As a person
who like lime fruits and lime juices, there is one thing about the lime fruit
people usually miss. It is the lime oil from the lime zest.
Unless you
are someone who is green friendly, you never will know this or you only get an
adulteration of the real thing in some cosmetic stores; or it is only a
chemical component of the lime oil in any cream, shampoo, oil, nail polish, and
so on.
We all think
because fruits and vegetables are water soluble, and since these do not contain
fats and oils as in most other foods, these are just plain starch and sugars,
consisting mostly of vitamins and photonutrient compounds.
However,
what is not realized is that parts of fruits and vegetables also contain oils,
called essential oils from the green skin or zest. Even the seeds contain oil.
Many have not noted this well.
This oils are called essential oils. These are used in many creams, lotions, paints and in some cases, add to foods and drugs.
This oils are called essential oils. These are used in many creams, lotions, paints and in some cases, add to foods and drugs.
They do not
provide energy but excellent for promoting health benefit. A little or a
microscope drop is all that is need to dilute with any other vegetable oil for
food. For example, half a teaspoon of lime essential oil is enough to dilute
with 50oz of olive oil for dressing your meal. I do not mean you should use all
the 50oz at a go. No, 1 tablespoonful of the dilution is enough to dress your
plate of salad.
On the other
hand, if you take half of the teaspoon of the original line essential oil in
the salad, you will react adversely in purging of your intestines. This is a serious
minus in misusing the oil.
Lime oil should always be use in a dilute form. This is the positive side of the oil.
Lime oil should always be use in a dilute form. This is the positive side of the oil.
With
the exception of vitamin C and C1 which you can get in eating the
fresh lime fruit juice and its white pitch, you get all the other health
promoting benefit from the essential lime oils.
Pure substance
I
chanced to take part in a chemistry class some years ago. This was in my grammar
or secondary school days.
The
teacher well noted for his proficiency in teaching chemistry got me and the
others on analyzing a pure substance. He said any substance that has a definite
composition like water, because it contains only oxygen and hydrogen atoms is
to be regard as a pure substance. Any other addition is an impurity and has to
be removed. This is what is done to get pure iron from its ore or iron ore.
The
defining point is that it should have a definite composition to pass the
essence of a pure substance. This definite composition can only contain two, three or more element. It can even be a single entity like oxygen.
So
if an element has an extra part it is not pure as seen in the iron ore, which consists of iron and dust particles (earth).
To
get the real deal, pure lime oil will come from the lime fruit zest citrus
aurantifolia, especially the ones from organic farms and gardens. The lime
fruit from inorganic farms is polluted with chemicals, pesticides and
insecticides; and a not very suitable for the lime essential oil production.
This
citrus aurantifolia is the genus species from which all pure lime oil is made
otherwise known as lime essential oil.
It
is the green rind of the fruit that provides the oil.
So
what are the benefits of the lime oil?
All
the health and medicinal benefits you get in eating the lime fruit whole, you
get also in the oil, except vitamin C and its subgroup of C1.
If
you have been following my talks on lime fruits and its juices so far, I am
sure you will not miss the health promoting goodness of the lime oil. I think
you only need a summary here.
The
oil is antiseptic, astringent, disinfectant, restorative and antiviral. It is
also aperitif and bactericidal.
There
are two methods to get the oil: cold compression and steam distillation.
Each
method has its value but the former delivers better dividends. You get all the
essence of the lime fruits, via the lime oil from compressing the green rinds.
Another
rather homemade method is infusion of the green lime fruit rinds in a pure
vegetable oil like virgin olive oil or pure peanut oil.
Put
20cl of the vegetable oil in a saucepan and heat this for 10 to 15 minutes over
moderate or low heat, that is at a temperature that the oil will not burnt your finger tip.
Remove and put the fresh green rinds into the warm oil in
the sauce pan. Cover and allow to stand for over 3 hours. You can leave it
overnight and filter the oil off into a clean container with an air tight seal.
If
however, you get the commercial product, these are available in the market, do
dilute these with other oils like olive oil, lavender oil, or sage oil, or
cocoa nut oil.
Undiluted
pure lime oil is a very strong astringent, and can be a health risk to all
persons including children. So you have to blend it in a dilute form.
One
major characteristic of the pure lime oil is that it is photosensitive. Their
usually reacts to ultraviolet rays, light and radiation energy from the sun and
other sources.
A
safe practice is to use it in the night time on skin or if you are not going
nowhere in the day time. You remain indoors all the time.
I
always use a tiny drop of the lime essential oil in dilute form to rob on my
hairs and scalp two times in the week. I also take a tiny drop in some of my
meals for its promoting digestion and containing respiratory issues.
To
your good health!
Lime Oil |
Miebakagh57
(Miebakagh Fiberesima) Copyright 2015.
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