Lemon
The lemon or lime is one of the most well-known and widely used citrus fruits in the world. The yellow-skinned fruit is known for its high acidity and high content of ascorbic acid (vitamin C).
General overview
Today’s lemon is a cross between the citron and the bitter orange. The first evidence of the current form of the lemon comes from China around the year 1000 AD, before that the term lemon referred to the citron that is still cultivated today. They are the fruit of the lemon tree, which thrives in subtropical to tropical areas and is now cultivated worldwide. It is a medium-sized, evergreen tree that can be found in Europe, especially in Italy and Spain – the lemon thrives best in warm, humid areas.
In Europe, it was first found in Italy in the 13th century, and also further north around the 16th century. While the lemon tree was then mainly understood as an ornamental plant, this changed from the 18th century. The British Admiralty discovered the positive effects of vitamin C- rich lemon juice on scurvy , a seafaring disease that was common at the time . They treated them with lemon juice and reduced the incidence of scurvy to almost zero – they didn’t know at the time that scurvy was due to a vitamin C deficiency, but they laid the foundation for the importance of the lemon today.
Occurrence and cultivation
Lemon trees are found worldwide in subtropical and tropical, warm areas. Lemons thrive best with a certain level of humidity, but they can also be found in areas like Sicily with wet winters and dry summers. Lemon trees can also be cultivated outdoors in northern latitudes in midsummer, but should be brought indoors during the winter months. Therefore, in this country they are more likely to be seen as an ornamental shrub or are grown in greenhouses, but less on plantations in the open air.
The lemon tree requires an evenly warm and humid climate but can survive temperatures as low as 12°C. If it is stored in a cold but dry winter, allowing the leaves to get enough light, its root will remain alive but dormant until it receives more heat again. As a result, the leaves fall off and lemons only form again when it gets warm enough for the flowering period. Similar to the orange , which is a close relative, lemons originated in Asia, primarily China. It is now widespread worldwide.
Application and effect
Lemons are used as a cooking and baking ingredient. The pulp, juice and grated zest of the lemon are used, only the white mesocarp on the inside of the peel is not used due to the high amount of bitter substances it contains . Lemon juice is of particular importance in covering the daily requirement of vitamin C. Due to the high proportion of citric acid, the juice is not drunk pure, diluted with water as a hot lemon or as lemonade, on the other hand, it can be enjoyed and provides the body with a particularly large amount of vitamin C.
The grated and dried peel of the lemon can be used as an aromatic flavor after a blanching process to dissolve bitter substances. The lemon zest mainly contains essential oils , the fresh peel contains more than the dried version. The zest of a single lemon gives cooking and baking recipes a distinct lemon flavor, and the juice of one lemon is enough for a larger amount of a diluted drink.
What does lemon help with?
importance to health
Lemons are a suitable source of vitamin C, especially the natural lemon juice supplies the body with large amounts of vitamin C. While the lemon was used in the past to reduce scurvy, the vitamin C deficiency, among sailors, it is still used today for prevention – but fortunately a real deficiency is very rare today. The lemon peel, on the other hand, provides less vitamin C, but all the more (essential) oils and flavonoids . Limonene and citral are the two most important oils in lemon peel, and they also provide the flavonoids neohesperidin, rutin and naringenin. These may have a soothing effect on pregnancy edema, venous or intestinal diseases.
However, caution is advised with the flavanoid naringenin: it can influence the effect of various medications. These include heart medication and some chemotherapy treatments . Therefore, the consumption of lemons and citrus fruits should generally be discussed with a doctor during such treatment. In addition, it is advisable to only drink heavily diluted lemon juice in the event of stomach problems caused by stomach acid in order to reduce the citric acid content, as this can have an irritating effect on susceptible gastric mucosa.
Hello and welcome to my Health Guide & Encyclopedia! My name is Dorothy Farrar, and I'm the founder and main author of this platform.
My passion for health and wellness started at a young age when I became interested in the connection between the food we eat and the way we feel. This fascination led me to study nutrition and dietetics in college, where I learned about the importance of a balanced diet and the impact of various nutrients on the body.