What are bergamot oil’s main benefits?

    Last Updated: July 23, 2024

    While bergamot oil’s distinctive, delightful odor can (and should!) be enjoyed for its own sake, it is also used in aromatherapy.[1] Bergamot essential oil (BEO) aromatherapy has customarily been used for anxiety relief and to produce a calming effect.[2]

    BEO aromatherapy has been studied for relaxation, medical anxiety, job-related stress, pain relief, depression, and sleep quality. There is limited evidence that it may promote relaxation in healthy adults who are not in stressful situations;[3][4][5] may reduce presurgical and postsurgical anxiety in adults[6][7] but not in children;[8][9] might reduce adults’ feelings of job-related stress or burnout, although more research is needed;[10][11] might improve sleep in adults when inhaled at night, although more research is needed;[12] and might have some beneficial effect on mood in postpartum women, although more research is needed.[13][14]

    References

    1. ^Navarra M, Mannucci C, Delbò M, Calapai GCitrus bergamia essential oil: from basic research to clinical application.Front Pharmacol.(2015)
    2. ^Setzer WNEssential oils and anxiolytic aromatherapy.Nat Prod Commun.(2009 Sep)
    3. ^Peng SM, Koo M, Yu ZREffects of music and essential oil inhalation on cardiac autonomic balance in healthy individuals.J Altern Complement Med.(2009 Jan)
    4. ^Kim HG, Cheon EJ, Bai DS, Lee YH, Koo BHStress and Heart Rate Variability: A Meta-Analysis and Review of the Literature.Psychiatry Investig.(2018 Mar)
    5. ^Watanabe E, Kuchta K, Kimura M, Rauwald HW, Kamei T, Imanishi JEffects of bergamot ( Citrus bergamia (Risso) Wright & Arn.) essential oil aromatherapy on mood states, parasympathetic nervous system activity, and salivary cortisol levels in 41 healthy females.Forsch Komplementmed.(2015)
    6. ^Ni CH, Hou WH, Kao CC, Chang ML, Yu LF, Wu CC, Chen CThe anxiolytic effect of aromatherapy on patients awaiting ambulatory surgery: a randomized controlled trial.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med.(2013)
    7. ^Pasyar N, Rambod M, Araghi FThe effect of bergamot orange essence on anxiety, salivary cortisol, and alpha amylase in patients prior to laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A controlled trial study.Complement Ther Clin Pract.(2020 May)
    8. ^Hawkins JR, Weatherby N, Wrye B, Ujcich Ward KBergamot Aromatherapy for Medical Office-Induced Anxiety Among Children With an Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized, Controlled, Blinded Clinical Trial.Holist Nurs Pract.(2019 Sep/Oct)
    9. ^Ndao DH, Ladas EJ, Cheng B, Sands SA, Snyder KT, Garvin JH Jr, Kelly KMInhalation aromatherapy in children and adolescents undergoing stem cell infusion: results of a placebo-controlled double-blind trial.Psychooncology.(2012 Mar)
    10. ^Hung CL, Lin YL, Chou CM, Wang CJEfficacy of Aromatherapy at Relieving the Work-Related Stress of Nursing Staff from Various Hospital Departments during COVID-19.Healthcare (Basel).(2023 Jan 4)
    11. ^Liu SH, Lin TH, Chang KMThe physical effects of aromatherapy in alleviating work-related stress on elementary school teachers in taiwan.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med.(2013)
    12. ^Toprak Ç, Ergin Ozcan P, Demirbolat İ, Kalaycioglu A, Akyuz NThe effect of lavender and bergamot oil applied via inhalation on the anxiety level and sleep quality of surgical intensive care unit patients.Explore (NY).(2024 Feb 29)
    13. ^Mei-Ling Chen, Yueh-Er Chen, Hui-Fang LeeThe Effect of Bergamot Essential Oil Aromatherapy on Improving Depressive Mood and Sleep Quality in Postpartum Women: A Randomized Controlled TrialJ Nurs Res.(2021 Oct 22)
    14. ^Wakui N, Togawa C, Ichikawa K, Matsuoka R, Watanabe M, Okami A, Shirozu S, Yamamura M, Machida YRelieving psychological stress and improving sleep quality by bergamot essential oil use before bedtime and upon awakening: A randomized crossover trial.Complement Ther Med.(2023 Oct)