Dynamic Duo: The Healing Benefits of Olive Oil and Lemon

Hippocrates wasn't the only ancient Greek singing the praises of olive oil; Homer, who authored great works, including "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey," called the substance "liquid gold," and today's scientists tend to agree.

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Olive oil contains a host of health-building ingredients, including vitamin E, monounsaturated fat, oleic acid, bioavailable plant phenols, anti-inflammatories and antioxidants. The oil is a staple ingredient in the Mediterranean Diet, recommended by doctors for a host of chronic conditions, including heart disease, depression, dementia, fatty liver disease and more.

Recent studies confirm what Hippocrates knew long ago. A 2018 study review by the Sapienza University of Rome examined worldwide results that confirm olive oil's benefits as a vasodilatory nutrient, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant that reduces stress on the cardiovascular system.

Another 2018 study by the Center for Gender-Specific Medicine showed it plays a positive healing role in chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis.

A 2017 study by the University of Pisa confirmed Hippocrates' theory from thousands of years ago: Citrus fruits, such as lemon, bergamot, lime and orange, are helpful in preventing and curing several aspects of cardiovascular disease due to their flavonoid content.

Lemon is also helpful for digestion and, when concentrated into its essential oil form, can kill off dangerous microbes such as Listeria monocytogenes according to a 2017 study published in BioMed Central. The Journal of Oral Hygiene and Health reports that a 30 percent solution of lemon juice in water is as effective as an oral rinse made with povidone iodine when it comes to antibacterial activity. But lemon juice went one step further by inhibiting bacteria from reproducing after the rinse.

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Lemon added to food as an ingredient can help unleash carotenoids from foods like carrots, making the nutrient more bioavailable to the body. Lemon's high amount of vitamin C, folic acid, limonin and other nutrients pack this little yellow fruit with health benefits. It's been found helpful for conditions as diverse as kidney stones, cancer, liver disease and weight loss.

Start your day with a glass of water mixed with the juice of one lemon and 2 tablespoons of olive oil and you just might cure constipation and boost your immunity. That's according to women's holistic wellness coach and doctor of physical therapy Brenda Walding. Both ingredients have a host of healing properties that, when mixed, deliver a powerful tonic serving up many healing benefits. Hippocrates would surely approve.

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Feeling that little tickle in your throat during cold and flu season? Whip up an effective combo of olive oil, honey and lemon by adding a quarter cup of each to a Mason jar, blending well and storing in the refrigerator for up to three months.

Or follow advice given by Food Republic by heating the oil and infusing with a few sprigs of rosemary, thyme or ginger before stirring in the honey and lemon. The phenols in the olive oil will coat and fight inflammation, while the other ingredients go to work on the microbes.