The Health Secrets of Lemons

by Vic Shayne Ph.D.

Research at the University of Arizona found that people who use citrus peel in cooking, baking or in their tea have less risk of skin squamous cell cancer. Other research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people who eat more grapefruit, lemons and oranges, and other fruits and vegetables high in potassium, have reduced risk of stroke. The membranes of citrus fruits offer pectin, a soluble fiber that is good for digestion and controlling cholesterol.

Citrus fruits such as lemon also contain terpenes, phenols, and isothiocyanates—phytochemicals that prevent cancer.

You may remember this from history class: Way back when, lemons and limes were discovered to be the cure for scurvy, a disease that ravaged sailors on the high seas. After centuries of disfigurement, death, tooth and gum disease and plague-like sores, British sailors started eating lemons (also called limes at that point) from the tropics and realized that they didn’t suffer from scurvy any longer. This is why the British were given the name “limeys.”

Vitamin C is one of the most fantastic ingredients in lemons, limes and other fruits, including the heralded acerola cherry (which is why it is a main ingredient in the FlavoC formula that I developed).

But health depends on more than vitamin C alone. Inside the fruit you’ll also find bioflavonoids, which not only support the function of vitamin C, but also keeps your blood vessels strong and is now recognized as essential for eye health and the prevention of bruising.

Lemons are also high in potassium, and contain limonene, which produces anticancer properties in laboratory animals. Limonene increases beneficial enzymes in the liver. And vitamin C is a natural antihistamine so well-known for causing the discomfort of allergic reactions.