The following is a brief summary of a few of the key health benefits of drinking lemon water regularly.
Medicinal Values
In his book Back to Eden, Jethro Kloss explains some of the medicinal values of a lemon:
- It helps prevent the growth of pathogenic bacteria and the decomposition of tissue
- It assists in “cleansing the system of impurities” and will help prevent disease
- It is effective at dissolving uric acid (often the cause of pain and inflammation in joints) and other poisons in the body
- It can help reduce symptoms of malaria, rheumatism, gout, rickets and tuberculosis.
Liver Benefits
Kloss also states that lemon is an excellent stimulant to the liver, thus confirming what I had learned as a twenty-something. Lemon water liquefies the bile and helps control excess bile flow. For liver complaints, Kloss recommends drinking warm lemon juice one hour before breakfast. A.F. Beddoe, author of Biological Ionization as Applied to Human Nutrition, writes that the liver can make more enzymes out of fresh lemon juice than from any other food.
He says the primary purpose of the lemon is to:
Provide a natural strengthening agent to liver enzymes when they are too dilute
Help fix oxygen and calcium levels in the liver, which ultimately affects blood oxygen levels.
Digestive Aid
One of the most important benefits of drinking lemon water regularly is its effect on the gastrointestinal tract. Lemon water assists in the process of digestion and elimination. Lemon juice is similar in atomic structure to saliva, hydrochloric acid, bile and the stomach’s other digestive juices. The digestive qualities of lemon juice help to relieve symptoms of indigestion, such as heartburn, belching and bloating. For the relief of heartburn, Kloss recommends taking a teaspoon of lemon juice in half a glass of water.
Lemon water will also help to eliminate waste through the bowels more efficiently, thus preventing or alleviating constipation, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal disorders.
Antibacterial and Antiviral Properties
Bacteria and viruses that cause cold and flu symptoms thrive in an acidic environment in the body, due to excess stress and unhealthy foods and lifestyle. Drinking lemon water has an alkalizing effect on the body. Increasing body alkalinity is one of the key benefits of drinking lemon water. In addition, because of its antibacterial properties, lemon water will help control unhealthy bacteria. For a sore throat, Kloss recommends gargling frequently with lemon juice, diluted half and half with pure water. Gargling with straight lemon juice would be more effective if tolerable.
However, frequent use of straight lemon juice can ruin tooth enamel. Thus it’s a good idea to rinse the mouth with pure water after gargling with straight lemon juice.
Other Benefits of Lemon Water
Just a few more significant health benefits of lemon water, according to Kloss and Beddoe, include:
- Helps purify the blood and will also control a tendency to bleed
- Assists in lowering high blood pressure
- Reduces the amount of phlegm in the body
- Relieves symptoms of asthma, allergies and other respiratory problems
- Nourishes brain and nerve cells due to its potassium content
- Helps dissolves gallstones, calcium deposits, kidney stones, and pancreatic stones
- In pregnancy, it will help build strong bones in the child.
References:
Water Benefits Health - The Health Benefits of Drinking Lemon Water:
http://www.waterbenefitshealth.com/benefits-of-drinking-lemon-water.html
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