The MIGHTY Lemon...

Artist: Doris Allison, source: postershop.com

Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Subclass: Rosidae
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Citrus
Species: C. × limon

A delicious, tangy, sweet and sour fruit, lemons have been used for centuries for many different things.

How can I forget mom's lemon meringue pie... cold glasses of lemonade on a hot summers day...

Lemons were used by men who travelled on ships to prevent scurvy - a deficiency of vitamin C that interferes with collagen synthesis.

Lemons are a wonderful garnish for a soft drink or an iced tea

A wedge of lemon is often used to give water a nice flavor

Lemon juice is commonly used when marinating meat, to help soften the tough collagen of the meat.

Sprinkled on apples, lemon juice helps slow down oxidation, which turns the apples brown

The lemon's rind, has a laxative effect when eaten

Lemon juice is also used to help detoxify the body

Lemon juice is also used as a cleaning agent. It acts as natural bleach for stains on fabrics and is used as a hand cleaner to remove odors (like fish) from the skin.

Lemons can be used in home beauty treatments to rejuvenate the skin and is found in many commercial beauty products. Lemon juice is used to lighten sunspots on the skin and put highlights in hair.

Source(s): www.wikipedia.com