Treasure Of Taste And Health: Lemon

Do you know that citrus lemon can also cure many serious diseases? In addition to vitamin C, lemons are rich in nutrients like calcium, potassium, fibre and are also plentiful of anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.

The small tangy and zesty fruit Lemon, not just adds to the taste various dishes, salads or beverages, but is also a treasure of medicinal properties. Loaded with vitamin C and other nutrients like calcium, potassium and fiber, lemon helps in boosting immunity as well as preventing many serious diseases. It consists of anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties and is beneficial in prevention of infections related to the respiratory system. Let us look at some more benefits of lemon

Weight Reduction
Lemon has always been considered the best home remedy for weight loss. Research suggests that polyphenols present in lemons can control increasing fat in the body. Along with hydrating the body, lemon is also popular for its detoxifying properties.

Cancer Prevention
Both doctors and experts believe that regular intake of vitamin C can reduce the risk of serious diseases like cancer. According to a study, pancreatic cancer can be avoided by consuming citrus fruits like orange and lemon. Flavonoids present in lemon have anti-cancer properties. Citrus fruits also consist of anti-tumor and chemo preventive properties.

Lemon for Heart
Vitamin-C rich foods decrease the risk of coronary heart diseases. Sometimes blood pressure problems can also cause cardiac problems. But, citric fruits like lemons are rich in flavonoids and are helpful in the condition of atherosclerosis i.e plaque formation in the arteries. They help in reducing the oxidative stress, in hyperlipidemia, i.e. reducing fat and inflammation in the body, improve arterial blood pressure and lipid metabolism.

Respiratory Health and Preventing Infections
Experts as well as various studies have suggested that vitamin C can help in preventing respiratory infections and inflammation. Lemon has also proved to be beneficial in various respiratory tract infections such as asthma, cough, bronchitis, pneumonia, or other lung-related problems.

Kidney Stones
The citrate properties present in lemon can prevent stone formation, so consuming lemon is beneficial even if there is a problem of stones in the kidneys. Experts say that even though the nature of lemon is acidic, it goes into the body and gives an alkaline effect and can act as a cleanser for the kidneys.

Lemon and Liver
Lemon can be very beneficial for the liver. Researches have shown that lemon has a protective response on the liver affected by alcohol due to its hepatoprotective property.

For Wrinkles
Vitamin-C is considered an effective antioxidant, so regular use of lemon can help reduce the effects of aging on the skin by eliminating wrinkles. In addition, Vitamin-C also increases collagen.

Lemon for Hair
Use of lemon is popularly known to deal with the problems of dandruff. Dandruff affects about 50 percent of the population. In this case, applying lemon juice in the hair reduces dandruff in the hair.

Side Effects Of Consuming Too Much Lemon

Excess of anything can be hazardous for health. Similarly, consuming high amounts of lemon can also negatively affect our health. Some of these effects include:

• Excessive intake of lemon can spoil the outer layer of teeth, ie enamel.
• People with sensitive skin may be allergic to the use of lemon. Therefore, before using lemon, know if you are allergic to it or not.
• Oral Allergy Syndrome i.e. food allergy, this a problem that can cause sore throat, swelling on the lips and fever.
• Lemon is a great source of vitamin-C and excessive intake of vitamin C can cause diarrhea, nausea and stomach cramps.

Therefore, lemon is very rich in vitamin C and other nutrients which can be helpful in dealing with many health problems. But one must keep in mind that lemon should not be consumed too much as it can have a negative impact on your body.