Citrus Medica
aka, Kedromela, Citron, Le cedrat , Sukade , Citrus medica “Diamante”, Turunj, Cedro , Etrog
“The citron is a large fragrant citrus fruit with a thick rind, botanically classified as Citrus medica by both the Swingle and Tanaka botanical name systems. It is one of the four original citrus fruits (the others being pomelo, mandarin and papeda), from which all other citrus types developed through natural hybrid speciation or artificial hybridization.
Citrus medica is a slow-growing shrub or small tree that reaches a height of about 8 to 15 ft (2 to 5 m).
The citron tree is very vigorous with almost no dormancy, blooming several times a year, and is therefore fragile and extremely sensitive to frost.
While the lemon or orange are peeled to consume their pulpy and juicy segments, the citron's pulp is dry, containing a small quantity of insipid juice, if any. The main content of a citron fruit is the thick white rind, which adheres to the segments and cannot be separated from them easily. The citron gets halved and depulped, then its rind is cooked in sugar, diced, and used as a confection.
Today the citron is used for the fragrance or zest of its flavedo, but the most important part is still the inner rind (known as pith or albedo), which is a fairly important article in international trade and is widely employed in the food industry as succade, as it is known when it is candied in sugar.
From ancient through medieval times, the citron was used mainly for medical purposes. The juice of the citron has a high Vitamin C content and used medicinally as an anthelmintic, appetizer, tonic, in cough, rheumatism, vomiting, flatulence, haemorrhoids, skin diseases and weak eyesight.
There is an increasing market for the citron for the soluble fiber (pectin) found in its thick albedo.
For many centuries, citron's fragrant essential oil has been used in perfumery, the same oil that was used medicinally for its antibiotic properties. Its major constituent is limonene. Essential oil of cedar apple/citron, cedraatoil, was a major fragrance in perfumes. This oil is now, however, no longer made.
The citron has been cultivated since ancient times, predating the cultivation of other citrus species.”
Note of caution: Do not take this fruit or extract of it if you want to pass a Dopingtest, when the compound ecdysterone is on the prohibition list.
Potent antioxidant * see research link 24169505
Anti-inflammatory *see research link 20045968
Anti-migraine (Excerpt from research:” Citron syrup was superior to placebo in reduction of headache attacks intensity (P<0.01) and duration (p<0.0001) and as effective as propranolol in patients with migraine headache (P>0.05). However, unlike propranolol, Citron syrup could not significantly reduce the frequency of attacks . “)15ml was used 3 times daily after a meal for 4 weeks *see research link 26721220
The flowers and endocarp of the mature fruit contain the most antioxidants *see research link 21457747
Contains the compound β-ecdysterone which has potent steroid abilities *see research link 27254921, PMC4447764/ and the wiki link
Contains the compound Umbelliferone which can absorb UV-light, a natural suncreen *see research link 27254921 and the wiki link
Contains the compound lupeol which has antiprotozoal, antimicrobial, antiinflammatory, antitumor and chemopreventive properties. *see research link 27254921 and wiki
The skin peel oil contains a compound that activates against skin cancer when radiated with UV-light (excerpt from research:” Both C. bergamia and C. medica cv. Diamante oils exhibited a selective interesting activity against the A375 cell line with IC(50) values of 79.3 and 89.1 microg/mL, respectively, after 100 min exposure to UV irradiation. “) * see research link 20690896
Cardio-protective & reduces myocardial damage *see research link 24169505
Research and tips on Citrus Medica:
