Lemon juice & urinary tract infections
Will lemon juice help with a urinary tract infection or do more harm?
Lemon juice is an acidic citrus fruit which stimulates processes in the body to turn the blood, urinary and digestive systems alkaline. Lemon juice may help to alleviate a number of conditions such as:
- Constipation, as lemon cleanses the bowels and stimulates peristalis (movement)
- Parasites due to its antibacterial effects
- Liver function, as it helps to improve detoxification and liver activity
- Reduce symptoms of the common cold due to its Vitamin C content
- Alkalise the blood and reduce acidity
- Contains anti-oxidants
- Stimulates digestion
- Reduces virus replication
Using lemons in your diet is a great way of using food as medicine to improve health as they contain many nutrients to improve general health such as Calcium, Vitamin C, Citric acid, Vitamin A and Potassium.
Beginning the day with a glass of warm water with lemon juice squeezed into it is a healthy way to alkalise and cleanse the body, including the urinary tract. Lemon juice changes the PH of the blood and urinary tract so that the opportunistic bacteria is not able to proliferate. Using lemon juice daily may help to prevent reoccuring urinary tract infections and the acid and sugary environment that bacteria thrive in.
Use lemon juice as an ingredient in the kitchen, some ideas are:
- Add lemon juice to water with mint, ginger, green tea or manuka honey
- Iced teas
- Use lemon juice as a salad dressing by adding it to raw olive oil and garlic with a splash of tamari
- Marinate chicken, fish or seafood
- Preserved lemons
- Make lemon barley water by boiling barley grain in water, letting it cool, add purified water and lemon juice and drink throughout the day. This recipe is highly alkalising for urinary tract infections
For further information see the following Ask a Naturopath.com webpage concerning urinary tract infections