Background: Bergamot is a member of the Rutaceaa family and is commonly grown in Southern Italy. The trees can grow up to 15 feet tall and it produces a fruit which looks like a cross between an orange and a lemon. The oil is obtained by expression of the outer part of the fruit peel, after the juice had been extracted. Bergamot is also commonly added to perfumes and the leaves are used as an ingredient in Earl Grey Tea.

Properties: Powerful antiseptic, antispasmodic, antidepressant, carminative.

Precautions: Phototoxic - do not use prior to exposure to sunlight or sunbeds.

Physical Uses: Digestion, colic, appetite loss, indigestion, stomach pain and gastric problems. Diluted in a bath it can alleviate cystitis and urinary infections. It can help treat bronchitis, acne, boils, oily skin, coldsores, herpes, ulcers, psoriasis, perspiring, shingles and chicken pox.

Emotional Uses: Depression, anxiety, tension, loneliness.