Smart Health - Nature's Way - Tracy Bhalla
Lemon Oil
Lemon has to be one of my all-time favorites – it has so many uses, BUT you do have to use it responsibly.
It is phototoxic (along with many, but not all, other citruses), this means that if you apply it to your skin and then go out in the sun, you could suffer from severe burns at the application site. As I said, use responsibly! You can apply it at very low dilution levels, 1-2% in a carrier oil, directly on the skin, but unless you really need to, why risk it? Lemon has so many other uses, so let’s focus on those. First it just smells so fresh and, well, lemony! It is known to uplift the spirits, so when you’re feeling a little low, put a few drops on a tissue or in a diffuser and let that lemon scent pull you out of the doldrums so you can face the day with a smile on your face. It is a proven anxiolytic – that is it is scientifically proven to reduce anxiety, so if you’re anxious anyway or just worried about a particular thing or event, take a good long whiff of lemon oil and feel those worries just melt away. It is also an awesome cleaner. The super high concentration of d-limonene in lemon essential oil is what gives it this quality. In addition, it is proven to be anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant; all good qualities to have in a cleanser of any kind. It helps support the immune system, protects the liver, and generally supports good health. Add to that the fact that it smells so great and why wouldn’t you want to replace those toxic cleaners and use this instead?? My favorite recipe for just about any
hard surface – think bathrooms, kitchens, stainless steel… 1 cup baking soda 2 tblsp water 15-20 drops of lemon essential oil (Citrus limon) Mix together, adding the water slowly so it doesn’t fizz up. Keep in an airtight container. Use on a damp sponge as needed. I have successfully cleaned our stainlesssteel toaster with this after 10 years of neglect (!) Here are the Before and After photos:
So the first photo shows the toaster part way through the process – the point at which my husband was in disbelief at how amazing the toaster was looking (he was ready to buy a new one!) As you can see, the bar on the left is brown/black with residue, as were all three. In this photo you can see the right-hand bar has been cleaned already; the middle bar has had the cleansing paste applied and the left hand bar is still waiting to be cleaned. After the paste is applied, just leave it for 10-20 minutes to let the lemon oil do its work. Then take a damp cloth and gently
but firmly rub it off. The results are clear in the last photo! It looks like new and just with three, all-natural ingredients. I will be posting a short video of the process on my blog this month – www.LogHouseAromatics.com Finally, lemon oil is also a good appetite suppressant. Although grapefruit oil is possibly the most well-known, many of the citruses can act in this way. It is thought this is due to their ability to lift one’s spirits. As food has many emotional connections and we often overeat when we are worried or tense or generally not feeling great about ourselves, so it makes sense that if those feelings are overcome then it is easier to say no to that slice of cake and yes to the apple instead. You can also try adding Peppermint (Mentha x piperita), Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus), Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), and Black Pepper (Piper negrum), along with lemon, lime and/or grapefruit to a diffuser blend to help suppress your appetite. Any combination of the these will work for you, either on a handkerchief, in an inhaler, or in a diffuser. Any way works. So, to conclude, Lemon essential oil has many wonderful applications, and it is also relatively inexpensive, particularly as you only need a few drops at a time. As always, please be careful where you buy from. Use a reputable essential oil provider, don’t expect something you pick up in TJMaxx to have the same potency as something you get from NYR Organic for example. It may smell nice, but it is unlikely to have the other qualities, it just has fragrance added. us.nyrorganic.com/shop/tracybhalla
Tracy Bhalla, independent consultant with NYR Organics and founder of LogHouseAromatics.com; after 25 years of using homeopathic remedies, it was time to take charge and complete my Aromatherapy Certification, which I achieved April 2020 and since founded LogHouseAromatics.com as a source for useful essential oil and February 2021 RiverRegionBoom.com BOOM! general natural health information and a place to purchase certain products. email: nyrbhalla@gmail.com I am here to answer anyRegion’s questions you may have. The River 50+ Lifestage Magazine 50
