Lemons are so versatile and can be used in many ways to enhance your health. Lemons have been used for medicinal properties since ancient times. They have been cultivated in China and India for about 2,500 years. There are a lot of culinary uses for lemons in food and drink, and lemon is also used as a cleaning agent. This time I would like to share with you 10 uses for lemons that can improve your health. There are many more uses for lemon as a medicine, but let’s look at some of them:


1. Improve skin hyper-pigmentation

The citric acid in lemons does have natural lightening components. For a lightening mask apply 1 teaspoon each of lemon juice, natural yogurt and honey on your skin once a day for about 20 minutes. That is a slow process that will take some time until you see results. When using lemon on your skin, use sunscreen and avoid unnecessary time in the sun as lemons make your skin sensitive to light.

2. Treat acne and acne scars

Lemons have antibacterial properties because they have a low pH, so some sources say that they are effective at killing the bacteria that causes acne and improves acne scars. For best results, make sure you use full strength, undiluted lemon juice. Undiluted lemon juice dries the skin, so use a moisturizer afterwards. Find here easy and effective natural homemade skin treatment to stop skin breakouts.

3. Relieve cold symptoms and sore throat

Lemons contain high vitamin C which improves the immune system and speeds up recovery from infections. You can add lemon and honey to a tea to relieve cold symptoms and sore throat. Do it 3-4 times a day when you have a cold. See this great recipe for cleansing ginger lemon tea.

4. Treat dandruff

You can create a hair mask that uses 2 ingredients that are known to get rid of dandruff: lemon and yogurt. You can add honey to the mask or a few drops of carrier oil (such as almond oil) to prevent dryness of the hair. Just wash and rinse your hair, then rub the mask into the scalp, and leave for 10-15 minutes. You may apply this mask 2-3 times a week. Find here more natural treatments for dandruff.

5. Ease constipation and improves digestion

Adding the juice of half a lemon to a glass of warm water first thing in the morning will enhance digestion. Lemon helps the bowel to dispose waste, including preventing constipation.

6. Relieve insect bites

The acidity from the lemon juice will quickly help to treat insect bites and stings and will relieve the itching associated with insect bites. Apply fresh lemon juice to the insect bite to soak the area completely. It may sting a little bit, but the lemon juice will help with the healing process and help fight off infection.

7. Whiten teeth

Squeeze approximately 1/4 lemon and add 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar. Dip a brush in the mixture, brush and rinse your mouth well. The mixture can help remove wine, coffee or nicotine stains. Please note – excess acidity could erode the tooth enamel, so don’t repeat this treatments more than once to twice a week.

8. Lemons and diabetes

Adding lemons or other acidic substances to your diet can help you control your blood glucose levels. Adding acid to any food lowers its glycemic index, because the acid slows digestion and prevents sudden spikes in blood glucose levels. Also their high content of soluble fiber and vitamin C have been found to have beneficial properties for people with diabetes.

9. Treat kidney stones

People who tend to suffer from kidney stones can reduce the recurrences and prevent new calcium oxalate stone formation by drinking plenty of water that will make the calcium oxalate more soluble and less likely to form crystals. You can add to your water half a cup lemon juice a day, as lemon juice also helps to reduce stone formation. You may also want to read my article about how to treat kidney stones naturally.

10. Strengthen and whiten finger nails

First of all you need to clean your nails and remove any polish. Then soak the nails in the lemon juice for few minutes and wash hands. You can apply a hand lotion or moisturizer to prevent your hands from drying.

How to select and store lemons

1. Choose fully ripened lemons That contain the most antioxidants. They should have a full yellow color as those that have green tinges have not fully ripened.

2. Choose lemons that are heavy for their size as it means that they have thin skin and more flesh and juice. They should have peels with a finely grained texture without wrinkling, soft patches and dull coloring.

3. Lemons will stay fresh for about one week if kept at room temperature, away from direct sunlight. You can store the lemons in the refrigerator where they will keep for about four weeks.

4. Lemon juice can also be stored for later use. Place freshly squeezed lemon juice in ice cube trays until frozen.

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