bergamot
Meaning of bergamot: Bergamot is the essential oil of a citrus fruit grown mainly in Italy, used to flavor food and drink and in aromatherapy.
Definition of bergamot
Bergamot refers to the essential oil pressed from the peel of the bergamot orange, Citrus bergamia, a citrus fruit grown mainly in Italy. The oil has a distinctive citrus fragrance and is widely used to flavor food and beverages, most notably as the ingredient that gives Earl Grey tea its characteristic scent and flavor.
Bergamot oil is also used in perfumes and in aromatherapy, a practice in which scented oils are inhaled or applied to the skin in the belief that they can influence mood or wellbeing. It has been used in aromatherapy in connection with low mood, anxiety, and digestive discomfort, among other purposes.
Because bergamot oil contains compounds that can increase skin sensitivity to sunlight, it is generally used in diluted form or in products intended for a specific route of application rather than applied directly and undiluted to the skin.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
The patient mentioned using bergamot oil in aromatherapy alongside standard treatment for mild anxiety.
Good to know
Bergamot oil applied to the skin can increase sensitivity to sunlight, a property distinct from its use as a food or beverage flavoring, which does not carry the same skin related effect.