Julia Chen

Laboratory tests show that lemon juice is a potent destroyer of both HIV and sperm, Australian researchers say.

If
planned tests in primates and people are successful, lemon juice could
be ideal for women without easy access to safe barrier contraceptives,
such as condoms, says the team at Melbourne University, led by Roger
Short.

But
experts in anti-AIDS medications warn that the safety of using the
juice internally and its efficacy in people are as yet unknown.

Short
says a solution of 10 per cent lemon juice produced a 1000-fold
reduction in HIV activity in a lab sample. And half a teaspoon of the
juice wiped out two teaspoons of sperm in 30 seconds. The high acidity
of the juice is responsible for killing HIV and sperm.

The
great advantage of lemon or lime juice as an anti-viral contraceptive
is that the fruit can be grown very cheaply in the developing world,
says Short. Women might use the juice by inserting a soaked piece of
sponge or cotton wool before intercourse, he says. Women researchers in
Short's lab said using the juice caused no pain.

Centuries old

This
method of contraception was widespread in the Mediterranean before the
advent of modern methods, such as the Pill. "I'm a great believer in
history. People would not have used it for 300 or 400 years if it did
not work," Short told ABC-TV.

Julian
Meldrum of the London-based National AIDS Manual says: "The basic
principle that acids such as lemon juice can inactivate both sperm and
HIV has been known for some years." But although lemon juice was used
historically as a contraceptive, "it is unknown how much damage this
did both directly to the vagina and the interior of the cervix and
uterus, and indirectly, through effects on microbes in the vagina."

Short
agrees that more work is needed: "We now need more time to see if women
really could rely on lemon juice to protect themselves against
pregnancy and HIV in the human body without any side effects," he says.

The team is now planning experiments involving macaque monkeys in Indonesia.

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn2910

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Laboratory experiments have shown that a 20% concentration of
lemon juice inactivates 80% of HIV in as little as two minutes.
(1)


http://www.aids.net.au/news-lemons-vs-aids.htm