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Lemons, one of the most highly alkalinizing foods, are native to tropical Asia, where cultivation dates back at least 2,500 years. In the twelfth century the Arabs brought lemons to Spain and Africa. It was Christopher Columbus, who brought the seeds of lemons with him from the Canary Islands on his second voyage. In the New World, lemons were introduced by the Spanish adventurers in Haiti, then known as Hispaniola. In the United States, Florida was the first lemon-producing area, and this state led in production of lemons until a heavy freeze in 1895 killed the lemon groves. They were never replanted. Now, about 95 percent of the lemons used in the United States and Canada are produced in southern California. The other 5 percent are grown in Italy. Italy and California together produce nearly the world's entire supply of lemons. In 1870, a variety of lemon called the Eureka was started from Sicilian lemon seed planted in Los Angeles by C. R. Workmen. The Eureka, along with the Lisbon, are the two varieties most commonly grown commercially. The Eureka grows in prolific quantity and is early-bearing, from late spring to summer; the Lisbon tends to bear only one large crop a year, in either spring or winter. A single lemon tree has been known to produce 3,000 lemons a year.

This is because lemon trees bloom and ripen fruit every month of the year. The most fruit is produced between January and May. The best lemons have skin of an oily, fine texture and are heavy for their size. This type is more apt to be full of juice, with a minimum of seeds and waste fibers. Choose lemons of a deep yellow color for ripeness and juice. They should be firm, but not hard, to the touch. Avoid using lemons that show signs of bruises, as fruits that have been mechanically injured are more subject to mold. Decay on the fruit appears as a mold or a discolored soft area at the stem end. Shriveled or hard-skinned fruits, or those that are soft or spongy to the touch, are not desirable. They may be old, dried out, mechanically injured, or affected by a rot at the center. Lemon juice makes a good substitute for vinegar, especially in salad dressing, and for flavorings generally. Use a little lemon juice to cut the sweetness in very sweet fruit juices and use lemons in milk or cream, or canned milk, to curdle it, or when you want to make cheese. Use lemon to soften water, and when shampooing the hair, use lemon juice in the water to make an excellent rinse.
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History The lemon originated in southeast Asia, probably in India or southern China. Its history is sometimes unclear because of the confusion with the similarly appearing “citron,” a closely related species. The lemon was thought to have been depicted in Roman artwork as early as the first century A.D. Other sources state that the fruit was first grown in Europe in the second century A.D.

In the 1600s, physicians became aware that daily intake of lemon juice would prevent outbreaks of scurvy among sailors on long sea voyages. Scurvy is a vitamin deficiency disease characterized by muscle wasting, inability of wound healing, bruising, and gum deterioration. English ships were required by law to carry enough lemon or lime juice for each sailor to get 1 ounce daily, earning them the nickname “limeys.” The California lemon industry began after the Gold Rush of 1849. From 1940 to 1965, production increased. Today, California and Arizona are the major lemon producers, making the United States a major source ahead of Mexico and Italy. More than 50% of the US lemon crop is processed into juice and other drink products. The peel, pulp, and seeds are also used to make oils, pectin, or other products. Lemon juice has long been used as a diuretic, diaphoretic, astringent, tonic, lotion, and gargle.
 
Citrus is derived from Greek kedromelon "apple of cedar" (Greek melon is cognate to Latin malum "apple"); this name, however, did not signify lemon, but citron, whose cultivation in Egypt is reported by Greek travellers. The Romans, then, shortened the Greek name to citrus. The name "lemon" and limonum is derived from the Arabic Limun or Limu, which in its turn probably comes from the Sanskrit Nimbuka. Citrus limonum is thought native to central Asia, especially northern India, and Iran. The trees reached Europe by way of Iran and were grown first in Greece and then in Italy in the 2nd century. Medieval or even older sources referring to lemons always mean the very aromatic, but juice-free citron. Today, lemons are cultivated in many tropic or sub-tropic countries. The USA and Mexico are the main producers. In Europe, most lemons actually stem from Spain or Italy. The well-known fruit is an ovoid berry, about three inches long, nipple-shaped at the end, smooth, bright yellow, indented over the oil-glands, having an acid, pale yellow pulp. About 47 varieties are said to have been developed during the centuries of cultivation. Lemon is mostly valued for its juice which contains sugars and fruit acids, mainly citric acid. Lemon juice displays a unique, intensive acidity which is at the same time tart and fruity. There is hardly one single cuisine in the world that does not make use of lemon juice. Lemon juice is especially popular in the east Mediterranean and Latin America. The finest lemons are those which are smoothest and thinnest in the skin. In Western cuisine, fried or grilled fish is nearly always served with a few splashes of lemon juice which mitigates the typical `fishy' smell and makes it more pleasant. It is also often employed to prepare refreshing salads, especially in Mediterranean countries. Lemon juice intensifies the flavour of many fruits, and a few drops of lemon juice plus a dash of sugar creates a slightly sweet-sour tang that can make many vegetables more interesting. Outside of the tropics, lemon juice is often (ab)used as a substitute for lime juice. Lemon peel is used in cookery and confectionery, and also in medicine to correct the taste and augment the power of bitter infusions and tinctures, it's virtues being similar to that of the orange peel. Preparations of the rind are used as an aromatic addition to tonics, and also the syrup of the fresh peel, and the juice. The juice of lemon is tonic, refrigerant, and antiscorbutic, forming a refreshing and agreeable drink, called lemonade, possessing some medicinal influence, and which, as with orange juice, may be used freely and advantageously in the febrile and inflammatory diseases, with reddened mucous membranes.

Lemon peel consists of two layers. The thin yellow, outermost layer, (pericarp, "zest") contains an essential oil (6%), that is mostly composed of limonene (90%) and citral (5%) plus traces of citronellal, alpha-terpineol, linalyl and geranyl acetate. The white albedo, inner layer, (mesocarp) on the other hand, contains no essential oil but a variety of bitter flavone glycosides and coumarin derivatives. When the lemon peel is grated, care must be taken to limit the amount of the mesocarp, as the essential oil and hence the aroma is located in the pericarp exclusively; in contrast, the mesocarp is bitter. It is virtually impossible to avoid the bitter mesocarp completely, and so grated lemon peel will always display a slightly bitter quality. The oil is obtained from the fresh peel, either by steam distillation or pressure; and is mostly produced in Europe. The oil, Oleum Limonis, is more fragrant and valuable if obtained by expression than by distillation. In Sicily and Calabria, and sometimes at Nice and Mentone, where the 'Essence de Citron distillee' is prepared by rubbing fresh lemons on a coarse, tin grater, and distilling the grated peel with water. The better 'Essence de Citron au zeste' is prepared with the aid of a saucer-shaped, pewter dish with a pouring lip at one side and a closed funnel sunk from the middle. In the bottom are sharp, strong brass pins on which the peel is rubbed. This vessel is called an ecuelle a piquer, but a machine called scorzetta is gradually coming into use. The method of expression in Sicily is that of squeezing large slices of peel against sponges fixed in the hand, the sponges when soaked being wrung into an earthen bowl with a spout, in which the oil separates from the watery liquid. The oil is pale yellow to yellowish-green in colour, and has a very agreeable, citrus odour. It takes about 675 to 1,400 lemons to produce 1/2 kilo of oil, depending on the time of harvest. It has numerous uses in perfumery, cosmetics, beauty care, pharmacy and the food and soap industries. One of the more versatile essential oils in aromatherapy, it is a top note and blends well with neroli, clary sage, bergamot, citronella, orange, violet and galbanum. The oil, externally, is a strong rubefacient, and taken internally in small doses has stimulating and carminative properties. Lemon has been found to promote leukocyte formation, dissolve cellulite, increase lymphatic function, and promote a sense of well being. It is also beneficial for the skin, serves in the purification of air and water, and works well in removing gum, oil and grease spots. This antiseptic and antibacterial oil will perform many tasks when used in blends, including treating verrucas, insect bites, and tension headaches. It has a tonic action on the lymphatic system and a stimulating action on the digestive system. It will assist you to keep slim, help disperse cellulite, and keep wrinkles at bay. It may also serve as an insect repellant and may be beneficial for the skin. It is probable that the lemon is the most valuable of all fruit for preserving health. The juice may be used in diaphoretic and diuretic draughts. It is highly recommended in acute rheumatism, and is sometimes given to counteract narcotic poisons, especially opium. Locally, it is a good astringent, whether as a gargle in sore throat, in pruritis of the scrotum, in uterine haemorrhage after delivery, or as a lotion in sunburn. It is said to be the best cure for severe, obstinate hiccough, and is helpful in jaundice and hysterical palpitation of the heart. The decoction has been found to be a good antiperiodic, useful as a substitute for quinine in malarial conditions, or for reducing the temperature in typhoid.

It's actions also include antiacid, antifungal, antimicrobal, antisclerotic, antiscorbutic, antineuralgic, antirheumatic, antispasmodic, cicatrisant, coagulant, cooling, depurative, detoxifying, disinfectant, emollient, escharotic, fegrifuge, haemostatic, hepatic, hypoglycemiant, hypotensive, immune stimulant, insecticide, laxative, stomachic, styptic, and vermifuge. Lemon has a cooling, energizing, uplifting and refreshing effect and can produce clarity of thought especially when a person is hot and bothered. Lemon is useful for skin care in that it can deter acne, anaemia, brittle nails, boils, chilblains, corns, wounds, oily skin, cold sores, insect stings and bites, mouth ulcers, age or liver spots, throat infections and warts. Lemon's effects upon circulation include it's ability to lessen high blood pressure, reduce varicose veins and help stop nosebleeds. It's effects upon muscles and joints can be it's ability to relieve painful arthritis and rheumatism. Cellulite also can be reduced with the use of lemon. Due to lemon's antispasmodic properties, it can help when asthma is present. It can clear catarrh from the respiratory tract and aid in the treatment of bronchitis. Digestion can be improved due to the ability of lemon to alkalinize the body. In this way, dyspepsia can also be alleviated. On the immune system, lemon's antiseptic properties make it useful when colds, influenza, fevers and infections are present. It's power in preventing and arresting scurvy is unequaled by any other remedy, except a liberal supply of fresh vegetables of the cruciform family. In scurvy, 1 or 1.5 ounces of the juice per day, is a preventive dose, and when the disease manifests itself, 4 or 6 ounces per day will arrest it. English ships are required by law to carry sufficient lemon (or lime) juice for every seaman to have an ounce daily after being ten days at sea. It's value in this direction has been stated to be due to its vitamins.
 
Chemistry Citrus fruits in general contain sugars, polysaccharides, organic acids, lipids, carotenoids (responsible for color), vitamins, minerals, flavonoids, limonoids (causing bitterness), and volatile components. The lemon is a good source of potassium (145 mg/100 g of fruit), bioflavonoids, and vitamin C (40 to 50 mg/100 g, twice as much as oranges The isolation of vitamin C from lemon juice has been performed. Calcium (61 mg) is also present, along with vitamins A, B 1 , B 2 , and B 3 . The fruit is also low in calories, containing 27 Kcal/100 g. Other constituents of lemon include volatile oil (2.5% of the peel), limonene (70% or less), alpha-terpinene, alpha-pinene, citral, coumarins, mucilage, pectins, and bioflavonoids (mostly from pith and peel). Flavonoids eriocitrin and hesperidin have been evaluated. When purchasing supplements for bioflavonoid benefits, it is also important to note content. Low-cost powdered lemon (and other citrus fruit) peels contain only 1% to 2% flavonoids, where standardized products contain 10% to 90% flavonoids. The percentage may not be stated on the label. Adulteration of lemon juice has been reported.