My aunt is one of those people who believes that lemon in warm water in the morning is a universal cure-all. She says it cleans your liver, speeds up your metabolism, cures hangovers. I let her talk but I'm curious if there's anything minimally proven about this.
No, your aunt is convinced of things that don't really have much basis. Lemon water isn't the cure-all she thinks it is. That said, it's not like it's bad to drink it either, so at least it doesn't hurt. Lemon has vitamin C and other compounds, that's true, but such a small amount in water isn't going to "cleanse" anything or repair a damaged liver or any of that stuff. The liver cleans itself just fine if you don't overload it with alcohol or shitty food all day long, it doesn't need lemon for that.
The metabolism thing is another pretty common myth. Drinking warm water on an empty stomach might make you feel more awake and maybe you eat less afterward because you're a bit full, but that's it. It doesn't speed anything up metabolically speaking. And for hangovers, what actually works is staying hydrated (plain water is perfectly fine), sleeping, and letting your body process the alcohol. Lemon won't save you there.
What is proven is that drinking water in general, whether it's with lemon or without it, is good for your health. Staying hydrated is cool. If your aunt likes the flavor and that makes her drink more water, then fine, great. But don't let her think it's miracle medicine because it's not. She's probably just confusing a healthy habit (drinking water) with properties that lemon simply doesn't have.
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