Used in ancient Chinese culture to treat several physical ailments, petitgrain essential oil benefits are endless!
Originating from China and naturalized in the warmer conditions of the Mediterranean, the Petitgrain bigarade gives rise to the Petitgrain essential oil that packs some amazing benefits. While the fruit and its peels are popular for culinary purposes, especially as toppings in desserts, the oil extracted from the bitter orange is widely used to improve mental health issues like anxiety, stress, and insomnia. To know more about petitgrain essential oil benefits, keep reading!
Petitgrain Essential Oil Benefits
1) Effective Against Various Skin Issues
The Petitgrain essential oil can be your best friend against skin issues like acne and aging symptoms like fine lines and wrinkles! Aging symptoms mostly occur due to sun damage from UVB radiation as free radicals attack healthy skin cells and tissues, causing your face to look dull.
But worry not, for petitgrain oil is here to the rescue with antioxidant properties. A study found that this oil helped protect against oxidative stress and cellular damage because it contains geraniol. Geraniol is a powerful antioxidant that can fight against free radical damage. Petitgrain oil also contains myrcene, a compound that protects against photo-aging caused by UVB radiation.
Yet another aspect that petitgrain essential oil helps with is balancing and harmonizing your skin to combat acne, blemishes, and oily regions. This oil is a great remedy for cleaning up infections and bacteria-filled conditions thanks to its antiseptic properties, which help prevent the growth of bacteria. This is why it’s a natural treatment against pimples, breakouts, and excessive sweating.
Besides conducting a patch test to ensure that this oil suits your skin, you must first dilute it with a carrier oil like coconut oil before using it topically. Petitgrain essential oil is highly potent, so dilution is necessary to prevent skin irritation.
2) Possesses Anti-microbial, Anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties
Not just a remedy against several strains of bacteria, but petitgrain essential oil also showed antimicrobial activity against several strains of fungi, as concluded in a study. And that is not all!
Petitgrain essential oil is effective against inflammation and infections because it contains linalool and terpenes, compounds that show potent anti-inflammatory effects. A study by The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry attributed this to the oil’s potent anti-inflammatory effects.
3) Effective Against Acne and Clogged Pores
Helping prevent aging symptoms and acne is not all that petitgrain essential oil does! It also helps soothe irritated skin and benefits those suffering from serious skin disorders like eczema and psoriasis.
If you struggle with excess sebum production or your pores get clogged easily, your ultimate holy grail could be the petitgrain essential oil! Not only does it help those with oily and congested skin by balancing out the skin’s natural oils, but you can also use it in facial steam to purify and rejuvenate your skin.
4) Helps with Gastrointestinal Issues
If you are suffering from digestive disorders like IBS, irritable bowel syndrome, or IBD, which stands for Inflammatory bowel disease, making petitgrain essential oil blends can be really helpful. The anti-inflammatory properties can help reduce gut inflammation, easing symptoms like diarrhea and abdominal pain.
The best way to enjoy these internal benefits is to add a drop or two of the oil to your water or other beverages. You will also get to enjoy the fresh taste and fragrance that this oil offers, so it’s a win-win situation! Not to mention that this oil can also really enhance the flavor of your herbal tea!
This can stimulate your digestive system and help resolve issues like bloating, gas, and constipation. You can also use this oil topically on your abdomen after diluting it in vegetable oil. Massage it on your stomach clockwise to experience its benefits.
5) Promotes Respiratory Health and Boosts the Immune System
Thanks to its antibacterial properties, petitgrain oil can eliminate and reduce bacterial infections in the respiratory tract. This ultimately helps alleviate symptoms like colds, sinus infections, and bronchitis. This oil also acts as an expectorant, helping loosen mucus and phlegm that may be congested in the respiratory tract, ultimately helping you expel these and breathe easier.
Of course, we can’t ignore this oil’s anti-inflammatory properties, which help reduce swelling and irritation in the respiratory pathways, facilitating easier breathing.
Petitgrain oil’s antimicrobial properties protect the body against harmful disease-causing microbes and support the immune system in maintaining overall health.
6) Calms Anxiety Levels
A study found that inhaling Petitgrain essential oil reduced anxiety levels, thanks to the presence of neryl acetate, one of the terpenes that is really effective against anxiety. This oil’s chemical makeup calms down the nervous system, helping create a calm, relaxed environment and thus promoting relaxing feelings.
If you struggle with stress and insomnia symptoms, you could consider placing a few drops of the petitgrain essential oil onto your pillows and bedding before going to bed. As you enjoy the aromatic benefits of this oil, you will feel yourself slowly drifting off to a peaceful sleep because of its sedative effect. You could also try petitgrain essential oil blends with lavender or bergamot to create a more relaxing atmosphere before sleep.