Subject: Bergamot Oil

From: [email-masked] (David Green)
Date: 5 Dec 1996 09:43:26 GMT

Can anyone help a family addicted to Earl Grey Tea with
Health information concerning Bergamot Oil?

---

From: [email-masked]
Date: 11 Dec 1996 23:46:05 GMT

Bergamot oil is obtained by pressing peels of an unripe citrus fruit
called bergamot and  grown almost exclusively in Italy.  The major
components of this oil are terpenes as well as linalyl acetate, linalool
and citral.  Bergamot is a citrus fruit and citrus is one of the fruits
that was investigated by the National Cancer Institute for anti cancer
activity.  Citrus fruits contain classes of chemical compounds that may
have anti cancer activity.  Most of the compounds are concentrated in the
peel oil rather than in the juice.  One of the compounds in bergamot oil
is bergaptene, a furocoumarin which is one of the compound classes under
investigation by the NCI.  Bergaptene is a photsensitizer and is limited
in cosmetic use.  

For further information, the NCI has done extensive literature searches on
citrus fruits.  Also  the Florida Department of Citrus and the University
of California  Division of agriculture has published chemical reviews of
citrus.

I was the PI on an analytical study sponsored by the NCI on citrus and if
you want to e:Mail me I can send you a list of references.