Lessons in life - discovering the virtues of Lemon Oil in Mexico City

The thing about travelling a lot is that you get to learn by experience.

In Mexico City, fresh off the London flight, we took a taxi from the airport to the Zona Rosa. If you've just come from the land of the black cab, getting used to the Mexican Beetle 'taxis' takes some doing. Beetle taxis are VW Beetles painted green. They have the front passenger seat removed to facilitate access to the back seat and accommodate any luggage. Many have broken bumpers and indicators or staved in wheel arches, bruising signs of inevitable skirmishes in the helter skelter that is the traffic flow in this huge and overpopulated city.

On arrival at our hotel we felt justified in our desire for a margarita to soothe our post taxi nerves, but in our rush failed to check the 'source' of the ice that was helping to cool us down. Within a few hours, with our tummies rumbling, we were introduced to the virtues of lemon oil by a friendly and sympathetic chamber maid.

On arrival at our hotel we felt justified in our desire for a margarita to soothe our post taxi nerves, but in our rush failed to check the 'source' of the ice that was helping to cool us down. Within a few hours, with our tummies rumbling, we were introduced to the virtues of lemon oil by a friendly and sympathetic chamber maid.

With its strong bactericidal properties, lemon oil is perfect for wobbly tummies. You can also use it to treat sunburn although you should avoid direct sunlight as it's phototoxic and can cause skin irritations. Lemon oil is also highly antiseptic, making it ideal for gargling or applying to minor cuts, scrapes or insect bites.

It costs no more than a couple of pounds or so in any decent health food or complementary medicine shop, which is not bad for a mini first aid kit. It's even said to calm the nerves of those who don't list flying among their top 20 ways to relax, and it's also supposed to cure hiccups.