Kaffir Lime

Citrus hystrix, called the kaffir lime, Thai lime or makrut lime, is a citrus fruit native to tropical Southeast Asia. It is a thorny shrub or small tree with aromatic, distinctively shaped double leaves, hourglass-shaped because each blade carries a flattened leaf-like stalk. The fruit is small, rough and bumpy, green ripening to yellow, with a thick skin and a very acidic, slightly bitter taste. Its rind and crushed leaves give off an intense citrus fragrance, the fruit and leaves are used in Southeast Asian cooking, and the essential oil is used in perfumery. In Thailand and occasionally Cambodia the juice is used as a cleanser for clothing and hair, and in Cambodia lustral water mixed with slices of the fruit is used in religious ceremonies. The juice is often used in shampoo and is believed to kill head lice. The fruit contains furanocoumarins, which can cause a skin inflammation.