Can people with diabetes drink tea made from dried lemon slices?
May 09, 2022
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Pan Yongyuan
Introduction
Dried lemon slices steeped in water are generally safe for people with diabetes to drink, as lemons contain very little sugar and can be used to make tea suitable for diabetic patients. Lemons have a sour taste and a slightly cold nature, and are associated with the stomach, liver, and lung meridians. They help clear heat, relieve summer-heat, promote salivation, quench thirst, harmonize the stomach, and stabilize pregnancy. For nausea, poor appetite, or restlessness of the fetus caused by disharmony of stomach qi, dried lemon alone may be steeped in water for drinking, or preserved with sugar before consumption.
In daily life, lemons have a distinctly sour yet refreshingly fragrant taste. They are commonly used to infuse water and also help eliminate fishy odors from food. So, can people with diabetes drink water infused with dried lemon slices?
Can people with diabetes drink water infused with dried lemon slices?
People with diabetes may safely drink water infused with dried lemon slices. Lemons contain very little natural sugar, making lemon-infused tea suitable for diabetic individuals without causing adverse effects. Moderate consumption is generally acceptable for those with diabetes.
Lemons have a sour taste and a slightly cold nature, and are associated with the stomach, liver, and lung meridians in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). They function to clear heat, relieve summer-heat syndromes, promote salivation, quench thirst, harmonize the stomach, and stabilize pregnancy. They are commonly used to treat symptoms such as feverish thirst due to summer-heat, nausea or vomiting caused by disharmony of stomach qi, poor appetite, or restlessness during pregnancy. Dried lemon slices may be steeped alone in hot water or preserved with sugar for consumption. Additionally, lemons are effective in treating coughs caused by phlegm-heat, typically used in combination with Platycodon root (Jiegeng) and Sterculia seed (Pang Dahai). Lemons contain various vitamins and trace elements—including iron and calcium—and may thus offer mild supportive benefits for individuals with mild anemia or elderly individuals with mild calcium deficiency. Rich in vitamin C, lemons also help prevent and treat scurvy. Modern pharmacological studies indicate that lemon-infused water possesses anti-inflammatory properties and helps enhance immune function. Note, however, that lemons should not be consumed together with seafood, nor should they be combined with milk, as these combinations are considered incompatible. When preparing lemon-infused water, fresh lemons should be thoroughly washed and sliced before being steeped in warm (not boiling) water.
Lemons are a widely available fruit, often dried for infusion in water. We hope this information is helpful to you!
