CITRUS LEMON PEEL OIL
ORIGINS
Lemons, which come from the Mediterranean region, are the product of a crossbreeding around the 5th millennium B.C between the bitter orange and the citron (1). Lemon is one of the most useful fruits in natural medicine by virtue of its numerous properties.
Lemon zest essential oil is famous for its anti-infectious and anti-bacterial action (2). A study on dogs (3) shows its effects against the Malassezia skin disease (provoked by yeast of the same name), rendering the use of lemon zest essential oil particularly interesting for ear care.
(1) Curk F, Ollitrault F, Garcia-Lor A, Luro F, Navarro L, Ollitrault P. Phylogenetic origin of limes and lemons revealed by cytoplasmic and nuclear markers, Annals of Botany, 2016 April;117,4:565–583.
(2) Chevalley A. Utilisation de la phytothérapie et de l’aromathérapie dans le cadre du conseil vétérinaire chez le chat, le chien et le cheval. Thèse, Université de Lorraine, faculté de pharmacie, 2016.
(3) Nardoni S, Pistelli L, Baronti I, Najar B, Pisseri F, Bandeira Reidel RV, Papini R, Perrucci S, Mancianti F. Traditional Mediterranean plants: characterization and use of an essential oils mixture to treat Malassezia otitis externa in atopic dogs. Nat Prod Res. 2017 Aug;31(16):1891-1894.