ASCP Skin Deep

July | August 2014

Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/325995

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 13 of 44

Create your free business website! www.ascpskincare.com 11 At first sight, you may mistake this citrus fruit for a lemon, but don't be fooled. The yuzu's distinctive aroma and flavor are all its own, making it increasingly popular in the culinary world. Yuzu is a hybrid of two other citrus fruits: the mandarin and the Ichang papeda. It originated in Asia and is popular in China, Japan, and Korea. It has been grown commercially in the United States, though in limited amounts, since the late 1990s. The fruit has an incredibly fragrant smell and can be as large as a grapefruit. Its uneven, lumpy-looking skin is green when unripe and turns yellow as it ripens. Like lemons, it is seldom eaten on its own but provides a great flavor to add to other dishes— as a juice, in vinegars and jams, as a sushi topping, and even in cocktails. High in Vitamin C Yuzu is an up-and-coming fashionable ingredient in restaurants and sushi bars, not just for its wonderful flavor, but also as a healthy "superfood." Its benefits include high levels of vitamin C, along with bioflavonoids, fruit acids, and nomilin. It is well known that vitamin C acts as a potent antioxidant and helps build collagen, which rejuvenates aging skin. The yuzu fruit contains three times more vitamin C than a lemon and five times more than a lime. Bioflavonoids, also called vitamin P, are found in most citrus fruit and the yuzu is no exception. They aid in the absorption of vitamin C and help promote healthy blood flow to the skin. Then there are the fruit acids—estheticians know citric acid and malic acid best for topical use in skin care products (they are alpha hydroxy acids), but they also assist health in the diet. Citric acid is important for digestion and malic acid reduces muscle aches and pains. Nomilin, a glucoside found in citrus fruits, has been used as a relaxant. Studies show it plays a role in cardiovascular health 1 and may also have anticancer properties. 2 Yuzu and the Skin What does this fruit mean for skin care? • In the diet, yuzu can provide antioxidants essential for reversing skin aging and provid- ing moisture to the skin. • Don't disregard the seeds! Traditionally, yuzu seeds were soaked in sake and the liquid was applied to the skin to fight irritation and itchiness. • A delightful spa option—popular in Japan as a tradition during the winter solstice—is the yuzu bath. Draw a hot bath and float 10 whole yuzu fruits in the water. The pleasant wellness smell of the fruit is very relaxing. The Japanese believe taking a yuzu bath will ward off colds and flu, and help heal chapped, rough skin. Lay back and soak up all the benefits of the yuzu, perhaps while sipping on some yuzu tea. Shelley Burns, a doctor of naturopathic medicine, completed studies at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine and has certification in complementary and integrative medicine from Harvard University. She can be reached at the Executive Health Centre at 416-222-5880 or shelley.burns@executivehealthcentre.com. NOTES 1. S. Chakraborty et al., "Role of Nomilin in Regulation of Inflammatory Pathways Potentiated by Substance P and TNF-alpha in Cardiovascular Cells," FASEB Journal 25 (2011): lb489. 2. P. Pratheeshkumar et al., "Nomilin Inhibits Metastasis via Induction of Apoptosis and Regulates the Activation of Transcription Factors and the Cytokine Profile in B16F-10 Cells," Integrative Cancer Therapies 11, no. 1 (2012): 48–60. The yuzu fruit contains three times more vitamin C than a lemon and five times more than a lime. Exotic Yuzu Meet the latest citrus "superfood" by Shelley Burns

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of ASCP Skin Deep - July | August 2014