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The Many Uses and Benefits of the Yellow Fruit, Most Famous Citrus Called Lemon

We all know lemons, citruses growing in warmer climates, available to us year round. This small yellow fruit is probably the most famous for its C vitamin (renowned antioxidant) content and has traditionally been used during colds and flus. However, there are many other benefits of the lemon juice we sometimes take for granted or tend to overlook them. To help you appreciate this little yellow treasure even more, here are some tips for the use of lemon you might not have heard about before.

Sore Throat Years ago, I used to have a sore throat as a companion, from fall to spring; very predictably, my throat would stay sore for the most part of this cooler season. That is, until I discovered how to use the lemon juice as soon as the soreness in my throat started threatening me: Half a lemon in a glass of water - first thing in the morning.

This short and simple recipe virtually changed my life. At the first sign of the burning or scratching sensation in my throat I would simply drink the juice of half a lemon with water on my empty stomach and the unpleasant sensations in my throat would just calm down.

Of course this refreshing vitamin boost probably wouldn’t work quite as well when the throat gets really sore. In that case, gargling with lemon juice has been traditionally recommended by herbalists and other practitioners.

Helping Digestion and “Master Cleanse” Dr. Elson M. Haas, M.D. is describing in his book Staying Healthy with the Seasons (Celestial Arts, 1981) the lemonade fasting as “master cleanse” for the body.

In his words, “Lemon water, as a half of lemon in a glass of water, drunk 20-30 minutes before meals, seems to help stimulate gastric juices and help digestion. In general, liquids drunk before meals can reduce our appetite and thus prevent overeating, and lemon water is a very good choice.” (Staying Healthy with Nutrition, Celestial Arts, 1992)

Even though the flesh of the lemon is acidic, lemon juice should not give you heartburn unlike vinegar and some other acidic fruits.

Cutting Fats, Removing Odors Lemon juice has a chemical behavior of cutting fats and oils, therefore helping with fat metabolism in our body and at the same time aiding liver function. No wonder we find lemon juice in the dishwashing liquids quite often.

Traditionally, lemon juice has also been used for removing bad odors from one’s hands (or wooden chopping boards) after handling strong-smelling foods and spices like fish, cabbage, garlic and some others.

Refreshing Drink Lemonade, a well known refreshing drink is most beneficial when prepared with freshly squeezed lemon, mixed with clean, fresh water and no sweeteners. Lemon juice can also be added to other natural juices to improve or change the taste and add vitamin C and potassium.

To me, the most refreshing way to drink lemonade is with mineral water. Most practitioners would probably disagree with this choice but Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo, The author of The Blood Type Diet®, actually recommends carbonated water for people with blood type O. In my experience, lemon with mineral water doesn’t even need ice to be truly refreshing. Besides, room temperature or warm to hot liquids quench one’s thirst much faster because they are readily absorbed unlike iced drinks that have to be heated up in a stomach first.

For your convenience, you can store freshly squeezed lemon juice in an ice tray and use a cube whenever you need a refreshing drink, want to add lemon to you cup of tea or simply crave to change the taste of the glass of water.

Oversensitivity to Lemons

There are some people around who may be allergic to lemons or the taste of the lemon just doesn’t agree with them. Some of those peoples replace lemon for gargling with apple cider vinegar – it’s claimed to be just as efficient with sore throats.

To wrap this up, the words of Dr. Elson M. Haas, M.D. tell it all: “I consider lemons a cleanser, purifier, rejuvenator, and detoxifier, especially for the liver, as they help in fat metabolism. These functions come mainly from their astringent qualities, supported by high vitamin C and potassium levels.”

Cheers! – With refreshing glass of lemonade…

Copyright 2007 D. Perse. All rights reserved.

D. Perse is a student of Herbology at Clayton College of Natural Health, passionate about growing herbs and collecting interesting facts about them, including history and legends, medicinal uses, recipes, growing tips and more. Website http://www.dariasworld.info is devoted to herbs and offers tons of free information for the purpose of educating and empowering, never to diagnose, prescribe or treat. Because one's health is in one's own hands.

posted by bluhmbtklwkm @ 2:00 AM