The moment I hear lemon, I only think of a quote. 'When life gives you lemons, make lemonade', though the meaning of this quote is quite deep and philosophical, but let's take the literal meaning this time and not the deep hidden meaning.
Lemons are those bright yellow small oval sized fruits that give the chatpata flavours to our kebabs and onions. One of the most used ingredients all over the world, lemon adds flavours to the dishes we make and also helps us make the perfect mocktail or a welcome drink at our parties! Not only for culinary purposes, lemons are widely used for making face packs and hair packs because of its contents. Is that all? No, there are plenty other benefits of lemon and ways you can use it. Read on for some of the benefits of this sour fruit.
Following are of some of the benefits of lemons and also ways to use it, which will definitely make you squeeze a lemon right now!
Ladies and gentlemen, lemon is widely used for reducing all kinds of marks on skin, be it wrinkles or fine lines. Lemon does wonders for reducing acne & pimples, dark circles and even blemishes. Not just this, lemon also adds the natural glow to the faces which is lost due to all the dirt and pollution around us and also improves the skin texture and evens it out.
Soak some lemon juice in a cotton ball and apply it on the acne. You might feel some irritation and burning sensation, but applying lemon juice is one of the fastest ways to reduce them as it extracts the oil. Dark circles, wrinkles and fine lines can also be reduced just by applying some lemon juice on the affected area. The vitamin and citrus content also makes the skin glow. If you feel reluctant in applying only lemon on your face, you can apply lemon with face friendly ingredients like yogurt, besan etc. There are plenty of face packs that include lemon in its recipe.
Another interesting way to use lemon is to apply lemon juice on your lips and let it stay overnight. This will help you get rid of the dead cells and dried lips; do not try this method if you have cuts on your lips.
Lemon juice adds a glow to the face and improves the skin texture. But what most of are not aware of is that lemon bleaches the dark patches that most of us have around our elbows and knees. Just apply some lemon juice on the dark patches for some days and see the dark patch fade out gradually.
Have you even felt that your nails aren't very strong? Have you ever felt your nails have turned yellow by applying a lot of nail colours? Lemon comes to your rescue! To strengthen your nails, apply some lemon juice mixed with olive oil and apply it on your nails, let it stay overnight or as long as possible. This will not help in strengthening your nails but will also remove the leftover nail colour on the corners of the nail. Simply applying lemon juice will also help in reducing the touch of yellow on your finger nail.
Oh ya, skin and hair both!! Lemon, when applied on the scalp, helps in reducing the itchy scalp and dandruff that most of us suffer from. Even hair loss and other hair and scalp related problems can be treated at home by using lemons! Need another reason? Along with a natural glowing face, you can also a natural shining hair as well!
All you need to do is just apply at least 3 tablespoons of lemon juice on your scalp and let it stay for some time. This will help in reducing the itchiness of the scalp and flaky dandruff. You can also add lemon juice in water and pour it over your hair, this will give your hair the natural shine. For added benefit, apply hair packs that include lemon, then you get the benefit of not only lemon but also of the other ingredients like yogurt etc.
Consuming lemons help in bringing down the body temperature. The sore throat caused due to cold and flu can also be treated by lemons.
Just add some lemon juice and honey to a warm glass of water and drink at regular intervals until the fever chills down. This can also be used to treat cold and sore throat.
It has been observed that by using lemon balms, or by using lemon aroma diffusers, helps reducing anxiety. Inhaling lemon oil or lemon aroma helps in increasing the alertness and focus of an individual. So, those who work like robots and are stressed and anxious, go and buy lemon scents for your home and office! Another way to let go of anxiety and hypertension is to apply lemon oil on the forehead.
Lemons can do wonders for pregnant women. Not only does it provide necessary nutrients for a better health, it also helps in relieving the much hated morning sickness. Morning sickness is something every pregnant women hate, drinking lemon water helps them to feel better and get rid of nausea.
Discontinue drinking lemon water if you feel even a little bit uneasy; do not take the risk. Do consult your gynaecologist if you feel something wrong.
The sour yellow-coloured fruit not only combats cold and fever; it also helps the immune system fight against such infections. Lemons help in boosting up the immune system of the body, and also fight the seasonal viruses and infections. Just by drinking lemon water or increasing the lemon content in your food, will make you feel your minor ailments vanish after a few days!
With a lot of Vitamin C content in it, lemon also contains anti-cancer compounds which help in fighting cancer as well. Lemon tends to slow down and stop the division of cancer cells. Since lemon has a lot of antiviral, antibacterial compounds, it tries to prevent speaking of the cancer cells, reduces the growth and gradually stops the growth. Though it hasn't been scientifically proven, yet many doctors have started recommending lemons to early stage patients.
Ate a lot last night? Feeling a little constipated? Worry no more, just drink some lemon juice and say goodbye to the uneasiness. Lemon contains a lot of antioxidants and cleansing agents that help in digestion, and flushing out the toxins easily.
Drink a glass of lukewarm water with lemon juice after a heavy meal, it will stimulate the bowel movement to help you feel relaxed. If not warm water, just squeeze some lemon juice in a spoon and gulp it down your throat!
Having a toothache or a bleeding gum? Applying lemon juice on the affected area reduces a toothache and also the bleeding in the gums. So to get temporary relief, just apply lemon.
Are you scared of dentists just like I am? Then using lemon will be your only resort to relieve yourself from pain! Lemons will also help you get whiter teeth; mix some baking soda with lemon juice on your teeth and brush it gently, rinse off and see a little difference in the colour of your teeth.
Got an important meeting or a date? Rinse your mouth with a cup of warm water with some lemon juice and get rid of dry mouth and that bad breath! Try this out after hogging those yummy filled with onion and garlic dishes!
With anti-inflammatory and anaesthetic compounds, one can get rid of the itchiness caused due to bug bites by just applying some lemon juice over it. No itchiness, no redness and no inflammations! Hail lemon juice!
Spray some lemon oil or use lemon diffusers in your room to have a mosquito free room! Prevention is always better than cure, right?
Just like the sour taste of lemon gives a tingly feeling to the tongue, it cuts down the fats and helps in flushing out the toxins. Lemon is one of the most important part of a health conscious person's routine. I have already started this habit, what are you waiting for?
Feeling lazy? Drink a glass of warm water with lemon juice and feel energised, as lemon wakes you up internally and help you let go of the fatigue in the body. Cut out on the caffeine content and say hello to lemon!
Remember when you saw your father enjoying hot water sake after a hectic day at the office? Then you would also recall him adding some salt in the bucket. Right? So the next time you see someone enjoying the sake, add few drops of lemon along with salt. Salt helps in relieving the pain and lemon will act as a bonus and relax those foot muscles.
People suffering from asthma and other respiratory problems can be soothed by the intake of lemon. The vitamin content helps in giving temporary as well as long-term relief from all types of respiratory issues. Since lemons improve the immunity system and contain antioxidants, it helps in fighting the infection or allergy that leads to an asthma attack. Lemons also make the lungs feel stronger and making it easier for the patient to breathe. Consult a doctor before trying out anything.
Lumps under the skin are a common thing that happens to all of us. Applying lemon juice on the hard area softens the lump. You can also slice out a very thin piece of lemon and bandage it on the lump area. Using lemon oil can also be useful, but be careful to use only a tad bit of oil.
The above-mentioned reasons were all related to health. If you are not satisfied with the health benefits, read on for some ways to use honey in your every day for various purposes. I'm sure all the mommies are going to love this segment of the article, for some for some of their hectic jobs can be made easy here!
Wash all your fruits and vegetables with lemon first before eating. We are not aware of the amount of insecticides and pesticides that have been sprayed in our groceries. So it is recommended to spray the groceries with lemon juice to disinfect it, reducing chances of falling sick.
I'm sure all of you must have put lettuce in water and placed it in your refrigerator to keep the leaves fresh. But what about the leaves that have gone a little flimsy? Refrigerate the soggy leaves in a bowl of water with lemon juice for 2 hours and see the difference! You can also soak the half-cut fruits and vegetable in a bowl of cold lemon water to avoid browning.
While boiling rice, we come across sticky rice many times. Next time when you boil some rice, squeeze a little bit of lemon juice in the boiling rice; this prevents the rice from sticking.
Hard water stains on taps and showers? Don't worry. Just rub a slice of lemon on the stained area and see the hard water stain vanish! You can do the same for hard water stains on the shower doors.
Got a stained marble floor? Rub a slice of lemon on the stained marble floor to get rid of the stain. Don't rub too much as the acid content might damage the tile.
Garbage collected in your home since a few days? Don't worry, just put lemon peels in the dustbin; it will help a lot in dealing with the bad odour.
Sometimes, stains are removed completely after a wash in the washing machine. Add a cup of lemon juice during the washing cycle. This will help in getting rid of the leftover stains and act as a bleaching agent.
So what do we learn? Lemon is a kitchen ingredient which is only good for our skin and hair, but also for the overall health of an individual, and moreover, it comes with a wide range of other uses that almost everyone can try out on a daily basis!
Hi, I'm Sakhi, and I love to meet new people and learn new things from them. I strongly feel that make-up can make you look pretty on the outside, but eating healthy keeps you pretty on the inside!
