The lemon myrtle herb which is also known by its scientific name Backhousia citriodora is very much appreciated due to its plenty of antioxidants and antimicrobial properties. Still, like most medicinal herbs this has also a few numbers of side effects.
Lemon myrtle is very effective in getting relief from sore throats, colds, bad body odor, infections, flu, overstress and depression, digestion problems, and many more.
But naturally, there are always some side effects of everything we consider taking or eating. Lemon myrtle is also not apart from that law! There are some reactions considered Lemon Myrtle Side Effects.
While it points to the lemon myrtle side effects or the harmful reactions of taking lemon myrtle the first things those highlights are the bad effects on teeth, harmful to babies and pregnant women, stomach problems, creates dehydration even it can be the cause of diseases like Alzheimer’s, and Osteoporosis.
In this article, you will get a detailed overview of Lemon myrtle side effects
Side Effects of Lemon Myrtle
Lemon myrtle is a tree that commonly grows in the coastal regions of Australia. The fruits and flowers of this tree are used to eat. Moreover, the leaves of this tree are the most popular and preferred for their plenty of health benefits. These leaves are filled with a rich amount of essential oil.
The main element in the oil is the terpenoid aldehydes that are similar to citral. Citral has a lot of medicinal properties and provides plenty of health benefits. Nowadays, Lemon myrtle is available in the form of herbal tea, spice, powder, oil, and herb in the local markets to herbal and medicine shops.
Now let’s get into the side effects list,
Tooth Issues
The enamel or erosion of teeth is seen in people who take lemon myrtle as a supplement or tea regularly. As a by-product of this, your tooth becomes more sensitive to changes in temperature. Whenever you take anything hot or cold, you will experience pain or tooth gingivitis. So daily consumption of lemon myrtle can cause unfillable harm to your tooth.
Sores on Lips
Though lemon myrtle is suggested to cure sore throats in negative action, you can also get canker sores on your lips as the lemon myrtle side effect. Lemon myrtle has the characteristics of irritating the mucous membrane in our mouth and that causes canker sores.
Reason for Heart Burns
Although lemon myrtle is good for us and helps to refresh our mouths, taking too much lemon myrtle can harm us! It has the power to change the normal pH level in the stomach and intestine of the human body. This leads the acidic reflux slowly the acid reaches up to your esophagus from your stomach. Thus it slowly starts the burning feeling and sensation in our chest and even feels like vomiting due to the acid reflux!
Causes Dehydration
Taking frequently lemon myrtle with tea can cause dehydration of the human body. This tea works as an excellent diuretic. So if anyone takes this in a high quantity then it will create the urge to urinate more than normal as the result it will lead our body to dehydration.
Stomach Problems
Another lemon myrtle side effect is it can hamper your stomach, If you have the habit of taking lemon myrtle regularly with tea or soup then you might suffer from various stomach problems such as irritable bowel symptoms, constant stomach pain, ulcer in the stomach, diarrhea, and others.
If you have any physical issues with your stomach then it’s better to consult with your physician before starting to consume the lemon myrtle.
Harmful to Babies
Lactating or breastfeeding mothers should not take anything that contains lemon myrtle. The lemon myrtle can mix with the breast milk and that can cause harm to the baby. So, lactating mothers are strictly advised to stay away from lemon myrtle.
On another hand, lemon myrtle oil which we have talked about before is a dangerous element for baby skin. It contains so many toxic elements that can cause several skin diseases to the soft baby’s skin.
Harmful During Pregnancy
Lemon myrtle tea is very much appreciated due to its plenty of health benefits but it is quite harmful to a pregnant mother even her child! It contains a high volume of caffeine, and the dangerous part is you can even have an unexpected miscarriage by lemon myrtle side effects!
Can Cause Osteoporosis Disease
Osteoporosis is one of the diseases that badly affects your bones. Many women suffer from this bone disease.
If you take lemon myrtle tea regularly it will make you feel the urge to urinate more than normal, and urinating this much will silently drain out a lot of calcium from your body. Ultimately the result will be, your body is very weak and your bones are fragile.
Toxicity
In a lab testing of vitro cytotoxicity, information came out that both lemon myrtle oil and citral had a very toxic effect against human cell lines; HepG2 (a hepatocarcinoma-derived cell line), F1-73 (a fibroblast cell line derived from normal body skin), and primary cell cultures of human skin fibroblasts.
Final Thoughts
Lemon myrtle is popularly used due to its plenty of health benefits and a lot of herbal usage. Though there are so many positive sides and actions of lemon myrtle, it is also true that there is a list of lemon myrtle side effects that can cause harm to the human body and even can silently create a chronic disease!
It is strongly advised that you should consult your regular doctor and study details about lemon myrtle side effects before taking lemon myrtle or lemon myrtle tea or anything else that contains lemon myrtle.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
Is lemon myrtle safe for the human body?
Lemon myrtle is a herb used with different foods and also used as a herb due to its plenty of health benefits but there are some limits and conditions, ignoring them can cause harm to the human body.
Does Lemon myrtle cause cancer?
Lemon myrtle contains a lot of potent antioxidants that can destroy friendly and essential radicals that can lead to signs of early aging on our body and skin and even cancer. There is also a thought, this stimulates an enzyme that kills the skin cell before it gets the chance to multiply.
Can I take Lemon myrtle tea during pregnancy?
No, Lemon myrtle tea is strictly prohibited for pregnant women and lactating mothers as it can cause harmful effects on the baby.
Can I take Lemon myrtle for health benefits?
This is true that Lemon myrtle offers plenty of health benefits but as it has a couple of side effects so it’s better to consult with your family doctor before starting to take anything that contains lemon myrtle.
Is Lemon myrtle toxic?
Unfortunately, the essential oil of Lemon myrtle is toxic to human skin cells in vitro if it is used in undiluted form. For reducing the damage to a minimal level it has to be diluted by approximately 1%.
