All About Lemons

I love fruit and I want to write again and again about the benefit of fruit related with health. Now we talk about lemon. I thought all of us knew very well about this fruit. We can easily found this fruit around us. We may use this fruit as a healthy drink or we mix this with other fruit. Sometimes we put it in the fridge and always ready in the kitchen. My mother also uses lemon for emergency things, because this fruit contain a lot of benefits. Lemon just not only used for drink but we can use this fruit for other purposes. I’ll explain below. So keep on reading……..

Lime (Citrus aurantifolia Swingle) is a herbaceous plant with many branches. This plant is widely grown in the yard and garden. The height of lemon tree is can be reach six feet. With the oval leaves and it has a flower with white color and star-shaped. With a woody stem and usually produce fruit after 2.5 years. The fruit shaped is round with a smooth surface, thin-skinned, with yellow color when it's old. Many people believe that this plant come from the northern region of India, which borders with Myanmar, or in northern Malaysia. But there's also say that the lemon was originally came from the islands in Southeast Asia. Whereas in Europe and the United States commonly called to as lime, sour lime. Other country also called lemon with other name but it has the same meaning, like: Lime (UK), Lima (Spain). Dutch people, especially those living in big cities like Amsterdam, Den Haag, and Rotterdam recognize the benefits of orange juice. Even in the U.S., the use of lime is also beginning to be recognized. Other good news is come from Ohio State Biotechnology Center, Columbus (USA) as a laboratory which is diligently researching lemon.

According to research, lemon has vitamin C levels higher than other oranges, it might come from the sour taste. But I’ll explain more about the substance inside lemon. Lemon contains useful chemical substance, like: glycosides , essential oils (lemon camphor, sitral, aktilaldehid, kadinen, linali-lasetat, nnildehid, felandren, Gerani-lasetat,) resin, amino acids (tryptophan, lysine), sulfur, iron, citric acid, phosphorus, fat, calcium, vitamins B1 and vitamin C.

100 grams of lemon juice contains: 27 mg Vitamin C, 22 milligrams of phosphorus, 40 milligrams of calcium, 0.1 grams fat, 0.04 milligrams of vitamin B 1, 0.6 milligrams of iron, 12.4 grams carbohydrate, 37 grams calories, 0.8 grams of protein and 86 grams water. Evidence of the benefits of lemon can also be seen on traditional medicine and beauty in Indonesia. Almost all of them used lemon as a raw material, both for its fruit, leaves and also lemon water.

Some diseases can be treated using lime, such as: tonsils, malaria, constipation, shortness of breath, influenza, cough, fever, constipation, delayed menses, dysentery, stomach pains, stomach nausea, fatigue, body odor, facial wrinkles, acne, headache or vertigo, hoarseness, increase appetite, prevent hair loss, dandruff, overweight, nosebleeds, and inflammation of the nose. Sour taste inside lemon could help in clearing the nicotine contained in the teeth and mouth of people who like smoking.

From some recent researches shows that orange juice is also benefit to prevent recurrence of kidney stones, especially idiopathic calcium kidney stones. According to the report, consumption of lime helps to prevent kidney stones. Lemon contains citric high, while many patients with kidney stones have lower levels of citrate. The citrate substance of local lemon (round lemon) is about 10 times greater than other oranges and six times higher than sweet orange. Citrate substances inside lemon almost reached 55.6 grams per kilogram.

• Lemon water is capable of making pores and made it tight. It is also able to eliminate excess fat on oily skin types. How to use it? Just put lemon meat on the skin. Especially in the area around the nose and cheeks which has big pores.
• Lemon is useful to whiten and soften the skin. We can rub lemon juice on the face and part of other skins that looks dull or rough. Believe me your skin will become whiter and smoother.
• To make your nails looks clean and bright with lemon is very easy. Squeeze the lemon meat and then use a little lemon juice to rub the dull nails.
• For oily hair types that usually quick dirty, wash with warm water mixed with lime juice. The result is the hair will become softer and looks shinny. To eliminate dandruff is use lemon juice on the scalp. Let it dry for 20 to 30 minutes, then washed. Do this treatment about two to three times.
• In addition to beauty, lemon is also useful as a means of relaxation. The tension in the hand muscles, legs or other parts of the body can be reduced by rubbing the sore part of body with lemon juice plus a little water. Or it could also soak the sore body in the juice of citrus fruits which have been added warm water in small buckets.
• For those who have a problem with the body odor, we can also try lemon juice as therapy. Mix lemon juice with a little whiting, and then rub it into the source of the smell. Surely the smell will disappear.

• Stop smoking. Simply slice a lemon, sucked and drank water, and do several times a day. So it will also help to wash nicotine which was accumulated in the body.
• Eliminate foot calluses. Calluses (thickening of the skin on the leg horn) can be removed by rubbing the fresh lemon slices throughout the affected part of calluses. Then let the orange slices all night. Repeat such of this work until the calluses disappear by itself.
• Eliminate tiredness. To get more spirit in work, we must eliminate tiredness. There's a good recipes for us. This herbal remedies consists of: 1 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1 ounce of the grated ginger and lemon water. Drink this recipe two times in a week.
• Hemorrhoids. Take as many as 10 grams of lemon tree roots and then washed, boiled with 1 liter of water for half of hours, then strain. Drink while still warm about three times a day.
• Tonsil. By using three lemon’s skin and washed, cut into pieces, and then boiled with 2 glass of water until the water remaining about 3/4, strained. Use the water to rinse your mouth, do this about 3-4 times a day.
• Cough. Take a lemon, washed, squeezed, mixed with a half tablespoon of honey and a little salt, mix well and then filtered. It should be drunk about 2-3 times a day, or lime juice plus a piece of rock sugar and stir until blended, drink one times in a day until healed.
• Kidney stones. Two grains of lemon juice diluted with 2 glass of warm water, drink after dinner and do it every day for 10 days.
• Diphtheria. Take two limes washed, squeezed the water, Pour a glass of boiling hot water with a tablespoon of honey, use it to rinse your mouth about two minutes while still warm, and drink it. Do it three times a day.
• Fever or flu. Take a lemon, washed and squeeze. Added with three pieces of onions that have been crushed, mix with a tablespoon of coconut oil and apply on the forehead.
• Irregular menstruation. Take three tablespoons of lemon juice plus a tablespoon of honey and two glass of hot water, stir well and drink while warm, do it three times a day.
• Vertigo. Take half a handful lemon leaves and crushed. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice, rub it into the neck and forehead and do it two times a day.
• Mucus in the throat. Cut two pieces of lemon, squeeze the lemon water, put this in the glass, add a little salt, and then stir until blended. Drink this two times a day.
• Reduce weight. For those who want to reduce weight, add a lemon juice into a cup of green tea water. Drink this every morning and evening. Do it every day.
• Prevent hair loss and dandruff. Cut two lemons into three sections, applied to the scalp until blended. Wrap the head with a towel overnight, wash it the next day and do three times a week.

I am not a good chef. But I am glad to share the recipes below. I hope this could be a good alternative for us. Something fresh and I believe this is good to overcome our thirsty, especially in a "hot" day I guess.

We can make this drink on a hot day. I believe this drink useful for our health.

Ingredients:

- 150 grams of cucumber, seeds removed, shredded lengthwise
- 250 ml of water
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 25 grams brown sugar
- 3 sticks cinnamon
- 3 pieces of lemons, squeeze and take 25 ml of lemon water
- 120 grams of crushed ice

Directions:

1. Boil water, sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon until it blend well
2. Enter a cucumber. Stir well. Remove and let it until cool. Add the lemon juice. Stir well.
3. Serve with crushed ice.

Sorbet is a coarse-textured ice cream, like crystal grains. There's good idea to make a refreshing sorbet by using lemon.

Ingredients:

- 450 ml water
- 175 gr sugar
- 100 ml lime juice
- 1-2 drops of green dye
- 2 egg whites

Directions:

1. Combine water and sugar in a pan, cook water with medium heat until boiling. Add the lemon juice and green dye, cover the pan, leave with low heat for 5 minutes, remove and let it cool.
2. Pour a mixture of water, sugar, and lemon juice in a container, cover with plastic sticky, and enter into the freezer for 1-3 hours until frozen (almost solid on the edges, but the center is still soft).
3. Remove from the freezer, beat with a mixer or blender until smooth. Put it back into the freezer, let it there until it almost frozen, and then shake again. Repeat 2-3 times and put it back in the freezer.
4. Beat egg whites until fluffy. In the last shuffle, enter the whipped egg whites into the lemon sorbet. Beat with low speed until this dough is smooth, freeze back in the freezer.

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