13. Mental Functioning Improver – Geranium oil has the power to improve mental functioning and uplift your spirits. It’s known to help people who suffer from depression, anxiety and anger. The sweet and floral smell of geranium oil calms and relaxes the body and mind.
14. Anti-inflammatory Agent – Inflammation has been found to be associated with just about every health condition, and researchers are furiously investigating chronic inflammation effects on health and possible preventive medical applications. Research shows that geranium essential oil has significant potential for the development of novel anti-inflammatory drugs with improved safety profile.
Geranium oil inhibits the inflammatory responses in the skin; this helps your body to fight many health issues. Arthritis, for example, is inflammation of the joints, and heart disease is inflammation of the arteries. Instead of taking a medication to reduce joint pain or lower cholesterol, reducing inflammation in the body is vital.
A 2013 study found that geranium oil is a safer and more effective ingredient for anti-inflammatory medication. Data supports that geranium oil reduces inflammation in the body, and there are fewer side effects from this essential oil than cholesterol and joint pain medications.
15. Insect Repellent and Bug Bite Healer – Geranium oil is used as a natural bug repellant. To make your own bug repellent, mix geranium oil with water and spray it on your body – this is much safer than sprays that are filled with chemicals. You can also add baking soda to this mixture to boost the effects. It also heals insect bites and stops itching; use it as a massage oil on itchy or irritated spots for relief.
16. Astringent: The main function of an astringent is to induce contractions in various parts of the body. Accordingly, Geranium Oil makes the gums, muscles, intestines, skin, tissues and blood vessels to contract. Furthermore, this includes the contraction of abdominal muscles which gives you a better, toned look. Geranium essential oil can also prevent muscles and skin from sagging, as well as the untimely loosening and loss of teeth by tightening up the gums. Finally, it can reduce the presence of wrinkles by tightening the facial skin, thereby delaying some of the effects of premature aging.
17. Vulnerary: Geranium Oil speeds up the healing process of wounds, cuts and surgical incisions. This property makes it a vulnerary. Perhaps, it is due to its other qualities as a hemostatic, styptic, antibacterial, antimicrobial and cytophylactic substance that also make it a vulnerary, but the end result is the same!
18. Cicatrisant: Everyone wants their skin to be free from scars and after marks of fat-cracks, surgeries, boils, acne or pox. Unfortunately, many people end up spending a fortune and trying all the available cosmetic solutions on the market and still don’t get the desired results. They could have avoided a waste of time and money had they tried Geranium Oil first. It is a powerful cicatrisant, so it helps the scars and other spots on the skin to fade and vanish. It facilitates blood circulation just below the surface of skin and also helps promote a uniform distribution of melanin.
19. Hemostatic: Geranium essential oil can stop hemorrhaging in two ways. First, as an astringent (more specifically, a styptic), it causes the contraction of blood vessels and helps to stop blood flow, as discussed above. Second, as a hemostatic agent, it speeds up coagulation and the clotting of blood, which aids in the healing of wounds and the prevention of toxins from entering the bloodstream through open or unclotted wounds.
20. Cytophylactic: Geranium Oil promotes cell health, encourages the recycling of dead cells, and the regeneration of new cells. This helps in the growth of the body cells as well as the gametes, by making the body metabolize things efficiently.
21. Diuretic: Geranium essential oil has diuretic properties, which means that it increases urination. Urination is one of the three natural ways to remove toxins from the body. The other methods are excretion and perspiration, but urination is the most effective of the three. These eliminated toxins are urea, uric acid, bile salts, pathogens and other synthetic or chemical substances, heavy metals, pollutants, and even sugar. Moreover, each time you urinate, fats amounting to 4% of the volume of urine and excess water are also removed from the body. Urination aids the digestive process and prohibits the formation of excess gas in the intestine. It is also an effective way of removing excess acids and bile that is secreted by liver. Urination also reduces blood pressure because the more you urinate, the more sodium is eliminated, causing blood pressure to fall.
One interesting study measured the effects of geranium oil’s ability to suppress candida cell growth in mice. The mice intravaginally received geranium essential oil, and this significantly decreased the amount of candida cells in the vaginal cavity. These findings suggest that vaginal application of geranium oil or its main component, geraniol, suppressed Candida cell growth vagina and inflammation.
Another 2013 study, involving 20 patients, measured the effects of geranium oil on hemorrhage episodes. The study lasted 183 days; at the end, 75 percent of the patients felt an improvement with the treatment. With no adverse side effects, geranium oil proved to be a compound that significantly reduces the number of hereditary hemorrhage episodes that occurred in these patients
Geranium Oil Side Effects
Geranium oil is usually applied to the skin, and some people can develop a rash or burning sensation. It’s best to test the oil on a small area first. Geranium oil can also cause eye irritation if applied to the face. If you take geranium oil by mouth, stick to consuming it in smaller amounts because the safety of the oil when taken in larger amounts is not known.
Being that geranium oil is a styptic, it causes the blood vessels to contract and slows down or stops the flow of blood. This can be a health concern for people with high blood pressure and who are at risk for cardiovascular diseases like stroke, atherosclerosis and heart attacks.
Geranium oil influences hormone secretions, so it’s not advised for use by pregnant women or for women who are breastfeeding. It’s still unclear whether or not these hormone secretion changes transfer to breast milk. Geranium oil should not be used on babies and young children due to the delicate nature of their skin and the possibility of toxicity.
It’s best to dilute geranium oil with a carrier oil when you are applying it directly to the skin. Try mixing geranium oil with equal parts coconut, jojoba or olive oil.
Extracts of the geranium plant Pelargonium sidoides inactivate human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and prevent the virus from invading human cells. In the current issue of “PLOS ONE,” scientists from the Helmholtz Zentrum München report that these extracts represent a potential new class of anti-HIV-1 agents for the treatment of AIDS. Check out the detailed study at: http://womenfitness.net/news-flash/geranium-extracts-stop-hiv/
Disclaimer
The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
