1. I’m sure it is unscientific, but my grandmother used to make me drink freshly squeezed lemon juice (as tart as you can take it) with hot water [to cure a cold]. I still do it and it does seem to clear my chest when I have a really hacking cough [Lewes, East Sussex, November 2011].

2. The best cure I know for a cough is some lemon and boiling water. Then breathe it in through your nose.
For acne I would also suggest a lemon. Cut it in half and with cotton wool dab the juices on … It works wonders [Beaconsfield High School, Buckinghamshire, November 2003].

3. For an upset stomach: plain boiled rice and lemon juice, all stirred together. Remedy from Rome, Italy [Natural History Museum, London, May 2003].

Image: Brixton Village, London Borough of Lambeth; February 2014.