Doris Obinna

Lime and lemon add refreshing zest to almost any drink, which cleanses and enhances immune properties of your already healthy glass of juice.
Lime is a small citrus fruit, like a small orange, with skin and flesh that are green in colour.
It is round with a diameter of about one to two inches. Most limes are sours and have an acidic taste, but when consumed is really alkaline.
Lemon is a small, oval-shaped fruit, which is approximately two to three inches in diameter. Its outer peel is bright yellow and contains essential oil that is mainly limonene. Like the lime, lemon has a sour and acidic taste, but when consumed has an alkaline effect in the stomach.
The nutritional benefits of limes do not differ very much from those of lemons. They are both excellent sources of Vitamin C, B6, potassium, folate, flavonoids and the outstanding phytochemical, limonene.
Below are other benefits of lime and lemon.

Boosts immune system:
These two citrus fruits are packed with Vitamin C, a powerful immune booster. You need to consume Vitamin C in your diet, as your body does not produce it on its own. Vitamin C aids the immune system by attacking the nucleic acid of virus cells and also obliterating bacteria. A 2009 study showed that vitamin C helps in reducing the duration of the common cold.

Cholera:
The potent anti-viral properties in lime and lemon can kill cholera bacilli within a very short period of time. Drink one part juice and one part water regularly, especially during an epidemic.

Cold:
The anti-viral properties in lime and lemon fight infections and halt the progress of a cold. Take the juice of two lemons in half a litre of hot water and add raw honey to taste. Sip it slowly before bedtime.

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Constipation:
Drink a glass of warm water every morning with some lime and lemon juice with raw honey. Stir in a pinch of cinnamon powder. This will help your body to detoxify and relieve constipation.

Helps prevent asthma:
For millennia, people have drank lemon juice to prevent and treat asthma. The high concentrations of Vitamin C and anti-oxidants are the primary factor behind the juice’s benefits for asthma. Vitamin C boosts the immune system, helping a person become more resistant to external factors that trigger an asthma attack. It also helps the lungs breathe easier.

Fight cancer:
Lemon peels contain a high dosage of a terpene compound called d-limonene. In lab studies with animals, d-limonene had a considerable positive effect on cancer cells. More recently, in a study conducted by the University of Aizona on a group of 43 women with operable breast cancer, those given two grammes of limonene daily showed a 22 per cent reduction in the expression of tumor markers. Another study linked citrus peels to a reduced risk of cancerous skin cells.

Lowers risk of stroke and blood pressure: A study found that an ingredient in citrus fruit called auraptene lowers blood pressure in rodents bred with hypertension. Lemons are an age-old staple of eastern medicine, which prizes them for keeping blood vessels soft and pliable, and reduces blood pressure.