Lemon water is a great liver detoxifier

A few years ago, I had my blood test and the results showed that my liver enzymes (SGPT and SGOT) were on the high side.  My doctor asked me two questions:  Do I drink a lot of alcohol and did I contract hepatitis recently? 

I am a social drinker — I like to drink good quality wine and champagne during social events, which at most happen twice a week,  but I limit my drinks to two glasses, at most.  And no, I never had hepatitis in my life, although I had food poisoning from eating oysters many years back.  I exercise regularly, eat sensibly, and I have a relatively healthy lifestyle.  With this information, the good doctor was puzzled why my liver test was showing such high numbers.  He told me to stop all my vitamins for a month, as perhaps my liver was overworked processing the slew of vitamins I was taking, which were not too many really. Just the usual vitamins C, B complex, A, and D, calcium, magnesium.  

I did exactly what my doctor told me to do and had another blood test after a month. The numbers did not go down much, just a few points on both SGPT and SGOT.   I tailspinned into a bundle of nerves and paranoia got the better of me. Coincidentally, a close friend’s friend died of cirrhosis of the liver and that really did me in!   I checked my eyes, my skin, my nails every hour on the hour in case they were turning yellow, which I was told was one of the signs of cirrhosis.  My siblings and friends thought I was a basket case.  I was paranoid about everything I ate and hardly ate anything in fact.   It truly took a toll on my mental health and I lost so much weight that I started to look sick.  A concerned friend convinced me to join a liver/kidney/gall bladder flash, which was supposed to detox all three organs.  At that point, I would have eaten a snake if it showed some promise of normalizing my liver enzymes.  I was willing to do anything to get my liver numbers down and be in the peak of health once again.   Following my friend’s advice, I went through that weekend detoxifying all three organs by fasting and drinking concoctions that are supposed to stimulate all the liver/kidney toxins and for cholesterol stones stored in the gall bladder to slide out easily.  It was not a fun experience but well worth it.  In between the drinks, we had yoga exercises and lectures about wellness from two doctors. 

One doctor quoted Jethro Kloss in his book, Back to Eden.  The  “liver loves lemons.  It is a dissolvent of uric acid and other poisons, liquefies the bile.  Fresh lemon juice added to a large glass of water in the morning is a great liver detoxifier.” 

So, that started my love affair with drinking lemon water daily, first thing in the morning and last thing at night.  A month after drinking lemon water twice daily and my three-organ detox, I had another liver test.  Alleluia, praise the Lord!  The results showed my liver numbers were normal.  I was back to my cheerful, normal self and got over my obsession over my liver health.   

I did more research on lemons and was surprised to find out that lemons have so many health benefits, more than I ever expected. 

Here are the most important benefits of lemons that can improve our health: 

• Lemons are rich in vitamin C and flavonoids that work against flu and colds.

• Lemons cleanse the bowels.  They increase peristalsis in the bowels, helping to create a bowel movement, eliminating waste and helping with regularity. 

• The citric acid in lemon juice helps to dissolve gallstones, calcium deposits, and kidney stones. 

• The vitamin C in lemons helps to neutralize free radicals linked to aging and most types of diseases. 

• The lemon peel contains the potent phytonutrient tangeretin which has been proven to be effective for brain disorders like Parkinson’s disease. 

• It destroys intestinal worms. 

• When there is insufficient oxygen and difficulty in breathing (such as when mountain climbing), lemons are helpful.   The first man to reach the top of Mt. Everest, Edmund Hilary said that his success on Mt. Everest was greatly due to lemons. 

• Lemons have powerful antibacterial properties: Experiments have found the juice of lemons destroys the bacteria of malaria, cholera, diphtheria, typhoid and other deadly diseases.  

Lemon caution: Always dilute lemon with water before drinking it as pure lemon juice contains acid, which is harmful to tooth enamel. Lemons that are not washed properly, like the ones you get in restaurants, may include potentially pathogenic microbes. 

Lemons stay fresh kept at room temperature (not in sunlight) for about seven to 10 days.  Or store them in the fridge for about four to five weeks. 

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Source: care2.com/greenliving by Diana Herrington