The Versatile Lemon Essential Oil: From Ancient Rome to Modern Kitchens

Welcome back to Harvesters’ Corner! Today we are continuing our survey into citrus oils with a look at one of the classic oils: Lemon.

My Husband is a Nerd and I love him for it. The Dive into Citrus Genetics:

It was commented in our last article, which looked at Bitter (or Sour) Orange, that Bitter Orange was believed to be native to the foothills of the Himalaya mountains. This intrigued my husband so much that he did a deep dive into the ancestry of citrus fruits and came back with some interesting facts. There were several studies undertaken in 2017 and 2018 which compared the DNA genome of sixty popular citrus fruits. Their findings identified that the ancestors of the modern-day fruits grew on the south-eastern slopes of the Himalayas, where the Indian state of Assam, the country of Myanmar (formerly Burma), and the Chinese province of Yunnan come together. Six primary citrus fruits were identified, namely the kumquat, micrantha, citron, “pure” mandarin, and two types of pummelos. Through trial and error, these six different species of citrus were manipulated by growers anciently. (1) Their results are very recognizable today. For example, the mix of “pure” mandarin and pummelo gave us the bitter (or sour) orange, as discussed in our last post. Further experimentation led to the combination another crossing of mandarin and pummelo to obtain a new variety of mandarin, while a crossing of the new mandarin and another variety of pummelo led to the sweet orange. Yet another experiment anciently led to the cross of citron and sour orange, which gave us the tart lemon, the subject of today’s article. (2) I have included a really cool chart to better understand what all of this means, as I am a visual learner, and just reading the last few sentences has my head spinning!

Where did our Citrus Fruit come from??

Where did Lemons get shared around the world and how were they used?

Lemon has had a variety of uses throughout the centuries. From being used as ornamental trees in the early days, to being used in a refreshing drink that spread throughout the Arab world and on into Europe, people have constantly looked for new ways to utilize the lemon. In the 1700s the British Royal Navy used lemon and other citrus fruits to help counteract Vitamin C deficiencies seen in their sailors embarked on long sailing voyages

Italy is well known as a popular growing location for lemons, but as previously stated, they are not indigenous to the country, or any other country around the Mediterranean Sea. So when did lemons reach the Mediterranean? History gives us some answers. Let’s step back in time to a period where Rome is undergoing a mighty change. We even have a date to aim for: April 15, 44 B.C. As Rome’s ruler approaches the Senate Hall, a shrill voice cries out, “Caesar! Beware the Ides of March!” Yes, we are looking at that  Caesar, Julius himself, still alive and in the flesh, although his death lies only minutes and a few steps away. At this specific moment in time, Rome was still a republic. But in less than forty short years Mark Anthony, he of the “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears,” fame, would be dead, along with his lover, the beautiful Egyptian ruler Cleopatra. Julius’ adopted son, Octavian Caesar, stood triumphant and was declared Augustus!, the eminent, or hallowed one, and Rome became an empire under his rule.

It is around the same time that these events were taking place, that a new import from India arrived in the Roman Forum. This was the lemon, a hybrid fruit of the beloved citron, which Rome was already very familiar with. Yet it wasn’t the fruit which Rome fell in love with. Rather, it was the lemon tree, which found its way into the personal gardens of many well-to-do Romans. The fragrant perfume of the fruit and the leafy shade brought relief from the hot Mediterranean sun. This tree soon found its way south, to many of the vacation villas in and around Naples.

This idyllic scene was shortly disrupted by the cataclysmic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. That eruption marked the final day of life for many living around the base of the mountain, as the modern-day excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum attest. But what archaeologists and paleobotanists discovered among the ash-filled streets and countryside, were bits of pollen from both citron and lemon, which attest to the fact that lemons were growing around Naples before the eruption.

A search online reveals many sites stating that lemons were grown in Italy from about A.D. 200. Again, this is a result of the above eruption. The Roman poet Statius wrote soon after the eruption, “When this wasteland regains its green, will men believe that cities and peoples lie beneath?” (3) The nutrient-rich volcanic soil soon supported lemon groves throughout southern Italy. This rich heritage of lemon production, unmatched by few regions around the world, is why much of dōTERRA’s Lemon oil is sourced in Italy. The oil coming from Italy is produced by a family operation, which is presently in its fourth generation. In the early days of the company, all oil production was done by hand. Special knives were used to separate the pulp from the rind before the rinds were pressed to express the oil. Today, modern machinery is enabling the company to produce as much oil in a single day, as a staff of fifty individuals could produce through an entire season in the 1800s!

And now we have Lemon Essential Oil

Another such fertile region is in Brazil, along the floodplains of the Amazon. Countless floods down the mighty river have created nutrient-rich lands where lemons and oranges are grown. Consequentially, dōTERRA also works with growers in Brazil to produce both citrus crops for use in essential oils. I found the fact that the growers in both Italy and Brazil are sources for other oils beside Lemon very interesting. The growers in Italy also source the Bitter Orange used in the Bergamot oil, while the growers in Brazil also raise the sweet oranges used in the Orange Oil. Lemon trees can be prolific with fruit, with a single tree producing between 500 to 600 pounds (227 – 272 kg) of lemons annually. It takes roughly seven pounds (3.2 kg) of lemon peel to fill a 15mL bottle of oil.

Lemon oil is one of the best-selling oils around the world. That popularity is easily understood when you start to realize the multitude of ways in which it can be used. Used aromatically, the crisp, citrusy aroma freshens the air and helps create a bright and uplifting atmosphere. The oil can be used on a wide variety of household surfaces as a cleaning agent. It can also be used internally to enhance your favorite recipes and drinks. The oil can also support a healthy digestive system.

However, I must add a word of caution here. Lemon oil can be phototoxic to an individual’s skin. This means that the oil, when applied directly to the skin, can cause burns, blisters, and even skin discolorations due to prolonged sun exposure. Why? Several citrus oils contain naturally occurring components that react to ultraviolet (UV) light. One way to avoid this possible reaction is by diluting the oil with a carrier oil, like Fractionated Coconut oil, or wait a minimum of twelve hours before encountering direct sunlight. Citrus oils which can be phototoxic include Bergamot, Bitter Orange, Grapefruit, and the subject of this blog, Lemon. The components which cause the phototoxicity come from the oils in the rind, so oils such as Neroili and Pettitgrain are safe in sunlight, as they come from other parts of the Bitter Orange tree. Sweet Orange is also safe. Lime oil is interesting, as the potential for phototoxicity depends of how it is produced. If the lime rind is cold pressed, it IS phototoxic, whereas lime oil produced through steam distillation is NOT. A good rule of thumb is if you are in doubt, do not use the citrus on your skin.

 

Wait!? Not Just for adding flavor to dishes?!!!

What else is Lemon oil good for? It acts as a powerful degreaser. Add a couple of drops to a soap mixture and use that to clean greasy residue from your hands. Where the oil is being rinsed off, as compared to being left on and absorbed, you should not have any difficulties with the phototoxicity described above. Need to polish and brighten up wood furniture? Add a drop or two to some Olive Oil, and wipe to replenish some of the moisture the wood has lost. If concerned about the finish, test on a non-conspicuous spot first before applying to the entire piece. I also found out that Lemon oil not only works on wood, it can also be used to polish silver, as well as leather furniture and clothes. The oil helps with preservation and protection. As mentioned earlier, Lemon oil can be used internally. Give your lemonade some pucker power with a drop or two of Lemon oil or increase the zing in Lemon Bars! There are a multitude of recipes online where Lemon oil can boost the flavor. One of my favorite uses of Lemon oil is removing the sticky residue of a price tag from a dust jacket on a book I’ve just purchased. Just a bit of oil, and the mess cleans up quickly, without damaging the outer jacket. And then there is dish soap, garbage disposal refreshers, air fresheners, removing magic marker streaks, why the list just keeps going on and on! (4) I love Lemon oil and am constantly impressed with what I am able to do with it. I hope that you will try some for yourself and see just how versatile Lemon oil truly is.

Join us next time here at Harvesters’ Corner, when we will take a look at an oil that ties in well with the approaching holidays: Lavender oil. Until then, stay safe!

Sources and Notes

1.    In the 1860s the Austrian biologist Gregor Mendel experimented with pea plants to see if he could predict the color of the flowers produced by the plants. His careful experimentation led to the development of such terms as “dominant” traits and “recessive” traits, which would lay the foundation of genetic research in the mid-to-late 1900s. As ground-breaking as Mendel’s research was, the experimenting being performed on these citrus plants predates him by nearly two millennia! Just imagine a grower looking at a mandarin and pummelo and wondering if he could make a larger fruit with a sweet pulp, rather than the pummelo’s bitter pulp. The human mind is truly a wonderful, inquisitive tool that can lead to changes affecting the whole world!

2.    Wu, G., Terol, J., Ibanez, V. et al. “Genomics of the origin and evolution of Citrus.” Nature 554, 311–316 (2018). Online. <https://doi.org/10.1038/nature25447>. Accessed 12 August 2024.

3.    Stewart, Doug. “Resurrecting Pompeii.” Smithsonian. February 2006. Online. <www.smithsonianmag.com/history.resurrecting-pompeii-109163501>. Accessed 14 August 2024.

4.    dōTERRA. “Spotlight: Lemon Oil.” The Blog. Online. <www.doterra.com/US/en/ blog/spotlight-lemon-oil>. Accessed 10 August 2024.

Disclaimer

All views on Harvesters’ Corner are those of the author. I am a Wellness Advocate with dōTERRA, and I use the essential oils daily. Any purchases made through my affiliate link may earn me a commission. The oils are not intended to treat or cure any illness.