What can we do with the skin of citrus fruits?

Although their best known uses are the culinary, peels of oranges and lemons can also we used to prepare deodorants or natural exfoliants

Did you know what is the part of the citrus fruits containing a larger number of properties for health? Its shell, which is beneficial to prevent cancer or cardiovascular diseases, to avoid water retention and fat accumulation or to raise the defenses, among many others.

That is why in this article explain how we can use the peeling of lemon, Orange, Tangerine, lime or grapefruit to enjoy of their benefits medicinal, culinary and cosmetic.
This is fundamental to whatever fruits from our own culture or ecological, to make sure that you do not have pesticides, waxes or other toxic substances accumulated in the peeling.

How do we keep it?

The first step is to wash the fruit well, Peel and remove the whitish interior parts that can be finsh.
The first way to use them is grating them and using them directly in raw, so it's as they are more aromatic. But if we want to keep them for them using promptly we can freeze the zest. Another option consists in naturally dry them, either in the Sun or in the oven (at a low temperature for several hours), and spray them with the help of a coffee grinder.

Medicinal uses

• Powerful antioxidant action, thanks to its content of flavonoids, which helps us to prevent and treat cancer, particularly the skin and the breast course, as well as minimize the risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Its high content in vitamin C helps us to have a strong immune system.
• Cleaning and purifying effects in our body, inside and out. They also help prevent fluid retention.
• Slightly sedative and relaxing properties. Citrus fruits help improve mood.
• Improving the function of digestive, especially with fats.
• Improving the assimilation of nutrients, for example of the iron, so it can help in the treatment of anemia.

Culinary uses

The skin of citrus fruits, raw or dry, will help us to give a refreshing and very aromatic to our recipes, in addition to their medicinal benefits and facilitate digestion:

• In cakes, pastries and biscuits: mixing them with the dough, or as decoration
• In all kinds of sauces and vinaigrettes or well to flavor oils
• As spice (dried and powdered) to aromatize meats, fish, soups and stews.
• Herbal teas and beverages (lemonade, smoothies, juices, vegetable drinks)
• To give an original touch to the cubes: to the ice water will add fresh citrus zest.
• We can set the peelings whole or in pieces, boiling with sugar as if we prepare a syrup, coating them in sugar and baking them.

To prepare a syrup: surrounded peeling with honey or sugar until reduced by half. We will retain this syrup in the refrigerator and can use it for cooking as a syrup for children and adults to raise defenses and prevent diseases caused by viruses and bacteria.

Cosmetic applications

Thanks to its content of vitamins and minerals, citrus fruits help us to clean our skin and also to improve its texture, preventing flaccidity, moisturizing it and avoiding the appearance of wrinkles, since improves cellular regeneration and contribute to the creation of collagen.

• Natural Exfoliator: we can prepare a simple and effective exfoliation to cleanse our skin and help it regenerate mixing sugar or sea salt, grated or powder lemon peel and oil of olive or almond (if you have dry skin) or aloe gel (if you have oily skin). In this article we explain its properties and how to apply it.
• Deodorant: If liquefy the peelings from citrus fruits, juice we obtain we can use it as a very effective natural deodorant and without harmful substances. It will keep in the fridge for porcos days or freeze and go it using.
• Soaps: in this article we explain the recipe to make a natural Lavender SOAP. If instead of lavender we use the grated citrus get cleaner SOAP and very artomatico.

Images courtesy of veronicasheppard and ecstaticist ecstaticist

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