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Bergamot Essential Oil
The essential oil of bergamot is cold-pressed form the rind of a citrus fruit, Citrus bergamia risso. It takes about 200 kilos of fruit to obtain one kilogram of Bergamot essence. Initially the essence was extracted by hand, but in 1844, Nicola Barilla invented “La Macchina Calabria,” a machine that utilized a system of abrasion to extract the essence quickly and with the highest quality. The fruit looks like a small, round, yellowish, slightly pear shaped, orange but it is much too bitter to eat as it is, even at its ripest stage. However, the oil that is extracted from it has a delightfully fresh citrus aroma.
The probable etymology of the name is beg-armudi, (the lord's pear) in Turkish because of the resemblance to a pear that the Bergamot fruit has. Although popular believe has it that Bergamot takes its name from bergamo, an attractive town in Lombardy, northern Italy, where the oil was first sold as a flavouring and cooking ingredient. Legend credits Christopher Columbus with introducing the bergamot tree to Italy and, although it was once virtually unique to the Bergamo region, it is now grown almost entirely in Calabira, southern Italy with a small amount in the Ivory Coast in north African. The first bergamot grove was planted in Reggio Calabria around 1750. The origins of the fruit are a bit murky. It is thought that Christopher Columbus brought the first Bergamot tree back from the Canary Islands during his travels. Others believe that Bergamot hails from Greece, Turkey, Spain, or even China.
Bergamot essential oil is sometimes mistakenly thought to come from the herb Monarda didyma, which is also known as bergamot (bee balm and osqego tea are other names given to the herb). This tall plant with its beautiful scarlet flowers is native to America, but is now often grown in English herb gardens. Medicinal teas are made with its aromatic leaves. It acquired the name bergamot because its small surface roots have an aroma similar to the true citrus bergamot oil.
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Over the years bergamot oil has been incorporated into a wide variety of products. The rind has been used for hundreds of years to treat all manner of disorders and diseases. The earliest existing record of its use is in a German herbal dated 1677. Today the oil flavours confectionery, cakes and pastries, but perhaps is best known for the unique fragrance and flavour that it give to the Earl Grey tea.
So how did Bergamot become the flavoring agent for Earl Grey Tea? Well, The original blend of Earl Grey tea was concocted for Earl Charles Grey, a British envoy to China who later became Prime Minister from 1830 to 1834. Legend has it that he was given the flavored tea by a local Mandarin Chinese friend to return a mysterious favor, which may have involved saving the life of the Mandarin’s son. When the tasty gift began to run out, Earl Grey asked his tea merchants, Twinings, to match it for him. Whether or not the original recipe was made with Bergamot is unclear, but the Twinings Company obtained essence of Bergamot from Italy to flavor the Earl’s special blend thereafter, and eventually, the blend caught on.
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 Bergamot has long been valued for its fresh, citrus fragrance. The original European eau de cologne often incorporated bergamot oil, with its refreshing aroma making it delightful for hot, sticky days. Commercially, bergamot is still as popular as ever and is widely used in perfumes and bathtime products for both men and women. Comprised of 350 distinct chemical components, bergamot oil it is used as a fixative in perfumes for other essential oils, and is used by the pharmaceutical industry for its antiseptic and antibacterial properties.
Bergamot oil was also once the active ingredient in commercial sun-tanning products, as it helps to activate the production of melanin in the skin which increases the tanning process. However, the high photosensitivity of skin treated with bergamot oil is a problem and may cause burning. Using begamot oil on the skin (even adding a few drops to a bath) before going out in the sun is now actively discouraged. However, there are now forms of bergamot oil available without bergaptene (the offending ingredient responsible for photosensitive skin reactions), which are worth looking out for.
On an emotional level, bergamot is extremely good for uplifting the spirits, allaying anxiety and treating depression. It is a good oil to use when someone has got into a cycle of tension and depression surrounding a persistent condition. Major research confirms these benefits and has shown that the effects of the bergamot aroma are to calm the nervous system, as aromatherapists have always observed.
Bergamot also has antiseptic, antispasmodic and deodorising properties. It makes a good skin disinfectant for cuts and grazes. Just put 10 drops in 100ml water (boiled and cooled) and use it to clean a wound before applying a dressing.
| Adulteration: | Synthetic linalyl acetate with/without linalool is often used as a cheap additive or substitute. Limonene is also added sometimes. Other adulterants include: bitter orange oil, lime oil, lemon oil, rectified hi leaf, synthetic or natural citral, terpinyl acetate or diethyl phthalate etc. (27) |
| GRAS Status: | Bergamot essential oil has GRAS status. (49) |
Properties, Indications
and Uses: | Calming and anti-inflammatory. Used by application for a variety of skin problems. Used by inhalation for anxiety and depression. Used as a gargle for a sore throat.
Indicated for: Depression, stress and insomnia.
Uses:
Digestive system: Bergamot regulates and balances the appetite and is particularily useful for eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Bergamot is also beneficial for the treatment of nausea and vomiting. (7)
Female Reproductive System: Bergamot is helpful in vulver and vaginal pruritis (itchiness), leucorrhoea (vaginal discharges), vaginitis (vaginal inflammations and infections), thrush (vaginal discharge due to candida albicans, a fungus). (7)
Nervous system: It is in the realm of emotions that bergamot is at its best, such as in the treatment of depression and nervous tension. (7)
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| Toxicity: | LD50 - (oral) rat 10g/kg; (dermal) rabbit 20g/kg.
Irritation/Sensitisation - Nil at 30% (Human). 3/200 patients with dermatitis affected.
Phototoxicity -
Exposure to sunlight or UV light eg. sunbeds, following skin application of Bergamot and other expressed citrus oils causes pigmentation of the skin (berlogue dermatitis) and/or burning. This is caused by the furocoumarins or bergaptens in the oil and the degree of phototoxicity is directly related to the percentage of these chemicals in the oil. There is a natural progression of severity from Bergamot > Lime > Bitter Orange > Lemon > Grapefruit > Sweet Orange > Tangerine > Mandarin > Tangelo.When the level of furocoumarins is decreased to below 0.0075% phototoxicity is avoided. Therfore from sweet orange onwards there is virtually no danger of phototoxicity. However this does not take into account the idiosyncracies of different individuals. It is recommended that FCF oils are used and that sunbeds are avoided after any exposure to citrus oils. (27) (36)
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