
Grapefruit Essential Oil Its Uses And What It Is
Grapefruit Essential Oil is derived from the Grapefruit tree, Citrus X Paradisi. The X in the name indicates the plant is a hybrid, in this case the ancestors which created it were the Jamaican sweet orange, Citrus Sinensis, and the Indonesian pomelo, Citrus Maxima. Citrus Sinensis is actually an ancient hybrid too. It is also the only citrus oil that is non-photosensitive, meaning it is ok to use in sunlight. The essential oil gained from the Grapefruit is refreshing and uplifting, which lead to it being a good anti-depressant. It helps detoxify and alleviate cellulite amongst other things, you can find out more about Grapefruit Essential Oil Uses lower down this page.
Plant
The plant is an 18th Century hybrid, its parentage is mentioned above, that was first grown in Barbados. Originally it was known as the "forbidden fruit", though details as to why are scarce. There are numerous species around the world, with the largest production being in the U.S.A., China, South Africa and Mexico. The tree is an evergreen which can grow up to 15 meters in height, though 6 meters is more usual. Its leaves are long, around 15 centimeters, thin and dark green. The flowers produced are white, around 5 centimeters in diameter and have four petals.
Essential Oil Characteristics
The essential oil is gained from the peel via steam extraction, it varies from pale yellow to light ruby in colour and is clear in nature, with a thin or watery viscosity. The aroma has a top note which is refreshing, sharp, citrusy nature which is uplifting and energizing.
Constituents
The principle constituents that yield the properties sought are limonene, which is the bulk. With the others being citral, cadiniene, paradisol, a-pinene, sabinene, myrcene, geraniol, linalool, citronellal, decyl acetate, neryl acetate and terpinen-4-ol.
Safety Note For Grapefruit Essential Oil
Generally considered a safe and gentle oil to use, no special notes.
Effects of grapefruit (Citrus paradisi MACF) (Rutaceae) peel oil against developmental stages of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae).
"Laboratory bioassay of the essential oil extracted from the grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) peel by steam distillation was carried out against the developmental stages of the yellow fever vector Aedes aegypti to evaluate its toxicity, and ovicidal and larvicidal potency... Test results of the essential oil showed that egg hatching was completely inhibited at 400 ppm, while further development of 1st to 2nd larval stage was inhibited at 100 ppm... The results indicated that the peel oil could be a potent persistent larvicide."
Ivoke N, Ogbonna PC, Ekeh FN, Ezenwaji NE, Atama CI, Ejere VC, Onoja US, Eyo JE.
Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health. 2013 Nov;44(6):970-8.
Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24450234
Grapefruit Essential Oil Uses
Grapefruit essential oil uses are good in terms antibacterial and anti-infectious usage, though it excels in terms of its detoxification ability. The ability of Grapefruit in terms of detox runs well through a whole suite of things with its diuretic action helping to cleanse both the Kidneys and the Lymphatic system, the later being the more challenging of the two to cleanse. It goes beyond this and further helps with obesity, partly through the detox action and partly through its ability to dissolve fat. These therapeutic effects bring further benefit in terms of treating cellulite, specifically clearing it away. Cellulite is a challenge to deal with as it can be persistent, though Grapefruit essential oil is very effective in cleansing it from your body.
The Therapeutic Effects Of Grapefruit Essential Oil
Anti-Infectious
Antibacterial
Antidepressant
Antiseptic
Antitumoral
Aperitif
Astringent
Cleansing
Depurative
Detoxifying
Digestive
Disinfectant
Diuretic
Fat Dissolving
Lymphatic Stimulant
Metabolic Stimulant
Restorative
Stimulant
Tonic
The detoxifying and cleansing therapeutic properties of Grapefruit oil are very strong. That said it also works incredibly well in other ways. As an anti-depressant it works wonderfully, its strong citrusy aroma brings uplifting feelings and positive sensations fast. Helping to cleanse in a different way, in this case cleansing the mind of negativity and negative emotion. The stimulant and tonic actions it has work in unison with this, helping you to come back into lively upbeat form again in a good way.
Conditions That It Helps With
Acne
Alzheimer's
Anxiety
Cellulite
Cleansing
Colds
Depression
Detox
Digestion
Dyspepsia
Flu
Hair
Hair Growth
Liver Disorders
Lymphatic Decongestant
Muscle Fatigue And Stiffness
Obesity
Oily Skin
Stimulating The Lymphatic System
Stress
Toning (Skin And Tissues)
Water Retention
As mentioned previously this essential oil is good for helping to deal with obesity as it breaks down fat and helps to detoxify, plus as a diuretic it helps clear away excess fluid your body has been holding. It actually helps to deal with water retention in general, clearing out excessive water helping you to feel lighter and better within yourself. These combined effects are also what helps it to be good for skin toning, and other tissues too. Clearing away fats and excess fluids, and aiding the skin, or tissue, into a good healthy condition.
Points To Note On Grapefruit Essential Oil Uses
So you can achieve good benefit through body cleansing and detoxification. Get help in dealing with obesity and fluid retention, plus tone skin and other tissues getting your body into good health all round. You can also use it to help with acne and oily skin. A further benefit of Grapefruit oil is that is helps to deal with and prevent Alzheimers, something that is well worth using it for.
To get the best in terms of all the Grapefruit essential oil uses, which is well worth it, use a high quality oil especially one that specifically states it is safe for internal use. Good oils of this type are easy to get, you can find out how to get good essential oils easily.