The mistake of turning honey-soaked lemons into... 'poison'
Many people still make basic mistakes when soaking and using honey lemon, making this remedy worthless and even extremely harmful to health.
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According to physician Nguyen Duc Nghia, Ho Chi Minh City Medicinal Herbs Association, people often use pink lemons and kumquats steamed or soaked with rock sugar and honey to treat coughs and flu as an effective oral remedy. In Vietnam, there are currently about 20 types of lemons and pink lemons are one of them.
Many women think that honey-soaked kumquats can treat all kinds of daily minor illnesses. However, according to scientific evidence, honey-soaked kumquats are only effective for some mild coughs or colds.
And not everyone can arbitrarily use this mixture as medicine. Absolutely, do not use this mixture to replace antibiotics, it will be extremely dangerous for your family.
Honey-soaked kumquats are good for your health, but Doctor Nghia notes that this remedy is only effective for early cases of illness such as sore throat, cough due to infection or weather allergies. Do not use kumquats for patients with cough accompanied by fever.
Use of sugar
According to doctors, kumquat and honey contain a lot of sugar. Therefore, when soaking, do not add sugar, especially rock sugar, which is not good for people with diabetes, overweight, or obesity. When mixing, you can add a little sugar to the cup if you like it sweet.
Soak in a plastic jar
Many people not only soak kumquats but also many other fruits such as star fruit, apricots, plums, etc. in plastic jars. However, the acid in these fruits will react with the plastic, producing toxic substances, and over time forming carcinogens.
One thing mothers need to note is that BPA in plastic can cause chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus, causing birth defects, hormone disorders, and easily causing children to enter puberty early.
Plastic boxes are widely sold on the market, of unknown origin, if recycled plastic is directly toxic to health. Plastic jars made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) are generally safe but only for storing dry goods, do not cause chemical reactions. It is best to soak kumquats in glass jars.
- Do not soak for too long as it will destroy the nutrients in the honey and kumquat. The kumquat can be used after a week of soaking, but it will take at least a month to fully ferment and stop bubbling. Honey soaked in kumquat can only be kept for a maximum of one year.
- Store the honey lemon jar in a cool place, away from direct sunlight.
- When you first soak the lemon, it will foam. Use a spoon to skim it off. After about a month, it will be ready to use.
- Should use glass jar for soaking, it will take longer and is safer.
