Tradition

Dosing

Adults (over 18 years old)

There is no proven effective dose for lime. A limeade drink containing 25 milligrams ascorbic acid (vitamin C) has been studied, but showed no clear benefit.

Children (under 18 years old)

There is no proven effective dose for lime in children.

Safety

Allergies

Avoid in individuals with a known allergy or hypersensitivity to lime. When applied on the skin, lime oil may cause hypersensitivity. Distilled lime oil may be non-irritating, non-sensitizing and non-phototoxic to human skin, but expressed lime oil and lime peel may cause phototoxic skin reactions.

Side Effects and Warnings

Lime juice, peel and oil are generally considered safe to consume in food amounts, and few reported side effects, including photosensitivity, headaches, diarrhea and dental effects, have been noted in case reports and clinical studies. Lime has GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status for use in foods in the United States.

Lime is possibly safe for use when used orally in medicinal amounts, or when lime oil is applied on the skin in cosmetics.

Lime is possibly unsafe when applied on the skin in large amounts. Lime oil contains oxypeucedanin, which may cause photosensitization.

Lemon and lime juice are widely used for douches among women at high risk of HIV transmission. However, there is no evidence that lime douche is effective for this use and caution is advised.

Theoretically, distilled lime oils may promote tumors in the presence of carcinogenic chemicals.

Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Lime is not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women if using in amounts greater than those typically found in foods because of insufficient available evidence.