Common Lemon.

Common lemon

An evergreen tree of the Rutaceae family, up to 5 m high. The crown is spreading, pyramidal. The leaves are short-petiolate, oblong-ovate, with a characteristic lemon scent.

Blooms in May - June. The flowers are solitary, fragrant. The fruit is large. The peel is thick, soft, yellow-green or yellow. The pulp is sour, juicy, greenish-yellow. Ripens in November - December.

Common lemon is grown in Georgia, the North Caucasus, Moldova and Central Asia. Widely cultivated as a houseplant. Unknown in the wild.

Used in the food and confectionery industry. Lemon pulp juice removes stains on clothes and other things; it is used to clean knives, metal spoons and forks. Juices and soft drinks are prepared from the fruits and used as a seasoning for dietary dishes.

In cosmetic practice, it is used to remove freckles and age spots, and in perfumery - to flavor lotions and ointments.

Fresh fruits serve as medicinal raw materials. Essential oil is obtained from lemon fruits, which contains limonene (90%), alpha-pinene, gamma-terpinene, phallander, methylheptenone, as well as octyl, caprylic and nonyl aldehydes.

Lemon juice contains citric acid, sugars, vitamins C, A, B and D. Pectin substances, potassium salts, copper and other trace elements are found in the fruit pulp. The peel contains vitamin P, flavone glycosides, coumarins and sitosterol.

Lemon juice is prescribed for fever, to quench thirst and improve general condition. It is used for a lack of vitamins C and P in the body, for diseases accompanied by metabolic disorders, as well as for inflammatory diseases, gastritis with low acidity, gout, urolithiasis and other diseases. Diluted juice is used to rinse the mouth for sore throat and other inflammatory diseases.

Lemon peel boiled with sugar is used to improve digestion.

Externally, lemon juice is prescribed for fungal skin diseases to eliminate itching. It is included in creams, ointments and lotions intended for facial skin care.