Supplements and Herbs
Key lime (Citrus × aurantiifolia) health benefits
Modern research shows medicinal effects, including against cancer
by copyright 2024 © Healing Cancer Naturally
The Key lime or acid lime, which owes its name to the Arabic word lima as well as the Florida Keys, where the fruit was naturalised, is primarily known to us as an acidifying ingredient and in the form of the popular Caipirinha cocktail, which is mixed from limes, cachaça (sugarcane hard liquor) or other spirits, and sugar.
Those well versed in the healing power of natural products[*] won't be surprised to learn that the uses of the Key lime's juice, leaves, and peel go far beyond the culinary arts. Taking advantage of its beneficial properties, limes are used in Nigerian folk medicine to treat diabetes[1], in French Polynesia — including Tahiti — to treat diarrhoea[2] and in traditional medicine in Mexico to treat tuberculosis and other respiratory diseases[3].
As with other natural (non-patentable) products, scientific studies on the positive health effects of lime are still somewhat patchy, but extensive enough to demonstrate the diverse health potential of this natural product. The following is therefore only a selection of available studies; there are others on the same topics that have come to equally remarkable conclusions.
LIME AGAINST DANGEROUS PATHOGENS
* S. AUREUS, E. COLI, SALMONELLA
Nigerian researchers compared the microbe-inhibiting effect of aqueous or ethanolic extracts of lime, garlic and ginger on Staphylococcus aureus (which can cause pneumonia, meningitis, endocarditis, toxic shock syndrome, and septicaemia), Escherichia coli (pathogenic strains of E. coli are among the most common causes of infectious diseases) and Salmonella, among others. All tested strains were sensitive to undiluted lime juice, while garlic and ginger extracts alone had no inhibitory effects. In addition, Salmonella was resistant to virtually all extracts — except lime![4]
A study from Bangladesh, here even on multi-resistant E. coli germs, came to very similar results — here, too, lime juice proved to have the strongest antibacterial effect.[5]
Finally, a study from Puerto Rico also confirmed that extracts from Citrus aurantifolia have strong antibacterial effects against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.[6]
* HELICOBACTER PYLORI
Infections with H. pylori, a bacterium that colonises the human stomach, are held responsible for various gastric diseases, including type B gastritis and gastric and duodenal ulcers. In chronic cases, H. pylori infections are even considered a definite risk factor for stomach cancer (according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer IARC). Links with many other diseases are also being discussed, such as idiopathic hives (i.e. urticaria of unknown cause) and Parkinson's disease.
As H. pylori can develop resistance to antibiotics, other therapeutic approaches are needed to eradicate this pathogen. Korean researchers therefore investigated the effect of a lime extract upon multi-resistant H. pylori germs in a test tube.
Result: The extract was able to inhibit the growth of these dangerous bacteria, i.e. the Key lime can potentially serve as a therapeutic agent for antibiotic-resistant H. pylori infections.[7]
* CARIES (TOOTH DECAY)
Brazilian researchers investigated the effect of essential oil extracted from lime leaves and peel on caries and other bacteria that form part of the oral flora. The oils showed a medium effect against the caries pathogen Streptococcus sobrinus and a strong effect against S. mutans (the concentration of both species in saliva is closely related to the risk of developing tooth decay).[8]
* TUBERCULOSIS
Worldwide, 3 million people still fall victim to tuberculosis every year. This infectious disease, which can affect AIDS patients among others, is particularly worrying in its multi-resistant forms. Mexican scientists tested various compounds from a lime peel extract and were able to confirm their effectiveness against different strains of the most important tuberculosis pathogen in humans.[3],[9]
* CANDIDOSIS
Lime essential oil was one of several plant substances analysed in a US study that proved to have a medium to strong effect against all microbes tested and could therefore be considered as an antimicrobial agent. In addition to S. aureus, E. coli and S. mutans, Candida albicans, the most common cause of candidiasis, was also tested.[10]
LIME AGAINST OBESITY (ADIPOSITY)
While we don‘t have enough studies yet, initial results do indicate that the essential oil extracted from lime peel can also help with weight loss.
For example, Iranian researchers investigated the effect of Citrus aurantifolia essential oil on weight loss in a mouse model. The oil was administered to the animals on its own or together with ketotifen (an antihistamine that leads to weight gain) during the 45-day test period. The mice fed with ketotifen showed both increased food intake and weight gain compared to the control group. The group that received only the lime essential oil consumed less food and lost body weight, and animals that were given both the oil and ketotifen gained considerably less weight.
Analysis of the essential oils contained in C. aurantifolia revealed around 22 natural compounds, with limonene being the most important at 28.27%.[11] (As is common with natural products, the limonene content of lime peels varies, with another study finding 39.3% limonene in the peels).[12]
A four-week, triple-blind, randomised controlled study from Iran investigated the effect of lime peel powder on overweight or obese adolescents. The trial period was too short to draw any in-depth conclusions, but already showed that lime powder has a favourable effect on obesity in adolescents.[13]
LIME AGAINST CANCER
Lime essential oil or extracts from lime peel inhibit colon cancer cells (of the SW-480 cell line)[14] as well as pancreatic cancer cells (of the Panc-28 cell line)[15] and breast cancer cells (of the MCF-7 cell line).[16]
Finally, a polysaccharide isolated from lime peel suppressed, in a dose-dependent manner, the growth of tumour cells of a hepatocellular carcinoma of the H22 cell line transplanted into mice.[17]
References
* particularly those given freely to us such as wild herbs including stinging nettles, dandelion, horsetail, and St. John's wort
1 Adebayo A Gbolade: Inventory of antidiabetic plants in selected districts of Lagos State, Nigeria. In: Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2009. PMID 19013225
2 François Chassagne et al.: Polynesian medicine used to treat diarrhea and ciguatera: An ethnobotanical survey in six islands from French Polynesia. In: Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2022. PMID 35292376
3 María Del Rayo Camacho-Corona et al.: Activity against drug resistant-tuberculosis strains of plants used in Mexican traditional medicine to treat tuberculosis and other respiratory diseases. In: Phytotherapy Research. 2008. PMID 17726732
4 R. A. Onyeagba et al.: Studies on the antimicrobial effects of garlic (Allium sativum Linn), ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) and lime (Citrus aurantifolia Linn). In: African Journal of Biotechnology. 2004
5 Shahedur Rahman et al.: Antibacterial activity of natural spices on multiple drug resistant Escherichia coli isolated from drinking water, Bangladesh. In: Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials. 2011. PMID 21406097
6 P A Meléndez et al.: Antibacterial properties of tropical plants from Puerto Rico. In: Phytomedicine. 2006. PMID 16492531
7 Su-Mi Lee et al.: Key lime (Citrus aurantifolia) inhibits the growth of triple drug resistant Helicobacter pylori. In: Gut Pathogens. 2018. PMCID PMC5961513
8 Raiane S Lemes et al.: Chemical composition and antibacterial activity of essential oils from Citrus aurantifolia leaves and fruit peel against oral pathogenic bacteria. In: Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciencias. 2018. PMID 29898096
9 Nallely E Sandoval-Montemayor et al.: Chemical composition of hexane extract of Citrus aurantifolia and anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis activity of some of its constituents. In: Molecules. 2012. PMID 22992784
10 Andrew B Miller et al.: The antibacterial and antifungal activity of essential oils extracted from Guatemalan medicinal plants. In: Pharmaceutical Biology. 2015. PMID 25332067
11 Solmaz Asnaashari et al.: Essential oil from Citrus aurantifolia prevents ketotifen-induced weight-gain in mice. In: Phytotherapy Research. 2010. PMID 20623616
12 Siti Nur Atiqah Md Othman et al.: Essential Oils from the Malaysian Citrus (Rutaceae) Medicinal Plants. In: Medicines (Basel). 2016. PMID 28930124
13 Mahin Hashemipour et al.: The effect of Citrus Aurantifolia (Lemon) peels on cardiometabolic risk factors and markers of endothelial function in adolescents with excess weight: A triple-masked randomized controlled trial. In: Medical Journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran. 2016. PMID 28210594
14 Jaiprakash R. Patil et al.: Apoptosis-mediated proliferation inhibition of human colon cancer cells by volatile principles of Citrus aurantifolia. In: Food Chemistry. 2009.
15 Jaiprakash R. Patil et al.: Bioactive Compounds from Mexican Lime (Citrus aurantifolia) Juice Induce Apoptosis in Human Pancreatic Cells, In: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2009. PMID 19919125
16 Edy Meiyanto et al.: Natural products for cancer-targeted therapy: citrus flavonoids as potent chemopreventive agents. In: Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention. 2012. PMID 22524801
17 Yana Zhao et al.: Polysaccharides from the peels of Citrus aurantifolia induce apoptosis in transplanted H22 cells in mice. In: International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. 2017.PMID 28363658
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