know in the comments below!



Sources:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24829772/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19410566/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6073409/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14758720/
https://www.jstor.org/stable/30077505?seq=1
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27098160/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5435909/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27571876/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6263286/

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