Citrus limon (L.) Osbeck (= C. medica var. limon L.)

DeFilipps, Robert A. & Krupnick, Gary A., 2018, The medicinal plants of Myanmar, PhytoKeys 102, pp. 1-341 : 152-153

Citrus limon (L.) Osbeck (= C. medica var. limon L.)

Names.

Myanmar: than-bayo, shauk, shauk-waing, hla-parite-baikayah (Mon). English: lemon.

Range.

Southeast Asia. Cultivated in Myanmar.

Uses.

Fruit: These sour fruits are thought to "clear the heart and cleanse the blood", aid digestion, alleviate fatigue, inhibit formation of bumps and tumors, control coughs, stimulate appetite, relieve nausea, and remedy laryngitis. Epilepsy is believed to be cured by inhaling a mixture of equal amounts of the fruit juice and leaves of kyaung-pan ( Vitex trifolia ). Fruit segments mixed with sour pomegranate sap are ingested to treat dizziness and feelings of heaviness or dullness. Fruit segments are eaten with rock salt in the mornings and evenings to alleviate kidney stones. A mixture of the juice with honey and zawet-thar ( Dillenia indica ) is taken for coughs, asthma, and bronchitis. A mixture of the fruit together with jaggery is taken for dizziness and weakness during menstruation. To make a medicine for gas, the fruit can be boiled in one viss (~1.6 kg) of rice washing water until the liquid has evaporated and the fruit is tender. After filtering through a sieve, about 10 ticals (~ 0.1 kg) of the pulp can be mixed with a small amount of salt, dried in the sun, crushed into a powder, and ingested.

Notes.

Indigenous medicinal uses of this species in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (India) are described by Dagar and Singh (1999).

The lemon is possibly a hybrid (backcross) between lime and citron ( Swingle 1943, Mabberley 1997). Data on the propagation, seed treatment and agricultural management of this species are given by Katende et al. (1995). Details of the active chemical compounds, effects, herbal usage, and pharmacological literature of this plant are discussed in Fleming (2000).

Reference.

Agricultural Corporation (1980).