On the benefits of Lime (Citrus Aurantifolia)

It’s hard to imagine a day without lime in the Thai diet. The sour and acidic fruit gives many Thai dishes their distinctive and pungent “wake-up” taste. Cultivated in Southeast Asia and other tropical areas like Brazil, Mexico, Egypt and the Mediterranean countries, lime is valued for its tangy juice and fragrant aroma.

Traditionally used to treat numerous ailments and health-related conditions, this small green citrus fruit contains more vitamin C than its larger cousin, the lemon. An age old remedy is a glass of warm lime juice and some honey to relieve sore throats and cold symptoms. Warm lime water helps to cleanse and stimulate the liver, liquefying bile and preventing excess bile flow. In his book Biological Ionization as Applied to Human Nutrition, A.F. Beddoe writes that lime juice triggers the production of more enzymes in the liver than any other food.

The oil extracted from lime contains flavonoids, a large family of compounds synthesized by plants that offer potential health benefits due to their capacity to regulate and adapt cell signals. Lime oil extracts are widely used in balms, inhalers and vaporizers.

In 1996, a cholera epidemic broke out in several West African villages. To stop if from spreading, researchers conducted a case control study in the community. They experimented by adding lime juice to the peanut sauce in villagers’ lunches. Lab tests indicated that the cholera strain spread rapidly in rice with the peanut sauce, and the scientists knew that cholera was triggered by bacterial activity called Vibrio cholera. Their experiment proved that lime can inhibit Vibrio cholera growth.

Vitamin C deficiency initially causes you to feel down in the dumps. In this case, a glass of nam manoa (lime juice) will perk you up. Vitamin C accelerates the healing of wounds. With regular consumption, the pectin content in lime pulp will lower your blood cholesterol. Teeth and gums become stronger – and bones too. Don’t brush your teeth immediately after consuming lime because the acidic content may damage your tooth enamel. It’s best to wait until your saliva normalizes the acidity.

Lime has been the traditional curve for scurvy, a vitamin C deficiency disease characterized by coughs, colds, cracked lips and mouth corners, bleeding gums and ulcers in the tongue. In former days, lime was distributed to sailors at sea to prevent the much dreaded scurvy.

The scent of lime causes digestive saliva to fill the mouth even before you taste it. The flavonoids in the oils extracted from lime stimulate your digestive juices. While the acids break down the molecules in the food, the antioxidant and antibiotic actions inhibit microbial growth.

Lime rinds contain volatile oils which also aid digestion and prevent stomach gases. They are acidic, but once they are digested in the stomach, they have an alkalizing effect and help to treat peptic ulcers. This is because the atomic make-up of lime resembles saliva and hydrochloric acid, which is present in your digestive juices.

The acids in lime cleanse the tracts of the excretory system, while the fibers help to ease bowel movements. Several glasses of lime juice provide relief from constipation. Drinking lime juice during a fast helps eliminate waste from your body as the lime dissolves mucus from toxins. With its high fiber content, lime helps to flush out toxins regularly, reducing their build-up in your body. Adding lime juice t other juices during a liquid fast will accelerate the detoxifying process.

The high potassium content in lime works in coordination with sodium to regulate the smooth flow of electrical transmission in the brain and nervous system. Low potassium levels can cause anxiety, depression and forgetfulness. The potassium also helps to remove toxins and substances that have been deposited in the kidney and urinary bladder.

Contrary to popular belief, citrus fruits such as lime, lemons and grapefruit do not raise your metabolism causing you to burn more fat. The American Council of Exercise says that only exercise does that. However, if you replace high-calorie beverages, such as sodas and lattes, with lime juice or water spruced with a slice of lime, you’ll reduce your overall calorie intake.

Limes can enhance the flavor of food without adding many calories. Your taste buds will be satisfied without an extra salt, sugar or cream. You can squeeze lime over your salad or use it as flavoring a minty ice tea. You also can use lime in Mexican or Mediterranean inspired recipes. Try squeezing a lime over a vegetarian burrito or a grilled chicken from your local vendor.

Lifestyle Thai Guru Tanyakamon Pramualratana

Bangkok Post, the magazine, Life

Article's original title: Limes for Health 

One (or two) lime a day keeps the doctor away...

Caution: The seeds of all citrus fruits (and also apples) are poisonous and if ingested in large quantity (even a small handful) can be fatal. So, avoid chewing or swallowing the seeds.

'Running barefoot' vs 'Wearing high-tech running shoes' ...

A few months ago, while reading an article titled 'Your Feet, Your Shoes, Your Choices' on the IDEA Fitness Journal, I got amazed by the story of a Californian chiropractor whose client was getting repetitive injuries while wearing 3,000 US$ running shoes. He jokingly advised his client to buy cheap basic running shoes at the outlet store next door, which the client did (as a joke too), coming to train the next day with a 20 US$ pair of sport shoes. A few weeks later, the client's injuries problems had disappeared.

The first though coming through my mind reading this paragraph was actually, "Well, weren't Native American Indians running barefoot on the North America plains before their genocide? What's the need of spending millions researching & manufacturing high priced running shoes, advertising them, building the industrial machinery to measure the impact of the foot on earth, while destroying Mother Earth's resources along the way? All this in the name of progress..." It seemed to me that this discovery of the fact that running barefoot was healthier than wearing hyper protective expensive shoes is a huge step forward showing us how futile the

notion of progress is. We are fighting against Mother Nature instead of living in communion with it. No wonder we aren't in touch with ourselves and the energies around us.

An anecdote about barefoot running: Adidas, the shoe sponsor at the Rome 1960 Summer Olympics, had few shoes left when Abebe Bikila (who had been added to the Ethiopian Olympic team only at the last moment) went to try out shoes. He ended up with a pair that didn’t fit comfortably, so he couldn't use them. A couple of hours before the race, Bikila decided to run barefoot, the way he'd trained for the race. Abebe Bikila won the gold medal while running barefoot at the Rome 1960 Olympics Marathon.

Workaholics, beware!

Apple Inc founder Steve Jobs' death from pancreatic cancer at age 56 on October 5, 2011 affected many people around  the world. He was a very rich businessman but also widely regarded as 'the best CEO of the century'. Jobs' early demise made many people wonder how someone so young and prosperous could succumb to cancer. Jobs identified a possible cause in a best-selling biography, speculating that his illness might have started while he was managing two companies at once and had no spare time to eat, sleep or rest or even go to the toilet. His body clock was thrown off balance.

It's widely accepted that stress and imbalance in health can prevent the body from healing itself, thus inviting serious disease.
In Zen philosophy, which Jobs studied and utilized in his inventive creativity, there is the story of a master asking a disciple, "Do you know the greatest miracle in life?"
"To walk on water or disappear," the disciple answered.
"That is not a miracle," the master scoffed.
"Then what is the greatest miracle?"
"When you are hungry, just eat. When you feel sleepy, then sleep. This is the greatest miracle."
Perhaps Steve Jobs forgot this lesson. But let's imagine he had had more time. How different our world would be today?

Bill Gates, born the same year as Jobs, opted to resign from his company 10 years earlier, recognizing that there were more important things in life than work, such as his health and 'sharing'.
If we have everything except good health, then the 'everything' amounts to nothing, doesn't it? As the Lord Buddha reminded us, our time in each existence is limited. Modern humans can live no more than 120 years, and that's only in rare cases.
On the other hand, many humans live far shorter lives. Those who work too hard for too long are their own worst enemies. They work, work, work as though their mind and body belong to a robot. It should be no surprise that workaholics' lives are often short.
"Our time is limited," Steve Jobs repeated when he fell sick, and he tried to spend less of it working, but, even at age 56, it was already too late.

People who still enjoy good health should ask themselves whether they'll be the next Steve Jobs, dying inappropriately early, or whether they can design their lives to balance achievement at work and a pleasurable life.
If you don't want to leave before they're old, if you want more time, you should review the way you think, the way you work and the way you live.
In Buddhism we have an important term that workaholic 'Steve Jobs types' might not be familiar with: The Middle Way. It's one of the Buddha's core teachings. Whoever understands the concept will have more time to live in pleasure.
As for those who don't understand the term or ignore it, their time is limited. And their time will run out shortly.

Phramaha Vudhijaya Vajiramedhi (V. Vajiramedhi).
The Nation, Sunday March 3rd 2013.
Article's original title: Zen and Steve Jobs.