Bergamot

Citrus bergamia

See also : Earl Grey Tea
Other names : Bergamot Orange, Bergamota, Bergamotier, Bergamoto, Bergamotte, Bergamotto Bigarade Orange, Citrus Bergamia, Citrus aurantium var. bergamia, Huile de Bergamote, Oleum Bergamotte.
Bergamot, a small citrus tree grown in Mediterranean regions, produces a pear-shaped fruit prized for the aromatic oil derived from the rind. Bergot-flavored tea, marketed widely as Earl Grey tea, is a perennial favorite among tea drinkers. Research into the phytochemicals contained in bergamot and their potential medicinal qualities has yielded promising results.

Special Precautions of Bergamot

• Do not confuse with Beepalm (Monarda didyma) which is also called Bergamot.
• Do not confuse with Wild Bergamot
• Children: Do not use bergamot oil in children. There have been serious side effects, including convulsion and death, in children who have taken large amounts of bergamot oil.
• Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Do not use bergamot oil on your skin if you are pregnant or breast-feeding. It might not be safe.
• There's some concern that applying bergamot essential oil to the skin may increase your sensitivity to ultraviolet light emitted by the sun and — as a result — raise your risk of skin cancer. When using bergamot essential oil on your skin, it's crucial to protect against ultraviolet light exposure by applying sunblock.
• People who work with bergamot can develop skin problems including blisters, scabs, pigment spots, rashes, sensitivity to the sun, and cancerous changes.
• Bergamot oil is safe for most people in the small amounts found in food. It might not be safe when used on the skin (topically), because it can make the skin sensitive to the sun and more vulnerable to skin cancer. People who work with bergamot can develop skin problems including blisters, scabs, pigment spots, rashes, sensitivity to the sun, and cancerous changes.
• Bergapten has also been implicated as a potassium channel blocker; in one case study, a patient who consumed four liters of Earl Grey tea per day suffered muscle cramps.
• In the past, psoralen extracted from bergamot oil has been used in tanning accelerators and sunscreens. Psoralens penetrate the skin, where they increase the amount of direct DNA damage. This damage is responsible for sunburn and for an increased melanin production. It can also lead to phytophotodermatitis, a darkening of the skin as a result of a chemical reaction that makes the skin extra sensitive to ultraviolet light. These substances were known to be photocarcinogenic since 1959 but they were only banned from sunscreens in 1995. These photocarcinogenic substances were banned years after they had caused many cases of malignant melanoma and deaths. Psoralen is now used only in the treatment of certain skin disorders, as part of PUVA therapy.
• Bergamot is also a source of bergamottin which, along with the chemically related compound 6’,7’-dihydroxybergamottin, is believed to be responsible for the grapefruit juice effect in which the consumption of the juice affects the metabolism of a variety of pharmaceutical drugs.

Benefits and uses of Bergamot are

Bergamot essential oil is typically used to treat the following conditions:

• anxiety : Bergamot essential oil may help alleviate anxiety, according to a study published in Phytotherapy Research in 2011. In tests on rats, the study's authors determined that treatment with bergamot essential oil helped decrease anxiety and reduce levels of the stress hormone corticosterone. In a 2003 study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, however, researchers found that inhalation of bergamot essential oil failed to reduce anxiety in people undergoing radiotherapy for the treatment of cancer. Involving 313 patients, the study also found that lavender essential oil and cedarwood essential oil weren't effective in easing anxiety during radiotherapy.
• Stress : In a 2009 study from the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, researchers found that inhalation of bergamot essential oil may help reduce stress and promote relaxation in healthy individuals. In addition, a 2011 study published in Natural Product Communications found that incorporating a combination of lavender and bergamot essential oils into massage therapy may help lower stress levels and improve mood.
• Ringworm : Bergamot essential oil shows promise in the treatment of dermatophytoses, a fungal infection commonly known as ringworm. In a 2007 study published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, tests on several common species of dermatophytoses-causing fungi found that bergamot essential oil may possess antifungal properties.
• Treating a tumor under the skin due to a fungal infection (mycosis fungoides), when used along with ultra-violet (UV) light.
• Anti-cancer effects of bergamot peel extract occurred in an Italian study published in the July 2010 "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry." Bergamot peel extract scavenged free radicals without adverse toxic effects, in the study on human tissue cells. Levels of malondialdehyde -- a marker of oxidative stress -- were reduced and antioxidant status was improved with the bergamot peel extract. Since bergamot peel is normally discarded in processing, this discovery represents a potentially new commercial use for the fruit.
• Protecting the body against lice and other parasites.
• Bergamot essential oil has been found to reduce excitotoxic damage to cultured human neuronal cells in vitro, and may therefore have neuroprotective properties.
• Bergapten and citropten are strong inhibitors of IL-8 expression and may have potential to reduce lung inflammation in people with cystic fibrosis.
• Cholesterol-lowering properties of bergamot juice were discovered in an Italian study published in the November 2010 "Fitoterapia" journal. Bergamot reduced total cholesterol, LDL -- the bad cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood sugar and increased HDL -- the good cholesterol, in patients with elevated cholesterol who consumed bergamot extract for 30 days. Additionally, bergamot inhibited the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, which promotes cholesterol synthesis, and lowered blood pressure by increasing blood vessel dilation.
• Pain Relief : Linalool and linalyl acetate, both active constituents of bergamot essential oil, relieved pain in laboratory mice, in a Japanese study published in the January 2011 "Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior" journal. Injection of bergamot oil extract at the injured area reduced pain more effectively than bergamot oil alone. Specifically, the researchers showed that the bergamot constituents have an opiate-like effect when they blocked an opiate receptor in the test animals, which significantly decreased the pain-relieving effects of the bergamot extract.
• depression
• eczema
• headache
• insomnia
• psoriasis
• In addition, bergamot essential oil is said to enhance mood, reduce stress, stimulate circulation, improve digestion, and alleviate pain.