Orange

Citrus aurantium

A valuable medicinal herb, the orange originated in China, and by the Middle Ages was a favorite with Arabian physicians. In the 16th century, an Italian princess named Anna-Marie de Nerola reputedly discovered an oil extracted from the flowers, which she used to scent her gloves; today neroli oil, as it became known, is prohibitively expensive. The Chinese remain the greatest enthusiasts of medicinal oranges: the bitter Seville orange (C. aurantium) and sweeter tangerines and satsumas (C. reticulata) are mainly used.

The bitter orange has provided food and medicine for thousands of years. It yields neroli oil from its flowers, and the oil known as petit grain from its leaves and young shoots. Both distillates are used extensively in perfumery. Orange flower water is a byproduct of distillation and is used in perfumery and to flavor candy and baked goods, as well as being used for medicinal purposes.

Other names

• Bitter Orange

Parts used

Fruit, peel, leaves, flowers, seeds, essential oil.

Uses

The strongly acidic fruit of the bitter oranges stimulates the digestion and relieves flatulence. An infusion of the fruit is thought to soothe headaches, calm palpitations, and lower fevers. The juice helps the body eliminate waste products, and, being rich in vitamin C, helps the immune system ward off infection. If taken to excess, however, its acid content can exacerbate arthritis. In Chinese herbal medicine, the unripe fruit, known as zhi shi, is thought to "regulate the qi," helping to relieve flatulence and abdominal bloating, and to open the bowels. The essential oils of bitter orange, especially neroli, are sedative. In Western medicine, these oils are used to reduce heart rate and palpitations, to encourage sleep, and to soothe the digestive tract. Diluted neroli is applied as a relaxing massage oil. The distilled flower water is antispasmodic and sedative.

Habitat & cultivation

Native to tropical Asia, this tree is now grown throughout the tropics and subtropics. Orchards of bitter orange are found along the Mediterranean coast, especially in Spain.

Constituents

Bitter orange peel contains a volatile oil with limonene (about 90%), flavonoids, coumarins, triterpenes, vitamin C, carotene, and pectin. The flavonoids have several useful properties, being anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antifungal. The composition of the volatile oils in the leaves, flowers, and peel varies significantly. Linalyl acetate (50%) is the main constituent in oil from the leaves (petit grain), and linalool (35%) in oil from the flowers (neroli). The unripe fruit of the bitter orange contains cirantin, which reputedly is a contraceptive.

Applications

FRUIT

DECOCTION Take for indigestion, constipation, or coughs. Combine with dang gui for menstrual pain.

TINCTURE Use drop doses for uneasiness, shock, or insomnia.

NEROLI OIL

CREAM Add 1-2 drops to skin cream and apply to any skin condition.

MASSAGE OIL Add 1-2 drops to 10 ml almond oil for nervous conditions and digestive upsets.

ORANGE FLOWER WATER A byproduct of steam distillation: take as a soothing carminative and for uneasiness, shock, or insomnia. Add 5-10 ml to a baby's bottle for colic or sleeplessness.

PEEL

DECOCTION Use both types of peel for indigestion and abdominal bloating. Take chen pi for coughs.

SYRUP Take 2-4 ml syrup made from chen pi for coughs.

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