The health benefits of lemons

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by jharmon

Created on: January 23, 2010

This common, little yellow citrus fruit has lots of uses in our food, but did you know it also has plenty of potential for health purposes?

Digestion: Mix several cut lemons with water, basically a light lemonade, and drink it in the morning to help your digestion all day long. The lemon stimulates the liver and this helps with digestion.

Nose bleeds: This one stings a little bit, but lemon juice on a cotton swab or soft cloth when applied to a bleeding nose helps to slow and eventually stop the flow of blood.

Diuretic: If you suffer from a urinary tract infection, or need to lessen the fluid in your body for any number of health reasons (such as high blood pressure, enlarged heart, etc.), lemon is a natural diuretic, helping you to shed unwanted water. Just be prepared to go to the bathroom more often!

Antiseptic: The acidic juice of lemons kills harmful bacteria, which makes lemons a natural antiseptic you can apply to small cuts, inflamed areas and other infections. Again, this one might sting a little. But don't use lemon for major infections or large cuts, not because the lemon would be dangerous, but because you need real medical attention.

Facial cleanser: Lemon juice helps to fight wrinkles, acne, blackheads and even freckles. Apply the juice directly to your skin, then allow it to dry. Remove the juice with a little olive oil mixed with water. This will not only make your skin more shiny, but will also remove dirt and grime.

Mouth care: Swab a little lemon juice on bleeding gums to stave off further blood. Lemon also helps to give your mouth a refreshing feeling, fights bacteria and can give you fresh breath. Also, believe it or not, when applied to tooth aches, lemon juice helps to dull the pain.

Reducing fever: There are two ways to use lemon when wanting to reduce a fever. For one thing, you can drink a little lemon water. But an even better solution is to buy or make a lemon balm, then apply it to the body, probably mainly around the forehead. A lemon balm is a concentrated form of lemon, and it helps the body to perspire and sweat out the fever, any kind of fever caused by any kind of illness.

Blood pressure: Because of the high levels of potassium in lemons, the fruit is good at helping to keep blood pressure lower. The potassium counter-acts sodium.

Depression: Drinking lemon juice mixed with water a few times a day is known to create a calming effect, relaxing the body, thus helping to lessen depression and stress.

Antioxidant: All that vitamin C in lemons does several wondrous things, including cleansing the blood and helping to build a stronger immune system. Also, various medical studies have shown that high use of vitamin C helps to combat many serious illnesses, from cancer to heart disease and more.