In our body...
a. It's a natural anti-inflammatory;
b. It can be used as cough medicine (works as mucolytics);
c. It's good for constipation;
d. It's a great source of Vitamin-C which helps produce collagen;
e. It's rich in anti-oxidant properties that help prevent heart disease and cancer;
f. It's a great tonic for the liver, helps prevent diabetes, and keeps the kidneys healthy.
Because of the many benefits of calamansi for the body (there are even more that's not listed here), I resolved to follow one of Bo Sanchez's 52 Health Habits: taking freshly squeezed calamansi juice in the early morning. I've been doing this habit for almost a year now for the reasons above. And I've even noticed that my rhinitis does not bother me in the mornings anymore, even if I haven't taken my nasal spray (my maintenance) for a long time.
You should make this your health habit, too. Calamansi is very affordable in our country (Philippines). If you are living in Cebu City, you can always go to Carbon Market on the weekends and you can buy calamansi there. Depending on the supply, 100 pieces of calamansi ranges from Php30 up to Php60.
Here are some insights regarding this morning habit with calamansi:
1. Calamansi juice should be taken fresh to get most of its benefits. So drink the juice after squeezing them all. And early morning is the best time since your body has not taken any food or drink yet.
2. It's good to prepare your green calamansi in the evening, ready for slicing in the morning. Based on experience, it's better to drink the calamansi extract if it isn't cold. So put them out of the fridge, on your tray, ready for the slicing the next day.
3. When slicing, be sure not to cut it in half by slicing in the middle. This may slice the seeds too and will cause a bitter taste to your juice. Instead, slice a small part of it on the side.
4. You can start with 6 pieces of calamansi on your first try. You may find it too sour to drink as you are not used to drinking it yet. Day by day, you can just increase the number of pieces to squeeze. So far, I've already been taking 25 pieces of calamansi every morning.
5. Don't worry about acidity. Calamansi is only acidic when it is mixed with water. When taken fresh and pure, calamansi is alkaline inside the body. And this is the reason why it is good for fighting cancer---cancer cells love an acidic body, but calamansi can balance the acidity of our body.
6. For the body to absorb all the benefits from the calamansi, you shouldn't drink water or eat anything for at least an hour after taking the calamansi juice. That is why in my case, I take the juice at 6 in the morning because I have my breakfast at 7. In between, I do some short exercise and have a quick shower to get myself ready for work.
On our body...
Just as the internal parts of our body benefits from the calamansi, our external parts can benefit a lot as well. Our skin, including the skin of our head (scalp), can get the most of its health from this little citrus family member.
What are those benefits?
a. It increases collagen production for healthy glowing skin;
b. It is a natural skin whitening agent;
c. It is a natural deodorant;
d. It can reduce the oiliness of the scalp, preventing dandruff and other itchiness;
e. Its Vitamin-C can give added volume to the hair.
Because of the reasons above, calamansi has been part of my daily and weekly beauty regimen as well. If you'd like to try it, too, here's what I do with this wonderful calamansi.
1. As I prepare in the evening my calamansi for the early morning, I also prepare a mixture of calamansi and fresh milk in a spray bottle. This mixture will serve as alpha hydroxy acid. The milk will help in the absorption of the calamansi into the skin, and the calamansi will induce collagen production and promote fairer skin texture. I spray the mixture all over my body, especially on my face, armpits, and other dark areas. I slice three to five pieces and sieve them with a clean cloth. Sieving can help you have a very smooth mixture. I had the mistake of directly putting the extract with milk on a spray bottle. The pulp of the calamansi juice got stuck in the spray and of course, it stopped working. So sieve with clean cloth for a no pulpy extract. Then add two to three spoons of milk on the extract. Here's a photo of my concoction.
2. Obviously, I don't spray it directly to my face. I spray it on a cotton and use the sprayed cotton to dab the calamansi with milk on my face. For the other parts of my body, I can spray it directly and just use my palm to spread the concoction evenly. I do the spraying after my quick evening shower or after a body scrub.
3. I just leave the calamansi and milk mixture on my skin overnight. I used to rinse it off, especially from my face. But one time, I tried to just leave it overnight and I didn't feel any itch. So I decided to leave it overnight. I put my facial moisturizer on top of it before bedtime. It feels so soft and smooth when I wake up the next day. In your case however, if you don't feel like doing it overnight, you can always rinse it off after 15 to 30 minutes, especially if you don't like the smell of milk on you (and on your bed).
4. In the morning when I drink my calamansi juice, I also prepare a little juice for my hair. I apply the calamansi extract on my scalp and massage it thoroughly. I leave it for about 30 minutes before I take a shower. So I have a clean scalp and more volume to my hair.
5. Once a week, I do my own foot spa with calamansi. Right now while writing this article, I'm soaking my feet in a warm basin of water with calamansi extract, some salt, and a little milk. After several minutes or an hour, I scrub off the dead skin of my feet. It saves me from going to the salon, from spending time and money there.
So that's it. I hope you, too, will find calamansi a useful dose of your daily routine. You may find or know some more interesting things about this tiny-but-so-useful citrus fruit. Please share them in the comments when you do. ^^
