The Power of Lemon!
“When fate hands you a lemon, make lemonade.” Dale Carnegie
The lemon is one of my top fruits. It’s full potential is often overlooked. It helps cleanse the body, provides us with a wealth of vitamins and minerals, helps balance acidity in the body so that your immune system and your healthy inner flora can survive!
Lemon Facts
Did you know that the lemon originated from China? That lemonade was a favorite of the Chinese Emperors? That lemon was used for bleaching and as an internal and external astringent way back then?
The lemon tree is a small evergreen that grows up to six meters tall and is now widely cultivated throughout the World.
For you folks in the United States, lemons made their way to you through the Catholic Missionaries and were first of all planted in Arizona and California!
Lemon’s Vitamins & Minerals:
Vitamin C, B5 & B6, Calcium, Potassium, Copper, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Iron and Magnesium
The lemon make’s up for one of nature’s top sources of potassium. Potassium helps with brain and nerve function, helps regulate blood pressure and works with sodium to regulate the body’s water balance.
Acid-Alkali pH Balance – Your body thrives on a delicate balance of acid and alkali. Lemons help this delicate balance. Despite its acidic nature, the impact it has on the body once ingested is to increase the alkali balance so in turn becomes Alkaline and restoring your immune system.
And talking about the immune system, the lemon also aids this system with its bioflavonoid, antioxidants and vitamin C content, which in turn helps with inflammation too.
Yeap, all of this goodness is one little yellow fruit!
Fresh Lemon Tips:
First things first, always rinse thoroughly the lemon skin. For the tips below, only the inside of the lemon is used for its juice.
To reduce fever & for detox:
Fresh lemon juice promotes perspiration & helps block pain. When lemon juice is heated, salicylic acid (probably best known as a compound that is chemically similar to the active component of aspirin) is produced. The juice of half a lemon in warm water morning, noon, and night helps eliminate toxins and ease aches & pains.
Sore throat quick fix: Squeeze from a fresh lemon or lemon slice 5-10 drops of juice onto your tongue & swallow these drops. Let the drops linger at the back of your throat. Do this 20 mins before & after eating, drinking. Do this twice a day for a week to help with throat infections & boosting the immune system for colds & flu.
Coughs: Drink lemon juice straight up or mixed with a fruit juice. Also as a hot night cap drink, lemon is great in a hot toddy or grog: Add warm boiled water to half a squeezed lemon juice, add an amount of quality honey to taste.
Weight loss & detox: Lemons are great to help loose weight and detox. Do half a freshly squeezed lemon juice with a small glass of fresh carrot juice or warm water first thing in the morning before breakfast and late afternoon, for a couple of weeks.
Lemon Essential oil
In Aromatherapy, lemon essential oil has many therapeutic uses. If you don’t like eating lemons, this could be an alternative for you in order to get the benefits of the lemon’s good stuff another way.
Lemon essential oil has long been used as a remedy for fevers, infectious diseases, particularly the common cold. It strengthens the immune system, stimulates the kidney and liver functions.
Main therapeutic uses for:
Acne, greasy skin, warts, corns, cellulite, arthritis, brittle nails, colds, throat infections, herpes, high blood pressure, kidney stones and varicose veins.
Mixes well with other essential oils:
Chamomile, ginger, lavender, juniper, frankincense, fennel & other citrus oils.
Safety data:
Non-toxic. Possible irritant in high concentrations on the skin. Increases photosensitivity – avoid direct sunlight after use.
Lemon Essential Oil Tips:
Throat/Cold & Flu / Immune booster:
Use 4 to 5 drops of the oil into your aromatherapy oil burner with some water. Place the burner for 20 minutes in your bedroom before going to bed.
Flick some drops of the oil on your shower unit walls (only on tiles or plastic) before getting in the shower. The steam of the hot water from your shower drives the essential oil molecules into the air giving you a lemon steam inhalation.
Before getting in the shower drop a couple of drops of oil on to your face towel. Use the face towel in the shower and rub the towel on your chest and around your neck.
Cellulite mix: (following amounts are only a guideline) For 10ml of carrier oil (almond & wheat germ preferable) add to 2 drops of lemon oil, 1 drop of grapefruit oil & 2 drop of lavender oil, or 3 drops of lemon oil & 2 drops of lavender oil.
Warts: Add a few drops of lemon oil onto a Q-tip bud and apply directly to the wart. You can also directly use lemon juice instead. The lemon oil is more concentrated and is more effective but both are good.
Recipes:
One tip which lemon is great for food is to help preserve it and stop it going brown with the help of the lemon’s antioxidants. For example, squeeze some lemon juice over your avocado guacamole and this will help keep it preserved and stop it going yucky brown!
Lemon mustard sauce for meat dishes
6 T unsalted butter or alternative cooking oil
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
3 T coarsely ground French mustard
juice of 2 lemons
salt and pepper
Put butter (or cooking oil) & garlic in small saucepan. Cook over low heat 3 to 5 minutes. Just before serving, whisk remaining ingredients; heat mixture briefly. Do not leave on heat because sauce will curdle.
Healthy Lemon Ginger Yogurt Crumble Dessert
Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy!
CRUMBLE: Mix together crushed up rolled oats, crushed walnuts, add small raisins or sliced & diced raisins and a sprinkle of cinnamon powder. This mix can be to your taste so have fun making your own healthy mix! The crumble makes up the base and 1/3 of the dessert. Put this crumble directly into your dessert bowls / cups. I usually serve this dessert in glass cups.
LEMON/GINGER YOGURT: Use a low fat healthy plan yogurt. Greek style yogurt is good. Add freshly squeezed lemon juice, a small amount of freshly squeezed ginger juice and mix well but gently into the yogurt. This yogurt mix should make up about 2/3 of the dessert. Add this now on top of the crumble base mix.
TOPPING: Fresh strawberries hulled & sliced (or other fruit). Now drizzle quality honey over the top of the strawberries and yogurt.
Put in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to cool and there you have it!
I hope you have found this information interesting and helpful.
NB: The contents of this article is for information purposes only. The reader is recommended to think carefully about any difficulties he or she is having with their own health and to consult their doctor if uncertain as to its cause or nature.