They’re sour. They’re stingy. And they’re mouth-puckering. However, lemons – whose juice is an essential ingredient in most cuisines and bars – are grown all over the world.
While most people would never consider consuming lemons in their raw state, these citric acid-rich fruits are often used to make lemonade, add flavor to drinks, garnish dishes and dissolve grease. But lemons are much more than a favorite flavor, stain remover or air freshener. Traditional medicine has long recommended them for their healing powers and for their components’ natural ability to fight infections and enhance various bodily functions.
Antibacterial Effect of Lemons
Since lemons are high in vitamin C content, they are very effective in treating and preventing infections. Doctors often prescribe vitamin C to patients suffering from the flu or a cold, in order to strengthen their immune system and help the organism fight the infection. However, studies show that the natural vitamin C found in lemons is much more effective than the synthetic one produced in labs. In addition to fighting the infection and reducing high fever, lemons also relieve symptoms of tonsillitis and sore throat, while clearing airway passages. It is no surprise that lemon is a common ingredient found in cough pills and sore throat remedies.
Lemons are not only effective in combating colds or respiratory infections. They can also fight the bacteria causing diseases like cholera, malaria, typhoid fever, scurvy and diphtheria. A 2005 Colorado State University study asserts that experiments have shown that the bacteria responsible for various diseases such as E. coli are destroyed in lemon juice, or their levels are significantly reduced.
Diuretic Effect of Lemons
Lemons are also effective diuretics which help the human organism eliminate excess fluids. Beside cleansing the organism of toxins and bad bacteria, the natural diuretics found in the juice of lemons help prevent a host of problems associated with water retention, such as glaucoma, edema (swelling), high blood pressure and bloating.
Lemons are also effective in combating urinary tract infections and bladder disorders, as well as conditions associated with a high uric acid concentration in the organism, such as arthritis and rheumatism.
The Lemon as Digestive Aid
The effects of lemons on the digestive system are less known than their antibacterial or diuretic properties. Despite their acidic taste, lemons can cure many digestive problems and regulate the digestive system. They may taste like pure citric acid, but, like most acidic fruits, lemons actually have an alkaline effect on the body, helping it fight symptoms of acidosis.
Lemon juice mixed with hot water is often used in curing digestion problems such as heartburn, constipation, nausea, intestinal worms and other disorders of the lower intestine. It also acts as a tonic to the liver, regulating its activity and stimulating bile production, which prepares the organism for the digestion of foods.
Cardiovascular Health Benefits of Lemons
Lemons are famous for their high vitamin C and citric acid content, but they are also rich in potassium, which has a beneficial effect on the heart. Vitamin P, another component found in lemons, helps strengthen blood vessels and prevent internal hemorrhage. For the same reason, lemon juice is also effective in stopping gum bleeding.
Lemon juice is sometimes applied to the nostrils to stop epistaxis (nosebleeds). According to Health911, the antioxidants found in lemons and other citric fruits (called bioflavonoids) can also help prevent recurring nosebleeds by strengthening blood vessels and making them less susceptible to rupture. These antioxidants have the same effect on other blood vessels in the organism, being able to prevent cerebro-vascular accidents in people suffering from high blood pressure.
Lemon Sedatives
Not many people are aware of the calming effect that lemon juice and extracts can have on the nervous system. Lemon balms are often used to calm anxiety and balance the mind. While lemon juice mixed with coffee is recognized as a centuries-old natural remedy against headaches and migraines, the stress-reducing effects of lemon extracts are not yet fully acknowledged. Lemon balms have a calming effect, while lemon juice is believed to improve memory functions and allay palpitations.
Other Health Benefits of Lemons
Since lemon juice is highly effective in fighting infections and speeds up the body’s repair processes, it can be a great aid in healing sunburned skin. If applied in advance to the skin, lemon juice can also prevent sunburn. Due to their healing properties, lemon balms and extracts are also effective remedies against acne.
The high vitamin C content of lemons can stimulate calcium metabolism, enhancing calcium absorption and maintaining the health of the teeth and the bones. It is important, however, to dilute lemon juice with water before drinking it. Ingesting pure lemon juice, which has a high acid content, can damage the enamel of the teeth.
Some people love the flavor of lemon in their cake or their limoncello. Some find it too stingy. And some find drinking pure lemon juice refreshing. However, regardless of taste, lemons should be celebrated as a miraculous natural remedy against many of the illnesses and conditions that plague the human body.
References:
- Discovery Health Nutritional Systems, Middlesex, UK
- “Safe Food News”. Cooperative Extension. Colorado State University. Volume IX. Winter/Spring 2005.
Iulia Filip - Born and raised in Romania, Iulia Filip currently resides in South Carolina, USA. She has graduated from the MFA Program in Creative ...
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