AGE-OLD "WISDOM" RELATING TO THE LEMON

In Azerbaijan lemons grow in Lankaran and Massaly. Lankaran is as rich in citrus fruits as the lemon is rich in vitamin C. These fruits are frequently to be found on the table in the Azerbaijani family, but "the ruler of the roost" among them is considered to be the lemon. It is difficult to imagine having tea without it. Azerbaijanis are known to be very keen on drinking tea, so it is impossible to manage without lemons. The shiny peel of the lemon indicates that it is ripe. The thinner the peel, the more succulent the fruit. When speaking of the lemon, you can't help mentioning its exceptionally nutritious properties.

Its sourness

The fact that the ancient Greeks called this fruit the Midiyan apple is proof that the lemon has been cultivated in Azerbaijan since ancient times. Midiya is an ancient kingdom that existed in Southern Azerbaijan in the 8th to 6th centuries BC. In India the lemon culture was already known 3,000 years ago. Some peoples previously regarded the lemon as a symbol of merriment and wedding ceremonies. The Greek scholar Pliny the Elder asserted that the lemon was a splendid remedy for treating snake bites.

In the book "A Thousand and One Secrets of the East" by Farid Alakparli, D.Sc. (History), president of the Azerbaijan Association of Medical Historians, Azerbaijan's representative in the International Society of the History of Medicine, it says that the 17th-century Azerbaijani author Haji Suleyman Iravani asserted that the flesh, the peel, the flowers and the leaves of the lemon make the heart stronger, boost the appetite and are an antidote. Besides this, the lemon helps to expel bile and is beneficial in treating arrhythmia and helps to cure diarrhoea. Lemon juice quenches thirst and helps to bring down temperatures and combat fevers. It can be used to make an excellent preserve with honey… "Nine grams of hulled lemon pips are a good remedy in cases of poisoning originating from animals."

Muhammad Mu'min wrote the following about the lemon in 1669: "The lemon and its peel are beneficial to the heart, help to combat cholestasis, get rid of the gases in cases of colitis, boost the appetite and is an antidote. When applied externally, lemon cleanses the skin of tinea nigra [fungal infection], spots and favus [tinea favosa]. Besides this, lemon is eaten in cases of fever, malaria, colds, high temperature, tonsillitis, sore throats and throat tumours. Lemon juice prevents drunkenness and sobers you up. But it can damage the bowels and is counter-indicated for hacking coughs. These disadvantages can be compensated with sugar and honey. Lemon pips act as a good tonic for the body in doses of 3-6 grams per day taken with hot water or sherbet."

Muhammad Yusuf Sirvani writes in the "Tibbname" that "the lemon is an excellent food. It helps digestion, improves the appetite, gets rid of bad breath, and helps to stop belching and indigestion. Besides this, it is an anti-pyretic remedy and good for treating fevers. Lemon sobers people up when they get drunk, expels bile, and helps to stop vomiting and nausea. These fruits are good for strengthening the heartbeat and treating headaches. This has been tried and tested."

In the folk medicine of contemporary Azerbaijan lemon juice is taken for liver disease, to treat kidney stones and cholestasis, diabetes and so forth.

In the traditional medicine of India and Sri Lanka [Ceylon] lemon juice is used as an antiseptic, for dressing wounds and treating snake bites. In Malaysia a decoction of lemon roots is given for dysentery, an ointment of the pounded leaves is used for headaches and the fruit juice is drunk in cases of sore throat and toothache.

Life-asserting vitamins

The flesh of the lemon contains many citric and other acids, sugar, vitamins C, B1 and B2, and the peel also contains valuable substances such as 2.5 times more vitamin C than the flesh. The peel also contains ethereal oils and mineral substances. Citral, which is obtained by fractionation of lemon oil in the form of an alcohol-based infusion (1-3 per cent) is used to treat hypertensive diseases. Sodium citrate is needed for preserving donated blood.

In modern medicine the lemon is used in cases of vitamin deficiency, malaria, kidney stones and cholelithic diseases. Lemon juice is smeared on the gums to treat gum disease.

The traditional system of Indian medicine, Ayurveda, boasts some fairly interesting knowledge about lemons. According to it, malignant tumours are the result of the acidification of the body and is treated by alkalization, as in the case of all fungous diseases.

According to Ayurveda teaching, fresh lemon juice, if taken in its natural state without adding sugar, possesses a strong alkalization property and normalises the disrupted pH-balance where there is heightened acidity in the body. The lemon is therefore regarded as one of the foods that are most beneficial to man. But if you eat lemon with sugar, then on the contrary it neither reduces nor heightens acidity. Thus, a person who eats a lemon a day or drinks lemon juice every day (best of all in the morning) will never get sick. The only thing that needs to be taken into account is that lemon should be consumed or tea drunk with lemon without the pips which have a counter-effect (they are very toxic) and neutralise all the beneficial effects from it. 

Warm water with lemon is a good way of looking after your liver since lemon helps to cleanse this vitally important organ. It stimulates the production of bile, dilutes the acid in the bladder and also gets rid of the toxins and poisons in the body. Vitamin C and the nutritive substances have a beneficial effect on the health of the heart. Vitamin C can lower the level of cholesterol in the blood, the risk of atherosclerosis developing and of high blood pressure. The lemon is one of the most nutritious fruits on the planet! Thanks to the vitamin C, citric acid and minerals that it contains, it can considerably improve your health.

LEMON PIE

Ingredients: 

 (10 portions)

150 g margarine

3/4 glass of sugar

3 eggs

1 lemon

1-1.5 glasses of flower

2 teaspoons of baking powder

30 g sultanas (+1 tablespoon of brandy)

1/2 glass milk

Preparation:

Beat the fat together with the sugar, add the eggs and mix carefully. Mince the lemon and add to the mixture. Sieve the flour with the baking powder, add to the mixture and mix well. Add the milk and the washed sultanas (the sultanas can be sprinkled with the brandy beforehand). Bake the lemon pie at a temperature of 180 degrees for approximately 45 minutes.

LEMON SHERBET

Ingredients:

Lemons - 1.4

Sugar - 50 g 

Saffron - 0.1 g 

Water - 100 g 

Basil or mint seeds - 0.1 g 

Ice - 50 g

Preparation

Finely cut the lemon peel [zest] and pour the boiling water onto it, add the basil and mint seeds. Keep in the boiled water for four hours, Drain and add sugar and lemon juice and then chill. Add saffron juice and ice before serving.