Ally’s oil of the month: lemon

Every month our reflexologist Ally Brown chooses an essential oil that’s right for the time of year. This month, as we move into the mists and damp of autumn and can feel a bit glum, she has chosen lemon oil

At this time of year many people can start to sink into the darker days, and their energy and mood can drop considerably as we spend less time outside. One of my favourite oils for all ages is lemon – there’s nothing more uplifting than lemon essential oil! Completely safe for young and old, it is brilliantly versatile as a natural antiseptic, clearing and cleansing oil.

For general well-being and if you are feeling under par, sniffing lemon essential oil can clear your airways and unblock your nose. It’s beautifully stimulating and invigorating if the shorter days leave you feeling down in the dumps. Who doesn’t like the smell of a zingy lemon and citrus aromas to mentally transport you to a Tuscan hilltop village or the Spanish countryside.

To further enhance the oil’s many medicinal benefits, make use of freshly squeezed lemon too which can be useful for respiratory and digestive complaints, fevers and infections – it is a cleansing tonic for the whole system and in particular the liver. It helps to restore acidity to alkalinity.

Ally runs an offer of three aroma reflexology treatments which includes an individually blended cream to apply to your feet at night in between treatments. This is specifically designed for three treatments in order to give the reflexology and aroma reflexology cream a chance to change and improve chronic illness or symptoms.

Properties of lemon essential oil

• Helps respiratory system – great for catarrh, asthma and bronchitis.
• Helps the immune system – to prevent and fight off colds, throat infections, flu and viruses.
• Beneficial for depression and melancholy.
• Helps balance the autonomic system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to combat stress.
• Improves circulation and high blood pressure.
• Can also be used for skin conditions such as herpes, verrucas, cuts and bites.
• Also great for dyspepsia and sluggish liver, or over-acidity.

Air-purifying blend

You can mix your own air purifying blend in a 10ml dropper bottle to spray around the home – don’t be tempted to add more drops as some oils can be dangerous in higher quantities, so keep it to the blend below:

4 ml lemon, 2ml eucalyptus, 2ml cinnamon, 1 ml geranium and 1ml lavender – blend the oils well by stirring or shaking in the dropper bottle and add to a vaporiser (8 drops at a time ) or drop onto cotton wool balls which you can leave on radiators.

Shop for lemon essential oil We stock Materia Aromatica lemon essential oil at £6.55 for 5ml. To buy head to our shop.

Aroma reflex For more details about Ally’s deliciously therapeutic and relaxing aroma reflexology treatments head on here