Citrus Fruit   The citrus family are thought to date back around 20 million years and are natives of East Asia and Australasia. The name citrus is derived from the Greek word for the lemon, kitron. Nutritionally, all the family are valuable and have been used medicinally since the earliest time. Modern research backs this up; they contain limonene, a citrus oil which has been shown to reduce the growth of mammary tumours in laboratory animals. Citrus fruits also contain flavonoids, antioxidants which may prevent the spread of cancer tissue and phenolics which help the body to produce natural agents which help to detoxify carcinogens. The whole family are also rich in vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant, which may help prevent heart disease and stroke by preventing the oxidation of LDL cholesterol which leads to plaque deposits forming on artery walls. Vitamin C also helps in the absorption of iron and is essential for the formation of collagen, necessary for cell and body tissue growth and virus resistance, helping to boost the immune system. Bergamot - Citrus bergamia. Originally made an appearance in Italy from around 1600 as an ornamental tree and is now cultivated for its essence which is used in cosmetic and perfume manufacture and, notably for scenting Earl Grey tea. Its common name is a derivation of the name of a city in Asia Minor, Pergamum. Its main area of cultivation is the coastal region of Calabria in Italy, where 90% of the world’s crop is produced. Citron - Citrus medica. As its specific name suggests, the citron has been grown since the earliest times for its medicinal qualities, and is mentioned in a religious work, the Vajasaneyi Samhita, which dates back to before 800BC. It was known to the Babylonians, where the exiled Jewish community came into contact with the fruit. They took it back to Palestine where, known as the Ertog, it became important in the Feast of the Tabernacles. The religious connection is strong in China too. A variety of citron which grows there has very defined ridges which looks like clasped hands, earning it the name fo shu kan, Buddha’s hand. It is associated with happiness and sometimes used in temple offerings. In India, the citron came to be associated with wealth and Kuvera, the god of affluence, is always depicted with a fruit in his hand. Brought to Europe by Alexander the Great in the 3rd century BC, it was seen in early medicine as a cure-all and was even credited with being able to counter the effects of poisoning. In folk medicine it has been traditionally used for insect bites, skin trouble and to ease muscular aches and spasms. The fruit has a thick rind which is used for making candied fruit and the essential oil is used, in conjunction with the oils obtained from the bergamot and the lemon, in perfumery, especially in the production of Eau de Cologne. It can also be used in a culinary role: in soft drinks, pickles and sauces, but is usually only used in candied form nowadays.. Grapefruit - Citrus paradisi. A variety of the citrus family which is a hybrid, formed from a cross between the pomelo (citrus decumana) and the sweet orange and gained its name because it grows in grape-like clusters on the tree. It was recognised as a separate species by around 1830 but did not enjoy a great deal of popularity in this country until the 1920’s when it became the fashion to start a meal with it, a trend introduced by the Americans. Chinese medicine recommends grapefruit to ease indigestion and heartburn during pregnancy and to counter the effects of over-indulgence in alcohol. A rich source of vitamin C, just half a grapefruit provides half the daily requirement for an adult non-smoker and the pectin in the white membrane is a useful source of soluble fibre which may help to lower blood cholesterol levels. Pink or ruby grapefruit are slightly higher in vitamin C levels and, like the tomato, contain lycopenes which, it is thought, may offer protection against cervical, pancreatic, bladder and prostate cancer. Lemon - Citrus medica v. limon. Thought to have originated from northeast India, the lemon was taken both to the West and the East by Arab traders and with it the Persian name for the fruit, Limun, itself from a similar word in Hindustani, which has only been slightly altered by others, with even the Chinese using Li mung. Cultivation spread throughout the Mediterranean region by the time of the crusades, eventually reaching Genoa by the mid-15th century and the Azores, an early source of lemons for the English, by the end of that century. The Elizabethan horticulturist, John Gerard, made it clear that he regarded the lemon as non-edible, being prized more for its fragrance to freshen clothes. One reason, perhaps, could have been the expense. When it reached the kitchen, it was used quite sparingly; the rind in one recipe, the juice in another as a luxury replacement for vinegar. In the 17th century, Pepys mentions lemonade, which also enjoyed some success as a street drink, acquacedrata, in Italy at the same time. But in England, although some of the grander estates and houses produced hothouse lemons, it and the fruit remained a luxury until the shipping boom in the second half of the 19th century. Medicinally, like its precursor, the citron, the lemon has always been seen as invaluable. The Chinese use it as a cough reliever and as a useful dietary supplement during pregnancy. Ayurveda recommends the juice, mixed with a pinch of salt to fight nausea, vomiting and digestive disorders; or mixed with honey and black pepper to cure hiccups and heartburn. Unani Tibb prescribes it internally for soothing inflammations, dental caries, vomiting, rheumatism, headache, colds, coughs, sore throat and externally as a hair rinse, facial astringent and for sunburn, warts and corns. In Europe too the lemon has been a traditional cure, taken with honey, for colds and sore throats and is used as a base in many proprietary brands of cold cures and cough syrups. Herbalists also use lemon juice to balance the system, to expel threadworms and to remedy sluggishness in the liver a bowel. Externally, the juice is used to ease chapped skin, broken capilleries, to cure warts and ringworm and as an anti-fungal. One lemon contains half the recommended daily intake of vitamin C for a non-smoker and is a good source of limonene, shown to combat tumour growth in laboratory animals, and terpenes, which control the production of cholesterol. Lime - Citrus aurantifolia. The smallest of the citrus family, the lime gained fame after the Naval Surgeon, James Lind, produced his Treatise on Scurvy in 1754, advocating the use of the fruit, together with its cousins, in naval rations to prevent the disease, which is caused by a vitamin C deficiency. However, it was not until 1795, a year after his death, that Lord Hood added it to sea rations, earning the sailors and, eventually all Britons, the ‘Limey’ tag in America. However, the Dutch had already discovered the same benefits some 200 years earlier, when they introduced a mixture of lime and lemon juice for use on their longer sea voyages, the lemon being richer in vitamin C than the lime. Ayurveda recommends lime as a gastric stimulant; to relieve flatulence, nausea and cramps; to cool for fever and sunstroke; in bringing chronic diarrhoea under control. Orange - Citrus aurantium, citrus, sinensis, citrus amara. A native of China, where the sweeter, mandarin varieties (citrus sinensis) have been enjoyed for millennia, being mentioned in texts as far back as 2,400BC. Its common name comes to us from the ancient Sanskrit, naranga, via the Arabic, naranj. It had reached India by AD 100, when it appeared in a medical text there, the Charaka Samhita and the sour (citrus aurantium), or Seville orange reached southern Italy by the 11th century but, ironically, didn’t arrive at Seville until around a century after that! By the 15th century it had reached Western Europe, but mainly as an ornamental and spice tree. A spate of Orangerys appeared, the fruit being used for its perfume and as a base for the pomander, a spice-studded citrus fruit carried to guard against infection, first carried in the country by Cardinal Wolsey at the court of Henry VIII. The sweet orange, citrus sinensis, was brought to Europe from Ceylon by the Portuguese and, in around the mid-16th century, even sweeter varieties were introduced direct from China which gained favour in the orangerys of England. By the late 19th century, the Christmas stocking filler citrus recticulata, mandarin orange first arrived from China. Folklore magic associates the orange with Leo and Sagittarius and it is ruled by the Sun. The orange was seen as a power source; used for lending energy and optimism in decision making and used in magic to heighten psychic awareness and to boost love, luck and for guidance in divination. Herbal medicine uses the orange to combat digestive upsets, poor appetite and constipation and externally as a tonic for tired and dry skin. In aromatherapy the essential oil is used to counter depression and anxiety. One medium-sized orange provides one whole day’s requirement of vitamin C for a healthy non-smoking adult and is a useful source of thaimin (vitamin B1), folic acid and pectin, a type of soluble dietary fibre which may reduce blood cholesterol levels.