Can lemon give you a youthful skin?

What is LEMON? Identification name: Citrus limon L. Family: Rutaceae Habitat: native to Asia, East Indies Medicinal parts: fruit, juice, peel Key chemical constituents: the essential oil contains 90% limonene and 3% citral. In the peel of the fruits the bitter flavonoids neohesperidin and naringin, other non-bitter flavonoids and coumarins. It also contain sugars, oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, vitamin C, vitamin B1, vitamin P. Specifically, citric acid is antimicrobial; limonene gives the scent of lemon; neohesperidin is antineoplastic; naringing is antineoplastic and anti-inflammatory; vitamin C is antioxidant; vitamin B1 is antioxidant, erythropoietic, mood modulating. Properties and uses: it is carminative, stimulating, tonic, vitaminizing. Lemon peel has mild appetizing and eupeptic properties. It is often found in herbal tea blends and homemade drinks as a flavor corrector. The essential oil is used as a seasoning agent and as an ingredient in skin ointments. Bioflavonoids in lemon are used in preparations for vascular problems and flu syndromes. Lemon juice is a good astringent, used in gargling for sore throats. The juice of one lemon a day diluted with equal amount of water can help dissolve kidney stones. Although lemon juice is very acidic, once eaten, an alkalizing effect is produced in the body, useful in the treatment of rheumatic diseases. Curiosity: in the past, some cases of cholera were cured with large doses of lemon. Traditionally, lemon juice was used as a remedy for stomach, diarrhea, sore throat. People used to apply lemon leaves on wounds, boils, and abscesses to cure them. Women used to wash their hands with lemon juice mixed with flour to make them smooth and white. Homeopathy uses lemon for bleeding gums. Caution: the literature reports no side effects and toxicity at therapeutic doses. Intensive contact with lemon essential oil or fresh lemon juice can make you skin sensitive to sunlight and cause allergies or dermititis. Lemon peel extract can increase the pharmacological activity of medications. In pregnancy avoid using it in amounts greater than those typically found in foods.

​ Tiffany is 40 years old. Today she is going to meet her longtime friend Joe for a coffee. Joe went to work in Africa for a few years and just came back. As they were chatting and sipping their coffee, Joe could not stop looking at her face. Tiffany asked, "What's the matter?", and to her surprise he replied, "You have such a beautiful and glowing skin! You look so young, like you are in your 20's!" Lemon is good for the skin. In the past, many ladies before bedtime removed makeup and cleaned their facial skin using a detergent they made of lemon juice, glycerin and cologne in equal parts. You can use vegetable glycerin and substitute cologne with organic rosewater, which has a nice fragrance. A variation can be just lemon juice and extravergine olive oil in equal parts. This can be used to remove even waterproof makeup and clean face or as a base before applying foundation.

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