Grapefruit Oil: An Essential Oil with Antioxidant Benefits
What Is Grapefruit Oil?Grapefruit is known by its scientific names Citrus Racemosa and Citrus Maxima.
The latter was given to larger varieties to emphasize their size.
The history and origin of grapefruit is shrouded in mystery. However, some accounts show that the fruit was first bred in Jamaica. It was later on given the name "grapefruit" because it looked like clusters of grapes hanging on trees.
Grapefruit oil is commonly used in aromatherapy. It is extracted from the peel of the grapefruit (Citrus paradisi), not its pulp or flesh. Like other citrus oils, grapefruit essential oil is obtained through compression and possesses similar therapeutic properties.
Uses of Grapefruit Oil
Grapefruit oil is popularly known as a detoxification agent, as it helps activate your lymphatic system.
It is often used to clear toxins, remove excess fluids, and help burn fat.
Others specific uses of this citrus essential oil include:
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When inhaled, grapefruit oil can help curb hangovers,Aromatherapy oil
headaches, mental fatigue, and depression.
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In skin and hair care products – Grapefruit oil is often added to creams and lotions to help Ingredients
treat acne and prevent oily skin. It is also known to help reduce the appearance of cellulite.
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​In hair products, this oil also helps address oily hair.
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Appetite suppressant – Grapefruit oil can suppress your appetite.
The effects can be intensified when it's mixed with patchouli essential oil. -
Air freshener and deodorizer – Its fragrance is similar to citrus fruits like oranges and lemons. It can eliminate unpleasant odors in kitchens and bathrooms.
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Massage oil – When used as a massage oil, it can help relieve muscle and joint pain, menstrual cramps, and headaches.
Composition of Grapefruit Oil
The most abundant constituent in grapefruit essential oil is limonene, which ranges from 88 to 95 percent. Limonene, found in grapefruit peels where the oil is extracted from, has been found to possessanti-cancer properties. It can also be found in other citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons.
Other major components of the essential oil of grapefruit are linalool, thujene, myrcene, terpinene, pinene, citronellol, caprinaldehyde, decyl acetate, and neryl acetate.
Grapefruit essential oil, like the fruit itself, is rich in antioxidants, especially vitamin C. Other antioxidants that are present in grapefruit (in low concentrations) are vitamin A and lycopene.
Benefits of Grapefruit Oil
One of the most recognized benefits of grapefruit essential oil and other citrus oils is their positive effect on the lymphatic system, which plays a role in your body's detoxification mechanism. Using these oils can help boost the activity of lymph glands. This can prevent problems like poor circulation, allergies, cellulite, and fluid retention.
Grapefruit essential oil is also known for its antimicrobial effects. One study reports that this oil is effective against strains of bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Salmonella thyphimurium, Serratia marcescens, and Proteus vulgaris.
Another study shows the same result, and renders the citrus oil also effective against other bacterial strains like Kleibsellia pneumonia, Pseudococcusspecies, Shigella flexneri, as well as fungal strains like Aspergillus niger, Candida albican, and Penicillum chrysogenum.
With vitamin C and its antioxidants, grapefruit essential oil can support your immune system and helps fight free radicals. As a result, this essential oil can help prevent oxidation-related damage, such as premature aging, vision problems like macular degeneration, poor hearing, nervous system problems, and many others.
Here are other benefits linked to use of oil of grapefruit:
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Because of its antimicrobial properties, grapefruit oil can help treat and prevent
infections in wounds and cuts. It may also help eliminate microbes that develop in your gut,
kidneys, and excretory system. -
It supports your endocrine function, particularly the proper secretion of hormones and enzymes.
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It promotes the production of gastric juices and bile, which assists your digestive function.
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Like other citrus oils, grapefruit oil has antidepressant properties that provide a relaxing and
uplifting feeling. It also has stimulating effects on your brain, making you more alert.
Dried Citrus Peel - Orange Oil - Dark Orange Lemon Oil - Graperfruit Oil - Crushed Pulps
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Citrus pectin is a complex polysaccharide found in the peel and pulp of citrus fruit and can be modified by treatment with high pH and temperature.
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Clinical research suggests that modified citrus pectin (MCP) may have effects on cancer growth and metastasis through multiple potential mechanisms.
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Limited clinical research has been done with a couple of citrus pectin-containing products. For prostate cancer patients, *the results suggest some clinical benefits with relatively minor and infrequent adverse events.
General Information and History on Cancer Effectivness Research Studies
Pectin is a complex polysaccharide contained in the primary cell walls of terrestrial plants.
The word ‘pectin' comes from the Greek word for congealed or curdled. Plant pectin is used in food processing as a gelling agent and also in the formulation of oral and topical medicines as a stabilizer and nonbiodegradable matrix to support controlled drug delivery.
Citrus pectin is found in the peel and pulp of citrus fruit and can be modified by treatment with high pH and temperature.
Modification results find that they are in shorter molecules so they dissolve better in water and are more readily absorbed by the body than are complex pectins, longer chain citrus pectins. One of the molecular targets of MCP is galectin-3, a protein found on the surface and within mammalian cells that is involved in many cellular processes, including cell adhesion, cell activation and chemoattraction, cell growth and differentiation, the cell cycle, and apoptosis; MCP inhibits galectin-3 activity.
Some research suggests that MCP may be protective against various types of cancer, including colon, lung, and prostate cancer. MCP may exert its anticancer effects by interfering with tumor cell metastasis or by inducing apoptosis.
MCP was also shown to activate natural killer cells in leukemic cell cultures, suggesting it may be able to stimulate the immune system.