Lemon Herbal Information

NAME
Lemon Peel


LATIN NAME
Citrus limonum

ALSO KNOWN AS
Lemon, citrus medica, citrus limonum, citronnier, neemoo, leemon, limoun, limone, limonero, miski.

ORIGIN
India.

PARTS USED
Peel.


TRADITIONAL HERBAL USES AND MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
Dried lemon peel has culinary, confectionery, medicinal and cosmetic applications. The British Pharmacopoeia lists Lemon Peel as an aromatic for use as an aroma and flavor enhancer. The lemon has been cultivated for about two thousand years. Lemon has become the most popular citrus fruit in the world and is cultivated in warmer climates across the globe. Though most people peel the Lemon and eat only the fruit, the Lemon Peel, is a medicinal rich part of the fruit.
Lemon peel has an immune-enhancing action, and is high in vitamin C, so is a useful aid in fighting winter coughs and colds. It is also calming to the stomach and settles flatulence, as a stomach tonic.
The bright beautiful colour and smell are uplifting and aid the lifting of low energy or depression.
Lemon is actually strengthening to the blood vessels and can relieve the discomfort of varicose veins, as well as gently stimulate the circulation.
In Africa, Lemon Peel is used to treat colic, and in India, Lemon Peel is used to treat upset stomach. Lemon is used in Ayurvedic medicine to tonify the liver.. New studies on a monoterpene found in Lemon Peel called "limonene" show that it very effectively prevents individuals from developing abnormal growths on their skin.
This is a safe herb for children, and it tastes very good.


FOLKLORE AND HISTORY
Use of the lemon was recorded in Greece by 300 BC. By 20 BC cultivators were noted in Italy, and evidence of it has been discovered in the ruins of Pompeii! Lemon was the first citrus fruit known in the Mediterranean region.

It was specifically describe in a 10th-century Arabic treatise on farming. The medicinal virtues of the lemon were documented in North Africa by the 12th century, and seeds were brought to the Caribbean and Florida by the Spanish before 1500 AD. It was cultivated in California beginning in 1750. By 1870, to supply growing demand in the United States and avoid their importation from Sicily, Floridians revived commercial cultivation of the lemon.



CONSTITUENTS
Limonene, protein, carbohydrate, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin, ascorbic acid, Vitamin A, as well as volatile oil and hesperidin.


TYPICAL PREPARATIONS AND DOSAGE
Uses: Peel is used in culinary, confectionery, medicinal and cosmetic preparations.
It provides a refreshing, lemony flavor and health benefits when used in beverages, in tea blends and herbal blends for infusion.
Making a tea or infusion:
1 - 2 tsp of lemon peel in 1 cup of boiling water, steep for 10 - 15 minutes, then strain and serve.
Soak the lemon peel over night in cold water, then it can be added to grains and rice after cooking, it can be added to fruit salads, yogurt, smoothies, breads and cakes.

Mix with aromatic herbs for potpourris, bath blends and bath scrubs, and used for household applications of cleaning, polishing and air-freshening


PRECAUTIONS
None known.