Health Benefits:
Limes and lemons are insanely good for you. They contain huge amounts of Vitamin C, and contain powerful antibiotic and antioxidant properties.
Here is more from whfoods.com (a great site for very detailed info on healthy foods)
Like many of the fruits and vegetables featured on our website,lemons and limes contain unique flavonoid compounds that haveantioxidant and anti-cancer properties. Of special interest in limeshave been flavonoids called flavonol glycosides, including many kaempferol-relatedmolecules. While these flavonoids have been shown to stop cell divisionin many cancer cell lines, they are perhaps most interesting for theirantibiotic effects. In several villages in West Africa where choleraepidemics had occurred, the inclusion of lime juice during the mainmeal of the day was determined to have been protective against thecontraction of cholera. (Cholera is a disease triggered by activity ofthe bacteria called Vibrio cholera). Researchers quickly beganto experiment with the addition of lime juice to the sauce eaten withrice, and in this role, lime juice was also found to have a strongprotective effect against cholera.
Several other fascinating research studies on the healingproperties of lemons and limes have shown that cell cycles-includingthe decision a cell makes about whether to divide (called mitosis) or die (apoptosis-are altered by lime juice, as are the activities of special immune cells called monocytes.
In addition to their unique phytonutrient properties, lemons and limes are an excellent source of vitamin C,one of the most important antioxidants in nature. Vitamin C is one ofthe main antioxidants found in food and the primary water-solubleantioxidant in the body. Vitamin C travels through the bodyneutralizing any free radicals with which it comes into contact in theaqueous environments in the body both inside and outside cells. Freeradicals can interact with the healthy cells of the body, damaging themand their membranes, and also cause a lot of inflammation, or painfulswelling, in the body. This is one of the reasons that vitamin C hasbeen shown to be helpful for reducing some of the symptoms ofosteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Since free radicals can damage blood vessels and can changecholesterol to make it more likely to build up in artery walls, vitaminC can be helpful for preventing the development and progression ofatherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease.
Vitamin C is also vital to the function of a strong immunesystem. The immune system's main goal is to protect you from illness,so a little extra vitamin C may be useful in conditions like colds,flu's, and recurrent ear infections.Owing to the multitude of vitamin C's health benefits, it is notsurprising that research has shown that consumption of vegetables andfruits high in this nutrient is associated with a reduced risk of deathfrom all causes including heart disease, stroke and cancer.
History:
Limes are grown on trees that flourish in tropicaland subtropical climates. They were thought to originate in SoutheastAsia. Arab traders brought lime trees back from their journey to Asiaand introduced them into Egypt and Northern Africa around the 10thcentury. The Arabian Moors brought them to Spain in the 13th centuryand then, like many fruits, they were spread throughout southern Europeduring the Crusades.
Limes made their way to the New World with Columbus on hissecond voyage in 1493, and were subsequently planted in many Caribbeancountries whose hot, humid climates supported the cultivation of thisfruit. Centuries later, British explorers and traders, who were readilyusing the vitamin C-rich limes that grew in their West Indies coloniesto prevent scurvy, earned the nickname "limey," a word that is oftenstill used colloquially for persons of British descent.
