LEMON

Lemon is a plant. The fruit, juice, and peel are used to make medicine.

Lemon is used to treat scurvy, a condition caused by not having enough vitamin C. Lemon is also used for the common cold and flu, H1N1 (swine) flu, ringing in theears (tinnitus), Meniere's disease, and kidney stones. It is also used to aid digestion, reduce pain and swelling (inflammation), improve the function of blood vessels, and increase urination to reduce fluid retention.

In foods, lemon is used as a food and flavoring ingredient.

How does it work?

Lemon contains antioxidants called bioflavonoids. Researchers think these bioflavonoids are responsible for the health benefits of lemon.

Report (Unsufficient):

• Meniere's disease. There are some reports that a chemical in lemon called eriodictyol glycoside might improve hearing and decrease dizziness, nausea, and vomiting in some people with Meniere's disease.
• Kidney stones. Not having enough citrate in the urine seems to increase the risk of developing kidney stones. There is some evidence that drinking 2 liters of lemonade throughout the day can significantly raise citrate levels in the urine. This might help to prevent kidney stones in these people.
• Treating scurvy. Scurvy is a condition caused by a lack of vitamin C. Lemon can provide some missing vitamin C.
• The common cold and flu.
• Decreasing swelling.
• Increasing urine.
• Other conditions.

More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of lemon for these uses.

Safety and Side effects:

Lemon is safe in food amounts and may be safe in higher medicinal amounts. The side effects of higher amounts of lemon are not known.

Applying lemon to the skin may increase the chance of sunburn, especially in light-skinned people.

Special Precautions & Warnings:

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Lemon is safe for pregnant and breast-feeding women when used as part of a normal diet. But it’s not known whether it’s safe to use lemon in larger medicinal amounts during pregnancy or breast-feeding. Stick to food amount