Limau kasturi (Citrus microcarpa)
Common names
-limau kasturi (Malaysia)
-musky lime, kalamudin, kalamansi, calamondin, musk lime, philippine lime, panama orange, golden lime (English)
-Szu Kai Kat (China)
-Hazara (India)
Descriptions
- a member Rutaceae family
- a small perennial shrubs growing up to about 4 m in height
- the branches normally originated from the lower part of the main stem and the main stem rarely grows straight
- the leaves are green in colour, elliptic in shape, having narrow wings measuring about 4 cm long
- the flowers are white in colour, about 2 cm in diametre and have a very short stalk
- the fruits:
i) green when young and turns to yellow when it matures
ii) has nearly smooth skin, spherical in shape and measuring about 3 cm in diameter
iii) produce plenty of sour juice when crushed.
Chemical constituents
Aldehydes – acetaldehyde, decanaldehyde, nonanaldehyde, octanaldehyde, perillaldehyde
Esters – geranyl acetate and neryl acetate
Alcohols – Ethanol, linalool, methanol, terpinen-4-ol, a-terpineol
Hydrocarbons – 3-carene, limonene, myrcene, a-pinene, b-pinene, g-terpinene, terpinelene, valencene
Sugars – glucose, fructose and sucrose
Acids – Dehydroascorbic acid, ascorbic acid, and malic acid
Fatty acids - Linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids
Sesquiterpenes – hedycaryol , beta-sesquiphellandrene and alpha-eudesmol
Traditional uses
Preparation/ part of plants used
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preserved in jellies, jams or marmalades and used in sauces and custards as an exotic lemon curd alternative
Whole fruit
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as a beverage or concentrate
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used to flavor foods in south-east Asian cuisine
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used in the treatment of pulmonary affections especially productive cough
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to help lighten the spots
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to relieve itching and irritation
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as a shampoo to relieve itching and promote hair growth
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to treat abscesses
Fruit: make a poultice (tuaman) using pandanus leaves, salt and the juice
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to overcome acne
Fruit: juice
Fruit: squeezed juice and added some pepper makes an excellent expectorant
Fruit: squeezed juice and applied directly on freckles
Fruit: juice mixed with the saponaceous bark of Entada phaeseoloides (akar beluru)
Fruit: cut and applied over insect bite
Fruit: the ripe fruit juice placed at the acne