Can you eat essential lemon oil?
In this brief guide, we will answer the query, “can you eat essential lemon oil?”. We will also talk about the process of making essential oils and things to consider when using them.
Can you eat essential lemon oil?
Yes, you can eat essential lemon oil. Essential lemon oil is an important ingredient in ayurvedic medicine and has many beneficial qualities which help in boosting one’s health.
Is lemon extract the same as lemon oil?
Essential lemon oil is not the same as a lemon extract but is a great substitute. You can use essential lemon oil instead of lemon extract in any recipes for cooking and baking where it requires you to add lemon extract.
It is worth keeping in mind that essential lemon oil has a more concentrated smell and flavour of lemon as compared to lemon extract.
How to make essential lemon oil?
Essential lemon oil has been used in traditional medicines and cooking for many years. It is important to learn to make your own lemon oil as it is an easy and hassle-free undertaking.
To make essential lemon oil, you will need to remove the outer skin or zest of the lemons making sure there is no white pith in them. The white pith is bitter in taste and can destroy the essential oil’s smell and texture.
Once the zest is ready, get a double boiler and pour almond oil into the bowl and add the zest to it. Make sure the oil does not boil but stays hot, let the zest and oil infuse for 3 hours with occasional stirring.
Let the infused oil mixture cool before storing it in either a stainless container or a glass container since lemon is not compatible with plastic containers. It is an easy recipe to try out at home and use the essential lemon oil for various health benefits.
How to use essential lemon oil?
Essential lemon oil can be applied topically, ingested internally, and used in a diffuser. It is anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial which certainly boosts your mood and relieves stress.
As we know, lemons are jam-packed with lots of nutrients, mainly Vitamin C, which is vital for avoiding colds and coughs.
Essential lemon oil can be used in the diffuser to emit the smell of lemon which makes for a good aromatherapy session.
It can also be used to add flavour to desserts or other food dishes where the addition of lemon is recommended. Lemon oil gives a clean, fresh, and zesty smell and taste to the drinks, food, and marinades.
Essential lemon oil can also be added to the cleaning products to enhance their cleaning ability and to add a fresh, clean, and zesty aroma to the product.
Do essential lemon oils have any side effects?
As there are lots of positive benefits of the essential lemon oil, it also has some side effects on the human body.
If used in a moderate amount, lemon oil is beneficial but if used in excess, it certainly will cause a few health hazards.
The excess use of essential lemon oil to whiten your teeth can cause the enamel of the teeth to deteriorate causing the tooth to be sensitive toward hot or cold food or drinks.
It is advised not to apply lemon oil topically before healing out in the sun or sunbathing because lemon oil is phototoxic in nature.
If you have applied on the skin and are outdoors, you might get burns on your skin which cause an itching and burning sensation.
Though essential lemon oil is good to keep your gut healthy, excess use can cause an acidic reaction in the stomach causing gastric issues like heartburn.
What are the things to consider before consuming lemon oil?
As we all agree on the fact that essential lemon oil is good for our health but one should consider certain things before consuming it.
One should be aware that the essential lemon oil is more concentrated than the fresh lemons or the extract available in the market. So while adding lemon oil to food or drinks, be mindful of its content to avoid any health hazards.
Another thing to look at before consuming is to read the label of the store-bought bottle of lemon oil to see if it is advised for human consumption or not.
Checking for the quality and additives is also a must. One should always be careful of what is going inside your tummy.
An excessive amount of essential lemon oil should not be consumed. A little amount is a boon but an excess amount can be a curse causing many health hazards
Conclusion
In this brief guide, we answered the query, “can you eat essential lemon oil?”. We also talked about the process of making essential oils and things to consider when using them.
I hope you find this blog useful. If you have any questions, please let us know.
