Lemon Citrus limonum


Citrus limonum
  • Common Names
  • Lemon
  • Botanical Name
  • Citrus limonum
  • Family
  • RUTACEAE
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Medicinal Uses & Benefits of Lemon

remedyHow to Use| Side Effects | Plant & Garden| Aromatherapy Oil |

How to Use: Lemon


Lemon is one of natures most versatile fruits, and because of its high vitamin C content, antibacterial and astringent properties, lemon is the de facto garnish in herbal teas. Lemon is used in herbal medicine to help build immunity against colds, influenza, and other viral infections. In her classic work, Grieve tells us lemon is a good astringent to use in gargles for sore throats as wise women well know. Lemon is very effective for disinfecting and cleaning household surfaces, and leaves a fresh clean scent.(2) Adding a simple slice of lemon to water not only improves taste, it provides citric acid, purifies the water, and balances Ph levels.

Lemons are an old standby for home beauty treatments. Lemon and lemon oil help to prevent wrinkles while adding a refreshing note in facial washes and masks. Applying lemon juice to facial blemishes is another popular home remedy for treating acne. Putting lemon juice on your hair and then lying in the sun was how a country girl went about getting highlights in my youth. Lemon is very astringent which is why is works so well, but also why you have to be careful not to use so much that the end result is dry, flaky skin and hair. Lemon essential oil can be used for many of the same applications as fresh lemons, without being quite as drying. Fresh lemons are becoming so expensive, especially during the winter months, that lemon essential oil may be the better bargain as well.

Preparation Methods & Dosage : Lemon juice is a favorite home remedy for treating acne and wrinkles. Use the astringent power of lemon in facial masks and treatments for acne, wrinkles and oily skin. A few drops of lemon essential oil is useful as a water purifier, as is a slice of lemon.

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Lemon Remedies

Lemon : Essential Oil Profile

Lemon essential oil is expressed from the peel of the fruit. The scent is evocative of the fresh ripe peel and refreshes the mind and helps to improve mental clarity, uplifts depression, mood swings, anxiety, and emotional stress. Lemon oil is good to use in gargles for sore throats, and a few drops of lemon oil in warm water freshens the breath. Lemon used as an astringent for facial care, it helps to prevent wrinkles and is great for use in facial masks for refreshing the skin.



In the Kitchen: t would be a great loss to kitchens everywhere were there no lemons. Lemons are used to make lemonade, garnish for drinks, marinate fish and tenderize meat, make marmalades, lemon zest is added to baked goods, and lemons make a liqueur called limoncello.

Ayurvedic Medicine ayurvedic medicinea There is a belief in Ayurvedic medicine that a cup of hot water with lemon juice in it tonifies and purifies the liver.

Lemon Side Effects: Lemon oil in the bath or in massage oils should be well diluted as it can cause skin irritation. Avoid using the oil in body care products when going out into the sun.

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Plant Description


A lemon tree can reach a height of 10 meters (30 feet), although the average tree is generally smaller. The branches are thorny, and form an open crown. The leaves are green, shiny and elliptical-acuminate. Flowers are white on the outside with a violet streaked interior and have a strong fragrance. The fruit grows underneath the flowers; as the flower petals fall away, a small green nub is left behind, which matures into the fruit. On a healthy lemon tree, flowers and ripe fruits can often be found at the same time

Related Species (syns. C. limonium Risso, C. limonia Osbeck, C. medica var. limonium Brandis)


History and Traditions & Folklore

The name Limonum is derived from the Arabic Limun or Limu, which in turn probably comes from the Sanscrit Nimbuka. There are several different varieties of citrus medica only differing in the character of their fruits. The principle ones are lemon, citron or cedrate, and lime. The Bergamot is closely related. The trees reached Europe by way of Persia or Media and were grown first in Greece and then in Italy in the second century Lemon juice is probably the best of all antiscorbutics, being almost a specific in scurvy. (Grieve, M.474-475)
References:
books citedWorks Cited
  1. Maud Grieve. "Modern Herbal Volume 2" Harcourt, (1931) Lemon is a good astringent to use in gargles for sore throats.
  2. . Renaissance of antimicrobial essential oils as a promising force to fight hospital-acquired infections , Journal of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery Volume 37, Issue 7, (October 2009): A recent study by a team of surgeons tested solutions made with Eucalyptus, Tea tree, Thyme white, Lavender, Lemon, Lemongrass, Cinnamon, Grapefruit, Clove Bud, Sandalwood, Peppermint, Kunzea and Sage oil. killed a number of common and hospital-acquired infections, like streptococcus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.,