Lemon is the most widely used acidic fruit in the world. Although it turns out with a very acidic taste, it is still tasty, and really versatile for many things, both for food and for beauty products, cleaning and many other uses.
It is a small citrus, but has more health benefits than its other fruity companions such as grapefruit or orange.
Lemon gives a delicious touch to many dishes, fights colds, is a good beauty product, brightens your hair and even helps cleanse the environment.
Unlike citrus fruits such as orange, lemon has been known for more than 1000 years, and is considered one of the most popular tropical fruits. Originally, the lemon tree only produced green lemons, however, a variation with yellow fist-sized fruits originated in India and spread throughout the Mediterranean until it reached the Arabs.
What benefits does lemon give us?
Lemon is one of the most alkaline foods of all, which helps to restore the pH balance in the body of people who are accustomed to an abundant acid diet. The following are just a few of the health benefits that lemon presents in any of the uses it is given:
1. For hair
For hair care, mix lemon juice in a hot water bath. If you have dandruff, this will help you remove it. Squeeze the juice of two lemons and mix it with hot water. Use this water to cleanse the hair and in turn, the scalp. This is an excellent cleaning agent. It gives a bright texture to the hair.
2. For the skin
Because lemons are rich in vitamin C, if you drink lemonade on a daily basis, you could get shiny skin. Lemon, too, can be used to treat skin infections, as lemons are antiseptic. You can use it to reduce the burning sensation on the skin. To heal scars, lemon should be applied regularly. In addition, it can be used to treat acne.
3. If you are on diets to lose weight
If you’re on weight loss diets, lemon is a key ingredient. Prepare warm water with lemon and honey. This is a support for your diet in the process of reducing fat and will effectively help reduce weight, if you take it on an empty stomach.
4. Stomach Diseases
Hot water with lemon juice is helpful in relieving many stomach problems. Such as bloating, constipation, indigestion, stomach parasites, nausea, heartburn, etc.
5. Perfect antioxidant
Lemon is an excellent antioxidant because it contains vitamin C. These antioxidants look for the free radicals that cause aging.
6. For Dental Care
If applied to the affected area, lemon juice provides relief from a toothache. Massage with lemon juice the gums that bleed, this will help stop the bleeding. Looking for a remedy against bad breath? Then, you can use lemon juice as a mouthwash. Add the juice of a lemon to a glass of water and gargle with it. This helps to eliminate bad breath.
7. Breathing problems
Lemonade greatly helps asthmatics as it treats the ailments associated with breathing problems.
8. Throat Infections
The antibacterial properties of lemons are recognized; these help eliminate many throat infections. If you have one of these infections, you can drink warm lemon tea or gargle with lemonade. Vitamin C in lemons helps speed up the healing process.
9. High blood pressure
For those suffering from heart problems it is advisable to drink lemon water. It contains potassium and therefore helps treat nausea and hypertension.
10. Blood Purification
Lemonade acts as a blood purifier. It also helps treat some diseases, such as cholera and malaria.
11. – Lowers the fever
Drinking lemon water helps in the treatment against the flu and cold, reducing body temperature as it increases perspiration.
12. – Diuretic
This great fruit is an excellent diuretic and through this property causes toxins and bacteria from the body to be eradicated. Therefore, it is effective in helping to treat arthritis and rheumatism.
How to use lemon to get more benefits?
You can get more benefits if you drink it with warm water. So drink a lemon juice with water daily to improve your health. Below you will know the best ways to use lemon to make the most of all its benefits.
How to treat a cold with lemon?
The explanation for why lemons are so popular lies in their versatility. Especially during the winter, lemon is used as a natural remedy for colds, cough, runny nose and hoarseness. Because it contains vital substances whose effects directly attack viruses and bacteria, they fight inflammation and improve the function of mucous membranes.
Relieve sore throat, cough and fever with a little hot lemon juice
Hot lemon juice is an especially popular remedy. Its simple form of preparation consists of mixing hot water with the juice of one or two lemons, and sweetening the drink with honey.
Hot lemon not only stimulates your metabolism, but will also stimulate sweat production, so the fever will go down. The healthy acid it contains also relieves sore throats and coughs. In addition, the active ingredients of lemon favor a quick recovery.
But also cold lemon water (lemon juice mixed with a liter of water, and sweetened with stevia) is considered an extremely beneficial drink for health. Drinking it at least three times a day should help you lose weight, strengthen your immune system and make your digestion work.
The components that make lemon so healthy
100 grams of lemon, which corresponds to the weight of a large lemon, only contains 20 calories, however it is composed of:
- More than 50 mg of vitamin C, an amount with which you will be covering half of the daily requirement of vitamin C.
- Folic acid.
- Calcium.
- Potassium.
- Magnesium.
- Fiber as pectin.
- Citric acid.
- Essential oils containing citral and limonene.
- Numerous flavonoids.
It has numerous healing properties, both internally and externally
It is above all the phytochemicals that make both the pulp of the lemon and its peel medically interesting. In folk medicine, lemon juice (internal) and lemon oil (external) have been used for centuries. In addition to using it for cold and fever, it is also used against a variety of discomforts:
- Loss of appetite.
- Arteriosclerosis.
- Arthritis.
- Diabetes.
- Cellulitis.
- Drop.
- Migraine.
- Rheumatism.
For this reason, in recent decades, science has conducted hundreds of studies on the medical value of lemon. It has been proven that its ingredients can have the following effects:
- Anticoagulant.
- Anti-inflammatory.
- Analgesic.
- Antispasmodic.
- Antidepressant.
The ingredients of lemon are extremely interesting. On the other hand, it has been proven that the special active ingredients in lemon could even inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells and even kills a certain amount of these cells (induced cell death, apoptosis).
Other uses of lemon
In addition to these important medical effects, lemon also functions as a beauty agent. Lemon juice can act as an additive in cosmetics against wrinkles. And last but not least, rinsing with diluted lemon water is a method of discoloration dark hair that has been used since ancient times.
Lemon in cosmetics – Cosmetic products with lemon oil
Numerous skin care products and perfumes also contain lemon oil due to the fine aroma of citrus. The valuable oil of this fruit is extracted directly from its shell. In this part of the lemon are numerous oil glands. These exude their unmistakable fragrance. If the peel is pressed, the glands will burst and the lemon oil will come out.
Disinfect spaces and do the cleaning with lemon juice
Many hygiene professionals rely on citric acid to remove harmful germs and do the cleaning. For example, a lemon juice paste can be very useful if you want to recover the shine and luster of rusty objects.
The windows of your house can look spotless by simply adding a few drops of lemon juice to the cleaning water. And if stains remain on the board after cutting the meat, the lemon juice will make them disappear quickly and even destroy any bacteria.
Cooking tricks with lemon
Lemon truly is a multipurpose fruit, it is healthy, useful and practical. And it is equally versatile in its use in the kitchen. Here are the best tips:
- Rub the meat and fish with lemon slices before cooking them. This will not only kill the germs in the food, but it will also make the meat tender, and make the iron it contains more usable by the body.
- Add lemon juice to freshly cut fruits and vegetables, such as apples, pears, avocados, and chicory. The acid contained in your juice will prevent oxidation and thus the cut surfaces will not turn an unpleasant brown color.
- If when eating red beets, red cabbage or cherries, your fingers are painted red, the lemon juice will remove the color easily.
- If you only need a few drops of lemon for a dish: pierce the fruit with a fork or a stick, so that you start dripping a little juice and then you can keep the fruit in the fridge for a few days without it drying.
- It is better to buy organic lemons, especially if you want to use the skin. Fruits grown, harvested and stored commercially are treated with a wide range of chemicals that are difficult to remove, even when washed and brushed.
The best recipes with lemons – from lemon cake to lemon chicken
Lemon pie is one of the most popular lemon recipes. The classic dessert is not only refreshing, but is ideal for keeping frozen. You can cut and store it piece by piece and then thaw each portion individually.
You can also add a little whipped cream, fruits and ice cream, and also soak it in orange liqueur to make this cake a delicious conclusion for your festive menu.
1. Lemon cake
For mass:
- 1 organic lemon.
- 4 eggs.
- 250 g glass sugar.
- 200 ml of rapeseed oil.
- 100 ml of orange juice.
- 300 g flour.
- 1 pack of baking powder.
For glaze:
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice.
- 3 tablespoons orange juice.
- 6 tablespoons powdered sugar.
Wash the lemon with hot water, grate its peel, and squeeze the juice. Stir the eggs with the sugar until they are sparkling, and then add the lemon peel, lemon juice and orange juice. Add the flour and baking powder and stir well.
Place the mixture in a container greased with butter and bake the contents at 180 degrees for about an hour. Let the cake cool for a while, then remove it and polish it with a wooden stick several times. Mix the ingredients for the glaze and slice them over the cake.
Lemon muffins
For mass:
- 1 organic lemon.
- 250 g flour.
- 1 teaspoon baking powder.
- 2 eggs.
- 150 g sugar.
- 100 ml of rapeseed oil.
- 250 g yogurt (10 percent fat content).
For glaze:
- 150 g sugar powder.
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
- 50 g of white chocolate.
Grease with butter each of the spaces in the container for muffins. Wash the lemon with hot water, grate the peel, and squeeze the juice. Mix the flour with the baking powder, in a second bowl. Then mix the eggs, sugar, oil, lemon and yogurt and add everything together with the flour mixture.
Fill the molds and bake the contents at 180 degrees for about 20 minutes. Remove the still hot rolls from the mold and cube with a pinch of powdered sugar (glass sugar) and lemon juice. Melt the chocolate in a plastic bag in the microwave and add just the right amount in each muffin.
Lemon cream
- 500 g curd (20% fat).
- 2 organic lemons.
- 100 g sugar (or stevia equivalent).
- 1 vanilla pod.
- 200 ml of cream.
Wash the lemons, grate the peel, and squeeze the juice out of the fruit. Mix the curd with the sugar, cream and vanilla pod, add the lemon peel and add as much lemon juice as you want. Fill the bowls in which the dessert will go and let them cool. You can decorate with fruits or candied lemon slices.
Candied lemons
- 2 organic lemons.
- 200 g of sugar.
- 300 ml of water.
Wash the lemons and cut them into thin slices. Put them in a pot with cold water, boil them for a short time, then strain the lemons and remove the water. Now add 300 ml of water to the pot mix it with the sugar and heat the water slowly, stirring the mixture constantly.
When the sugar has completely dissolved, add the lemon slices and simmer for 35 minutes. The shell must be softened. Then remove the lemon slices with a ladle and place them individually on a drip tray, to let them dry.
Candied lemon slices can be kept for several weeks, and are very good for decorating cakes and desserts.
You can also use the syrup left in the pot and use it to refine alcoholic beverages, such as white rum.
Lemon chicken
- 4 organic lemons.
- 2 onions.
- 4 cloves of garlic.
- Salt.
- Olive oil.
- Four small sweet potatoes.
- Parsley.
- White wine.
Wash the lemons and cut them into slices. Peel the onions and sweet potatoes. It also peels the garlic cloves. Rinse the chicken inside and out with cold water, and dry it by patting it with kitchen paper. Brush with oil the walls of a baking pan or a casserole.
Salt the chicken pieces, and put them in the container (with the skin up), place under each piece one of the four sliced lemon portions and a clove of garlic. Spread the remaining potatoes, onions and lemon slices in the casserole, add olive oil and lemon juice.
Pour the white wine and let everything bake slowly at 200 degrees in the oven, preferably until the wine is almost evaporated, and the chicken and vegetables are well golden. Duration: about 30 – 40 minutes.
