Amazing Uses for Lemon Essential Oil
In aromatherapy, lemon essential oil has an amazing variety of uses. Lemon conjures up images of freshness and cleanliness, sunshine and lemonade.
Research by Jean Valnet, MD, showed that vaporized lemon essential oil can kill meningococcal bacteria in 15 minutes, typhoid bacillus in one hour, staphylococcus aureus in two hours, and germs that cause pneumonia in three hours.
Even a 0.2% solution of lemon essential oil can kill diphtheria bacteria within 20 minutes and inactivate tuberculosis bacteria. Its antiseptic properties will last twenty days. It’s perfect for destroying airborne germs in hospital rooms, waiting rooms, and schools. It is particularly effective in neutralizing unpleasant body odors in cancer patients.
Lemon essential oil is an essential oil with high vibrations, comparable to a high pitched whistle. Sandalwood, by comparison, buzzes like a bumblebee. Essential oils with high vibrations are uplifting, especially when one may feel mental fatigue.
Lemon especially brings a sense of warmth and fun to intellectual pursuits. Although Lemon essential oil is beneficial for both physical and psychological heaviness, above all it stimulates the mind, increasing concentration and the ability to memorize.
Brain research related to the effects of fragrances has found that lemon essential oil primarily activates the hippocampus. University researchers in Japan found that diffusing certain scents in an office environment dramatically improved mental accuracy and concentration.
Diffused lemon essential oil resulted in 54 percent fewer errors. When the scents were diffused during the test, scores increased by up to 50 percent. In other research, lemon essential oil has been shown to have antidepressant effects.
A 1995 Mie University study found that citrus fragrances increased immunity, induced relaxation, and reduced depression. Lemon essential oil is an immune booster. It increases white blood cells, improves microcirculation and is antiseptic.
Lemon essential oil consists of 68 percent d-limonene, a powerful antioxidant. The lemon has an approximate ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) of 6,619 (TE/L). TE/L is expressed as Trolox equivalent in micromoles per liter. D-Limonene has been extensively studied for its ability to fight tumor growth in more than 50 clinical studies.
Some Great Therapeutic Uses of Lemon Essential Oil
For colds or infections of the throat and mouth, it is useful to gargle with Lemon essential oil (2 drops diluted in half a glass of water) and take Lemon essential oil orally, adding it to a propolis tincture.
Place a drop of Lemon essential oil on cold sores, herpes, or other mouth ulcers to decrease pain and aid in healing.
For the treatment of measles and itchy eczema, add lemon essential oil to a sponge bath (1-2 drops in a quarter of water)
Lemon essential oil, due to its vitamin C content, is beneficial for treating anemia.
Since the oils strengthen vascular tissues, it is used to treat varicose veins by improving circulation and relieving pressure on the veins. It can be applied in lotions and compresses for the skin, mixed in a 1 to 1 ratio with Cypress essential oil.
Lemon essential oil acts as an astringent, antiseptic, disinfectant, and astringent that stops bleeding from wounds. It becomes an excellent remedy when used in compresses or as a cleanser to treat bleeding wounds. Put a drop of Lemon essential oil on bleeding gums caused by gingivitis or tooth extraction.
Lemon essential oil taken orally will help counteract high acid content in body fluids by stimulating the production of potassium carbonate, a neutralizing substance and is a preferred remedy for rheumatism and gout as it cleanses the body of uric acid, a side effect of high acidity. In this case, the oil can be taken either orally or topically.
Lemon essential oil is a very good stimulant of the body’s own immune system. It activates the formation of white blood cells and helps protect the body during flu epidemics.
Rub a drop of Lemon essential oil on a wart morning and night until it disappears. Rub a drop of lemon oil on a corn, callus, or bunion morning and night. Rub two drops of Lemon essential oil topically to clean athlete’s foot.
Rub several drops of lemon essential oil on the cellulite to improve circulation and help remove debris from the cells.
Put a drop of Lemon essential oil on oily or acne-prone skin to balance the sebaceous glands (oil glands).
CAUTION: Citrus oils should NOT be applied to skin that will be exposed to direct sunlight or ultraviolet light within 24 hours.
Some Great Home Uses for Lemon Essential Oil
Use 6-12 drops of lemon essential oil in a spray bottle mixed with distilled water to use in the bathroom as an air freshener. Or you can diffuse Lemon essential oil to clean and disinfect the air in any room.
Use 1-2 drops of Lemon essential oil to remove gum, oil, grease or pencil stains.
Add 2-3 drops of lemon essential oil to water and spray on countertops to sterilize them.
Soak your dishcloth overnight in a bowl of water and a drop of lemon essential oil to disinfect and kill germs.
Add a drop of lemon essential oil to your dishwasher before the wash cycle.
Rub a drop of Lemon essential oil on your hands after using a public restroom.
Use a paper towel soaked with several drops of lemon essential oil to disinfect bathroom fixtures and toilet seats.
Rub a drop of lemon essential oil to clean a butcher block or other cutting surfaces.
Put 10 to 15 drops of lemon essential oil in each gallon of carpet cleaning solution to help remove stains and brighten the carpet. This also leaves a fresh smell in the room.
Use 30 drops of lemon essential oil in the washing machine instead of chlorine bleach.
Put lemon peels in your garbage disposal to disinfect.
PLEASE NOTE: The information in this article is based solely on the use of 100% pure therapeutic grade essential oils due to their high quality and proven purity.
Using a brand of uncertain quality and/or purity will provide you with potentially dangerous, if not lethal, results. The author assumes no responsibility for the misuse of this information.
Statements about these oils have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These oils are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.