Citronella Oil Health Benefits, Properties, and Uses

Citronella oil is derived from the Cymbopogon genus of plants—a group of grass plants native to Sri Lanka, China and Indonesia. There are two primary type of plants involved in making citronella oil. The first is the Cymbopogon nardus (Jowitt) plant, which produces Ceylon (Sri Lanka) citronella oil. The second is Cymbopogon winterianus (Rendal), which produces Java (Indonesia) citronella oil. Citronella oil is extracted from either of these two plants through steam distillation. ¹

Citronella is classified by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a biopesticide, meaning it’s a natural bug repellant. Though citronella is commonly known as a natural insect repellent, it actually has several other important health benefits.

Citronella Oil Health Uses and Health Benefits

Because citronella is derived from plants, it has a high concentration of phytochemicals all with various health properties, including antioxidant benefits. Traditionally, citronella has been used to help reduce inflammation and alleviate pain. This makes it a perfect natural remedy for inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.²

Citronella oil is also an excellent remedy for a variety of inflammatory skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema. You can also use citronella oil for basic skin rashes, wounds, acne, warts or as an anti-aging treatment.²

Other citronella health benefits include:

• Reducing stress
• Relaxing muscles
• Alleviating headaches
• Improving sleep quality
• Aiding in digestion
• Shampooing and conditioning hair naturally

References

1. https://articles.mercola.com/herbal-oils/citronella-oil.aspx
2. https://draxe.com/citronella-oil/