Sweet lemon (Mosambi) – Uses, Indications, Remedies, Research

By Dr Renita D’Souza
Sweet lime or sweet lemon is a juicy, non-acid citrus fruit rich in Vitamin C. Commonly called as Mosambi in India. Fruit is eaten fresh and also served as fresh juice. It is beneficial in fever, jaundice, diabetes, obesity etc.

Sweet lime – introduction

Mosambi instantly nourishes the body. It boosts immunity by improving the function of heart and ensuring proper blood circulation. Juice of this fruit is sweet when served fresh and turn bitter when it is kept in contact with air. Drinking juice of sweet lime in pregnancy is beneficial to both mother and fetus due to its rich calcium content.

Botanical Name – Citrus limetta
Synonyms – Citrus limettioides, Citrus lumia,
Family – Rutaceae

Musambi Names in Different Languages

Sanskrit Name – Mista nimbu phala
English Name – Sweet lime, sweet lemon
Hindi Name – Mita nimbu, sharbathi nimbu, mousambi, mosambi
Bengali Name – Mita limbu
Kannada Name – Moosambi
Marathi Name – Sakar limbu, Mosumbi
Konkani Name – Musumbi
Gujarati Name – Mita limboo
Tamil Name – Kolumichangai, Satukudi or sathukodi
Telugu Name – Gajanima, Bathayi
Malayalam Name – Chaathukkodi, Moosambi, Madhura naranga
Urdu Name – Mousambi
Nepali Name – Mausam
France – Bergamot

Medicinal qualities

Mishta Nimbu Phalam has
Taste – sweet
Guru – heavy to digest
Balya – promotes physical strength
Brhmana – nourishes

Effect on Tridoshas
Balances vata and pitta dosha
Kaphauthkleshi – aggravates kapha dosha

Traditional qualities, uses

Traditional Indications of Mausambi

Gara roga – food poisoning
Visha – poisoning, toxic condition
Diseases related to blood
Shosha – emaciation
Aruchi – anorexia
Tresha – excess thirst
Chardi – vomiting

Traditional uses of Mosambi (sweet Lemon)

• The high pectin content present in the peels of sweet lemon works against Blood sugar and Cholesterol.(A)
• Traditionally citrus fruit peels are used in skin diseases.(B)
• Scurvy – As sweet lime is a good source of vitamin c , it is used to treat the symptoms of scurvy which is caused due to deficiency of Vitamin C such as bleeding and swollen gums, mouth ulcers, fever, cold etc
• Anorexia – Sweet lime helps in perception of food taste by releasing the secretion of salivary glands in the mouth thus it can be made used in anorexia. In Ayurveda the secretion of salivary glands is compared to bhodaka kapha.
• Indigestion – The flavonoids in sweet lime stimulates secretion of bile, digestive juices and acids and thus improves the digestion capacity and cures indigestion.
• Vomiting and Nausea – Due to its good aroma and sweet flavor it is used to relieve vomiting and nausea.
• Stomach Ulcers – The acids in mausambi juice causes alkaline reaction in the body and reduces gastric acidity.
• Urinary Tract Infection – As mosumbi is the rich source of Potassium it is useful in treating inflammation of urinary bladder. It also prevents UTI by maintaining proper functions of kidney and urinary bladder.
• Blood Pressure – Mosumbi juice reduces cholesterol and helps to lower high blood pressure.
• Common Cold – AS it is rich in Vitamim C it helps treating common cold and also improves body immunity against the infections.

Home Remedies

• Diabetes – 2 teaspoon of sweet lemon juice, 4 teaspoon of Indian gooseberry juice and 1 teaspoon of honey mixed and taken in empty stomach every morning is beneficial in diabetic patients.
• Weight Reduction – Mixture of Mosambi juice and honey burns extra calories and helps to reduce body weight.
• Mouth ulcers and Bad breadth – Sweet lime juice with warm water is beneficial.
• Cystitis – Sweet lime juice boiled in water, taken within few hours after cooling gives instant relief from inflammation of urinary bladder (cystitis).
• Eye care – Eye wash with few drops of Sweet lime juice mixed with pain water or added with salt helps to cure conjunctivitis. It prevents eye infection and muscular degeneration due to its antioxidant and anti-bacterial activities.
• Swelling and Pain – External application of mosambi juice and castor oil on affected area reduces pain and swelling.(C)

Skin Benefits of Mosumbi

• Fresh juice of Sweet lemon applied on face at bedtime and washed with warm will treat spots, blemishes and pigmentation.
• Due to its antioxidant property it rejuvenates the skin cells and prevents infections.
• As it purifies the blood it can be used in various skin problems.
• Taking bath with water mixed with sweet lime juice relieves bad body odor and excess sweat.
• For dark and cracked lips mosambi juice rubbed 2-3 times a day gives good result.

How to check if the fruit is ripe?
Gently scratch the surface of the peel, if its oil enters the fingernails it is ripe. This fruit must me plucked from tree when it is fully ripen because it will not ripe off the tree.(B)

Interaction with medicines, supplements

Can this be used while taking Homeopathic medicine?
Yes. This product does not react with homeopathic medicine.

Can this medicine be continued while taking supplements like multivitamin tablets, Omega 3 fatty acids etc?
Yes. Generally, this product goes well with most of the dietary supplements. However, if you are taking more than one product per day, please consult your doctor for an opinion.

With western medicines
Seek your doctor’s advice if you are taking this product along with other western (allopathic / modern) medicines. Some Ayurvedic herbs can interact with modern medicine.
If both Ayurvedic and allopathic medicines are advised together, then it is best to take Allopathic medicine first, wait for 30 minutes and then take the Ayurvedic medicine.

Morphology of Citrus limetta

Citrus limetta is a small tree with numerous thorns. Leaves are alternate, margins serrate, petioles are narrowly winged. flowers are white. Fruit oval in shape, peel is greenish yellow, thin, densely glandular and fragrant. Seeds are ovoid, smooth and white.

Essential Oil
Peel yields essential oil. Oil is aromatic, used as flavoring agent in food, beverages and pharmaceutical industries.
Pharmacological activity of essential oil – Antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anxiolytic.

Research on sweet lemon

Anti anxiety activity – A study was conducted on Anti anxiety activity of Citrus limetta fruit extracts on the elevated Plus maze model in mice have proved that Citrus limetta is a potential anti anxiety agent.

Classical categorization
Bhavaprakasha Nighantu – Amraadiphala Varga

Distribution of Citrus limetta
Citrus limetta is native to Asia and cultivated in India, China, southern Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. It is also found in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Botanical classification of Citrus limetta
Kingdom – Plantae
Division – Magnoliophyta
Class – Dicotyledons
Sub class – Sapindales
Order – Rosidae
Family – Rutaceae
Genera – Citrus
Species – Limetta
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