These days, everyone knows that citrus fruits are good for health; for example, they contain a large amount of vitamin C. But long before detailed nutritional analysis of their content was available, the fruits were being used in a large number of remedies and medicines.
By the 17th century, sailors had already realized the benefits of oranges and other citrus fruits on long sea voyages, although it took many more years to solve the problem of preserving the fruits long enough for their benefits to be felt. . Orange juice was well known as a healthy drink, especially for children. Surprisingly, the only other part of the orange that was regularly used in remedies was the dried peel, which appeared in several recipes describing tonics for various purposes.
Lemons had much more varied uses. Some recommended lemon juice and coffee for the headache (that would be a very unpleasant cup of coffee…). Lemon juice was also widely used for coughs and colds, to soothe the throat; a combination of lemon juice, honey, cloves, hot water, and some form of alcohol (a punch) is still drunk to this day to relieve colds and flu. For those suffering from mouth ulcers, a suggested, though surely painful, remedy was to suck on a lemon. Lemon juice was also reputed to calm heart palpitations and act as a sedative.
Lemon juice can also be applied externally. Applying lemon juice to the skin was said to fade freckles and whiten the skin, and also relieve eczema and other types of itching. A slice of lemon added to a morning bath was said to cool the body and tone the skin. Some even suggested that if you were suffering from aches and pains, lemon juice applied to the affected part might soothe them, along with a warm compress, although one might conjecture that the compress had more of an effect than the juice in that case. .
So the next time you need a pick-me-up or just can’t get rid of that maddening itch, why not cut up some citrus fruit and see if it helps?
