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Bergamot Citrus bergamia Risso & Poit. – Rutaceae (rue) Family

Synonyms: Citrus x aurantium, bergamot orange

Part Used: Peels (pericarp) of unripe fruit

Harvest Season: November through March (in the prime growing region of Calabria, Italy)

Botanical Description: Bergamot is a small tree kept pruned to 15-20 feet in height. The aromatic, inedible fruit is green and smaller than an orange, turning yellow when ripe.

Origin: The origin is uncertain, possibly Southern Asia or Africa—however most commercial essential oil production occurs in the Calabria region of Italy, with a small amount of production in France, Morocco and on the Ivory Coast.

Growing Conditions: Bergamot grows best in the Calabria region of Italy, where the conditions are ideal – warm and sunny with a well-drained soil. The trees don’t like it too hot and don’t take frost as well as many citrus species. It takes approximately 7 years for trees to bear fruit, and they may continue to produce for over 50 years.

Extraction Method: The oil is cold pressed from the peels. Originally done by hand, most oil is now pressed by machines. A distilled oil is also available, but it does not have the same aroma and flavor of the pressed oil.

Yield: 0.5%

Oil Characteristics: The oil is clear to yellowish-green in color with a thin body.

Aroma Profile: Top Note: rich, sweet-fruity, citrus Middle Note: herbaceous, floral-citrus, sweet, slightly oily Dry-out: light, sweet-balsamic, tea-like

Major Constituents: Limonene, linalool, linalyl acetate, γ-terpinene, β-pinene.

History: In the 16th Century, Eau de Cologne was created by the Feminis family—one of the key ingredients was and is bergamot oil. The product became very popular, and soon bergamot was commonly sold and sought after. While it is uncertain when the tree was introduced to Italy, the first groves were planted in the Calabria region in the mid-1700s in response to growing demand for the oil for use in perfumery. Prior to then, the fruit and oil were used as a folk remedy in various parts of Italy. Bergamot is the well-known flavoring agent in Earl Grey tea. In perfumery, it is still used extensively in colognes for fresh, lively notes.

Aromatherapy Benefits: Uplifting, normalizing, confidence boosting

Clinical Studies: Though it has a variety of therapeutic uses around the world, there are no clinical studies that have verified its actions.

Cosmetic Uses: Blends well with coriander, cypress, geranium, lavender, jasmine, Roman chamomile, neroli.

Safety: Natural bergamot is a photosensitizer and should not be used on the skin in any form before exposure to ultraviolet light. The alternative to natural bergamot (bergamot BF) is oil that has the photosensitizing element (bergaptene) removed. Removing this constituent does not affect bergamot’s flavor or aroma. Bergamot oil should not be used undiluted on skin as it is a mild irritant.

Quality Issues: Bergamot is commonly spiked with synthetic linalool and synthetic linalyl acetate. It has also been blended with less expensive bitter orange or other citrus oils. Though it is a citrus oil, it has a very different constituent makeup than sweet orange or lemon oil and has a longer shelf life.

Regulatory Status: GRAS 182.2

Tim’s Notes: This is a very unique citrus oil in that it contains only about 30% limonene (sweet orange and lemon oil contain almost 95% limonene). Bergamot also contains a significant amount of linalool and linalyl acetate, two key constituents in lavender oil. No wonder it is commonly used for clarifying and relaxation.

This oil has the highest level of bergaptene (the coumarin compound that causes photosensitivity) of all the commonly sold oils. Due to this, it should never be applied before going out into the sun. I once gave a class to a group and several people in an aromatherapy club approached me afterwards. They all had little burn marks on their hands between their thumbs and forefingers. They said that each week they applied a different blend to that area and suddenly they had this dark mark. I asked what was in this week's blend and bergamot was the key oil. I explained to them that they simply had burned their hand due to the sun's action on the area where the bergamot oil was applied. They vowed never again to use bergamot oil. I told them they could use the bergaptene-free oil which eliminates the danger of photo reaction, but I don’t know if they ever have used bergamot oil since.

A lot of people in the Central and Eastern U.S. react every summer to the Wild Parsnip. They often get blisters after weeding it out of their gardens. This is also due to the coumarin contained in it, exactly like what bergamot oil can do.

We often talk in the plant world about how natural disasters often affect crops in a major way. Hurricanes are famous for destroying crops like saw palmetto and nutmeg, and crops are also damaged by floods, drought, fires, tsunamis and even volcanoes. In 1965 the bergamot crop was severely damaged when a Sirocco wind from Africa swept over the Italian trees causing a rapid rise in temperature that had the affect of virtually ruining the quality of the crop that year.