Bergamot Organic Essential Oil -
A Delicate Yet Powerful Nutrient With Tea

Bergamot organic essential oil imparts a clean, softening taste to Embassy House Tea's Earl Grey Blend. To the Earl, here we come.

Our bergamot essential oil, grown and processed in Italy arrives in Sri Lanka in containers where the tea masters add it to our black tea during the blending stage of processing. 

Bergamot is a citrus fruit common throughout the Mediterranean.  The oil from the skin is also used for perfumes, colognes , cookies, cocktails and sauces.  In Norway the oil is part of a smokeless tobacco product called "snus".

Bergamot Essential Oil - Newly Processed

Bergamot Essential Oil - Fruit Ripe For Picking

Health Benefits of Bergamot Organic Essential Oil

Antioxidants and Free Radicals
Like tea, bergamot essential oil contains molecules called catechins that are antioxidants. Antioxidants are molecules that bind with and neutralize free radical molecules, hence the nickname "free radical scavengers". Free radicals form during the human body’s efforts to convert food and oxygen into energy (oxidation) and to fight infections. 

Free radicals aggressively form bonds with and destabilize mitochondria, DNA/RNA, and cellular membranes causing malfunction leading to chronic disease. 

Anti-Microbial
Bergamot wipes out gram-positive bacteria while bypassing gram-negative.  It is being studied as a component to combat food poisoning.

H. pylori is a pathogen which is linked to chronic gastritis and gastric cancer.  In the laboratory, coumarin-related compounds in bergamot, were most promising in controlling H. pylori. 

Anti-Inflammatory
In vitro studies have identified a mechanism whereby polyphenols in Bergamot reduce the inflammatory process.  It inhibits the gene expression and secretion of inflammation pro-inflammatory related cytokines.  Cytokines are small proteins which are vital to cell-to-cell communication.

Bergamot protects gene telomeres and teloerase activity in animal studies, hence, anti-aging characteristics.

Telomeres, the DNA ends of each chromosome, shorten over time without proper nutrients because they cannot fully replicate each time it cell divides. It's called getting older.  Certain nutrients like bergamot, can enhance in protecting, or even increasing, telomere length, thereby affecting longevity.

Anti-Cardiovascular Disease and Anti-Diabetes
Research on animals and humans resulted in lower LDL cholesterol, lower triglycerides, and lower blood glucose.   Vasodilation as also improved. 

Dietary changes with ingestion of bergamot has promising effects on the increase of HDL-C serum levels.

Mood
In aromatherapy, bergamot essential oil reduces serum cortisol levels and psychological stress as tested by volunteer teachers.

The results show aromatherapy treatment relieved work-related stress of teachers with various workloads. However, the aromatherapy treatment had a weak effect on young teachers who had a heavy workload. However, there seemed to be no effect on volunteers with abnormal body mass indices. 

Bergamot as an essential oil improves sleep in test patients.  Over 90% reported improved resting and over 90% said that they would continue aromatherapy with tea.

Supporting Research

1. YLT Front Page
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2. Loose Leaf Earl Grey Tea
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3. Bergamot Organic Essential Oil