This article was one of the first articles I published on Pure Home and Body, July 12, 2010! I decided to update it and re-publish it with video on DIY cough syrup that we’ve used for years. Enjoy the content and I invite you to leave a comment below.
Lemon is one of my favorite essential oils. It’s also one of the first oils I used in aromatherapy 15 years ago was lemon. I had a recipe in my aromatherapy book for cooking, the label of my lemon essential oil however, stated “not for ingestion”. Since then, I’ve learned why it may have been labeled for external use only. First, it might have been the lemon oil was only synthetic, just a chemical cocktail designed to smell lemony. The second possibility might have been an organic lemon was not used.
Lemon oil is distilled from the rind so if any pesticides/fungicides are on the rind they will become highly concentrated in your lemon essential oil and would be harmful if ingested. I believe more and more if you can’t eat it don’t put it on your skin! I only use a Therapeutic Grade Lemon essential oil which is food safe (it has a food supplement label on it). We drink lemon essential oil in our water, put it in smoothies and I love to put it on my feet to keep the skin soft.
Lemon Essential Oil Kills Germs & Bacteria Lemon essential oil has been researched as antiseptic, antitumoral (because of the limonene content), an immune stimulant (increases white blood cells). It supports skin health and may have antidepressant effects. Studies in Japan found that when lemon oil was diffused in an office setting it resulted in 50% fewer errors. Jean Valnet M.D. conducted many studies on the effectiveness of lemon oil to kill bacteria when diffused including meningococcus, Staphylococcus aureus, Pneumococcus, diphtheria and tuberculosis. Lemon oil is a very powerful essential oil, but it must be a therapeutic grade to fight these bacteria.
We use lemon essential oil to support the immune system At the first sign of feeling run down we take a clear gel cap filled with 3-5 drops of lemon oil and repeat every 4 hours to boost a healthy immune system.
Au Natural Throat Soother is a staple in our home year round. We use our lemon essential oil – 10-15 drops of lemon oil into a 4 ounce bottle of agave nectar. For a scratchy throat we take 1 tsp of this. For an even more powerful throat soother for healthy immune system support (not for kids under 6, add 1 drop of an Immune Boosting Blend (cinnamon/clove/rosemary/melaleuca/lemon) essential oil blend to the teaspoon and mix in well. Our nanny, Ruthanne has used this for years when she sings for her theater company to keep her throat clear and her vocals crisp :).
Lemon essential oil is one that I always have on hand with an extra in my drawer so I’m always prepared. It’s my favorite gentle, antibacterial buster. You can get your own too!
J Craniomaxillofac Surg. 2009 Oct;37(7):392-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jcms.2009.03.017. Epub 2009 May 26 The battle against multi-resistant strains: Renaissance of antimicrobial essential oils as a promising force to fight hospital-acquired infections. Warnke PH1, Becker ST, Podschun R, Sivananthan S, Springer IN, Russo PA, Wiltfang J, Fickenscher H, Sherry E.
Migiwa Komiyaa, Takashi Takeuchib,Etsumori Haradac. Lemon oil vapor causes an anti-stress effect via modulating the 5-HT and DA activities in mice. Behavioural Brain Research. Volume 172, Issue 2, 25 September 2006, Pages 240–249. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166432806002798.
Authors: Weseler, A.1; Geiss, H. K.2; Saller, R.3; Reichling, J.4.A novel colorimetric broth microdilution method to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of antibiotics and essential oils against Helicobacter pylori. Die Pharmazie – An International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Volume 60, Number 7, 1 July 2005, pp. 498-502(5.
Linda B. White, MD, Steven Foster.The Herbal Drugstore: The Best Natural Alternatives to Over-the-Counter and Prescription Medications. 2000. Rodale.
Mohd Sajjad Ahmad Khan, Iqbal Ahmad. Antifungal activity of essential oils and their synergy with fluconazole against drug-resistant strains of Aspergillus fumigatus and Trichophyton rub rum.Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology May 2011, Volume 90, Issue 3, pp 1083-1094 Date: 19 Feb 2011
Linda A. Linday, MD?New York, New York, Richard D. Shindledecker, MA, New Rochelle, New York, Jay N. Dolitsky, MD, New York, New York, C. E. Pippenger, PhD.Lemon-Flavored Cod Liver Oil and a Multivitamin-Mineral Supplement for the Secondary Prevention of Otitis Media in Young Children: Pilot Research. Annals of Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology.July 2002 vol. 111 no. 7 642-652.http://aor.sagepub.com/content/111/7/642.short
Mahmoud A. Saleh, PhD; Shavon Clark; Brooke Woodard; Suziat Ayomide Deolu-Sobogun. ANTIOXIDANT AND FREE RADICAL SCAVENGING ACTIVITIES OF ESSENTIAL OILS. Ethnicity & Disease, Volume 20, Spring 2010.http://ghqscul.ishib.org/ED/journal/20-1s1/ethn-20-01s1-78.pdf.
Seenivasan Prabuseenivasan, Manickkam Jayakumar and Savarimuthu Ignacimuthu*.In vitro antibacterial activity of some plant essential oils. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2006, 6:39 doi:10.1186/1472-6882-6-39.http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/6/39/.
Schnaubelt, Kurt. Advanced Aromatherapy. 1998 Healing Arts Press.
Hello, i have a question, to make the cough syrup, you mention to dilute some lemon oil into a bottle of agave, but how big is the bottle,because thebottle i buy is enormous, aprox 20oz. Please advise. Thank you!!