The Healing Power of Lemons
High Cholesterol
There are many reasons why you might have high cholesterol, such as insufficient sunlight or exercise or a poor diet. The liver creates most of the body's cholesterol and the lemon can have an impact on how this occurs.
The pectin in a lemon helps to reduce the absorption of cholesterol from foods. In the gut pectin also helps inhibit cholesterol absorption. This, together with its Vitamin C, means that the lemon can deliver a double blow against cholesterol.
A lemon is often described as being an alkaline-forming food and research has shown that it does help dissolve and eliminate cholesterol. If you were to eat four apples every day then in terms of cholesterol lowering they would perform the same as a strong statin drug, which is designed to reduce cholesterol. Well, set aside apples, because lemons have more pectin in them, so they are even more effective!
Fainting & Fatigue
A lemon's acidity and fiber should slow down the absorption of sugar from the gut. This in turn helps prevent high blood sugar and then low blood sugar, which is often the cause of fainting.
Adding lemon juicce and zest to your daily diet can help eliminate dizzy spells. Many people who use up their blood sugar quickly often feel faint after eating, so acidic foods help to promote the digestion of the food's proteins.
For fatigue, then fiber in a lemon helps to slow down sugar absorption. Lemons are packed with vitamins, and they contain some Vitamin B, which is good at alleviating fatigue. If you tend to get really tired make sure you are including some lemon juice and zest in yoru daily diet, too.
Urine Infection:
Urinary infections, or cystitits, are painful and can make you feel really miserable. To get rid of it you need to reduce acidifying foods and increase alkalizing foods. Lemons can help with this process. Squeeze the juice of a lemon into a glass of warm water and drink this first thing in the morning. It will change the pH of the urinary tract and discourage the proliferation of bad bacteria, which cause the inflamation of the mucous membranes and walls of the urinary tract.
You should make sure that you also drink a lot of filtered water each day. Add cranberries and blueberries to your diet and certainly avoid alcohol, fizzy soft drinks, tomatoes, yeast, sugar and artificial sweeteners. With the exception of the lemon juice you should also avoid other citrus fruits while the infection remains. Believe it or not, the citric acid in the lemon juice will have an alkalizing effect on the urinary tract. It will also reduce inflammation whilst cleaning and cooling, as well as operating as an astrigent and antiseptic.
Gall Stones:
Gall stones are formed in the gall bladder by stagnant bile, or calcium salts. They are often associated with diabetes, constipation and obesity and are much more common if you have an unhealthy diet.
The pectin in a lemon should stop bile acids from the gut being reabsorbed, which helps to prevent gall stones from forming. The lemon juice alone should also encourage the gall bladder to contract and flush out bile and small gall stones.
You can give your gall bladder a thorough flushing by following a fairly extreme, but effective, regime. For six days drink 4 cups of apple juice and on the seventh day take 2 T of Epsom salts in water. Wait one hour and then take 1/2 cup of olive oil with 4T of lemon juice. You should then lie on the left side of your body for 30 minutes before going to bed for the night. The theory is that the flush will not only encourage the gall bladder to contract, but it will also soften any gall stones that may be present.
As a less extreme treatment, take 1T of lemon juice mixed with an equal amount of olive oil an hour before eating each morning. This is thought to help the body break down gall stones, as well as encouraging the contraction of the gall bladder. A contracted all bladder helps expel any gall stones that are present.
If you are prone to gall stones you should certainly consider incorporating at least two lemons in your daily diet.
Kidney Stones:
Lemon juice is a diuretic, which encourages the production of urine. Lemons also have citric acid, which encourages the liver to create enzymes.
Lemons can help prevent kidney stones from forming, as they provide Vitamin B, fiber, magnesium, calcium and selenium. Lemon juice can also help dissolve existing stones. Some stones are made up of calcium and they are formed because the body fluids are too acidic. The lemon juice has an alkaline effect on the body.
People with raised blood-sugar levels produce additional insulin, particularly after they eat carbohydrates. This makes the kidneys flush out calcium into the urine. They acidity in a lemon helps to prevent this, so as a preventative measure, incorporate lemons into your daily diet.
To help reduce the excruciating pain that can result from the presence of a kidney stone, squeeze the juice of half a lemon into a glass of water. Drink this mixture and repeat every 30 minutes until the pain is reduced.
Heart Palpitations
Heart palpitations are common and often caused by a poor diet, or stress. Physical activity, smoking and anxiety can also be key triggers for heart palpitations, which can give you an increased pulse rate and a thumping feeling in the chest.
Lemons can again come to the rescue. There are two similar treatments you could try. Squeeze out half a cup of lemon juice and add 1T of honey. Dilute this mixture with water. Ideally take this mixture before going to bed, but it is also a good general remedy to help you get a feeling of calm.
An alternative is to take the juice of half a lemon and half a lime, along with the honey. Then add 1C of water. Take this mixture on a daily basis in order to reduce the likelihoood of feeling stressed.
Upset Stomach:
Upset stomachs are often associated with an imbalance of the acids contained in the stomach. This can be brought on by an unhealthy diet, where the food that has been consumed encourages the production of acid. In extreme cases poorly digested proteins can be absorbed into the bloodstream, which in turn can cause allergies.
For relief from an upset stomach, try using a lemon. The lemon can help soothe any intestinal pain, relieve constipation and reduce flatulence. Simply sueeze half a lemon into a glass of water and drink this mixture once in the morning and once at night. This will soothe and help the stomach acid return to its noraml blance.
Other Uses:
Sutherland, Diane & John. Lemons Hundreds of Household HInts. Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing, pgs. 110-131.
There are many reasons why you might have high cholesterol, such as insufficient sunlight or exercise or a poor diet. The liver creates most of the body's cholesterol and the lemon can have an impact on how this occurs.
The pectin in a lemon helps to reduce the absorption of cholesterol from foods. In the gut pectin also helps inhibit cholesterol absorption. This, together with its Vitamin C, means that the lemon can deliver a double blow against cholesterol.
A lemon is often described as being an alkaline-forming food and research has shown that it does help dissolve and eliminate cholesterol. If you were to eat four apples every day then in terms of cholesterol lowering they would perform the same as a strong statin drug, which is designed to reduce cholesterol. Well, set aside apples, because lemons have more pectin in them, so they are even more effective!
Fainting & Fatigue
A lemon's acidity and fiber should slow down the absorption of sugar from the gut. This in turn helps prevent high blood sugar and then low blood sugar, which is often the cause of fainting.
Adding lemon juicce and zest to your daily diet can help eliminate dizzy spells. Many people who use up their blood sugar quickly often feel faint after eating, so acidic foods help to promote the digestion of the food's proteins.
For fatigue, then fiber in a lemon helps to slow down sugar absorption. Lemons are packed with vitamins, and they contain some Vitamin B, which is good at alleviating fatigue. If you tend to get really tired make sure you are including some lemon juice and zest in yoru daily diet, too.
Urine Infection:
Urinary infections, or cystitits, are painful and can make you feel really miserable. To get rid of it you need to reduce acidifying foods and increase alkalizing foods. Lemons can help with this process. Squeeze the juice of a lemon into a glass of warm water and drink this first thing in the morning. It will change the pH of the urinary tract and discourage the proliferation of bad bacteria, which cause the inflamation of the mucous membranes and walls of the urinary tract.
You should make sure that you also drink a lot of filtered water each day. Add cranberries and blueberries to your diet and certainly avoid alcohol, fizzy soft drinks, tomatoes, yeast, sugar and artificial sweeteners. With the exception of the lemon juice you should also avoid other citrus fruits while the infection remains. Believe it or not, the citric acid in the lemon juice will have an alkalizing effect on the urinary tract. It will also reduce inflammation whilst cleaning and cooling, as well as operating as an astrigent and antiseptic.
Gall Stones:
Gall stones are formed in the gall bladder by stagnant bile, or calcium salts. They are often associated with diabetes, constipation and obesity and are much more common if you have an unhealthy diet.
The pectin in a lemon should stop bile acids from the gut being reabsorbed, which helps to prevent gall stones from forming. The lemon juice alone should also encourage the gall bladder to contract and flush out bile and small gall stones.
You can give your gall bladder a thorough flushing by following a fairly extreme, but effective, regime. For six days drink 4 cups of apple juice and on the seventh day take 2 T of Epsom salts in water. Wait one hour and then take 1/2 cup of olive oil with 4T of lemon juice. You should then lie on the left side of your body for 30 minutes before going to bed for the night. The theory is that the flush will not only encourage the gall bladder to contract, but it will also soften any gall stones that may be present.
As a less extreme treatment, take 1T of lemon juice mixed with an equal amount of olive oil an hour before eating each morning. This is thought to help the body break down gall stones, as well as encouraging the contraction of the gall bladder. A contracted all bladder helps expel any gall stones that are present.
If you are prone to gall stones you should certainly consider incorporating at least two lemons in your daily diet.
Kidney Stones:
Lemon juice is a diuretic, which encourages the production of urine. Lemons also have citric acid, which encourages the liver to create enzymes.
Lemons can help prevent kidney stones from forming, as they provide Vitamin B, fiber, magnesium, calcium and selenium. Lemon juice can also help dissolve existing stones. Some stones are made up of calcium and they are formed because the body fluids are too acidic. The lemon juice has an alkaline effect on the body.
People with raised blood-sugar levels produce additional insulin, particularly after they eat carbohydrates. This makes the kidneys flush out calcium into the urine. They acidity in a lemon helps to prevent this, so as a preventative measure, incorporate lemons into your daily diet.
To help reduce the excruciating pain that can result from the presence of a kidney stone, squeeze the juice of half a lemon into a glass of water. Drink this mixture and repeat every 30 minutes until the pain is reduced.
Heart Palpitations
Heart palpitations are common and often caused by a poor diet, or stress. Physical activity, smoking and anxiety can also be key triggers for heart palpitations, which can give you an increased pulse rate and a thumping feeling in the chest.
Lemons can again come to the rescue. There are two similar treatments you could try. Squeeze out half a cup of lemon juice and add 1T of honey. Dilute this mixture with water. Ideally take this mixture before going to bed, but it is also a good general remedy to help you get a feeling of calm.
An alternative is to take the juice of half a lemon and half a lime, along with the honey. Then add 1C of water. Take this mixture on a daily basis in order to reduce the likelihoood of feeling stressed.
Upset Stomach:
Upset stomachs are often associated with an imbalance of the acids contained in the stomach. This can be brought on by an unhealthy diet, where the food that has been consumed encourages the production of acid. In extreme cases poorly digested proteins can be absorbed into the bloodstream, which in turn can cause allergies.
For relief from an upset stomach, try using a lemon. The lemon can help soothe any intestinal pain, relieve constipation and reduce flatulence. Simply sueeze half a lemon into a glass of water and drink this mixture once in the morning and once at night. This will soothe and help the stomach acid return to its noraml blance.
Other Uses:
- Anaemia
- High Blood Pressure
- Anti-Inflammatory
- Arthritis
- Gout
- Joint and Nerve pain
- Neuralgia
- Anxiety & Stress
- Depression
- Insomnia
- Vitamin C Deficiency
- Asthma
- Hay Fever
- Bronchitis
- Coughs
- Sore Throat
- Bad Breath
- Hangovers
- Headaches
- Mouth Ulcers
- Constipation and Diarrhea
- Hemorrhoids
- Urine Retention
- Cramps
- Fibroids
- Metabolic Rate Increase
- Heartburn
- Indigestion
- Nausea
Sutherland, Diane & John. Lemons Hundreds of Household HInts. Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing, pgs. 110-131.
Copyright © by Vibrant Health MD, PLLC 2014. All Rights Reserved.
