Archival plate of Citrus × aurantium, C. × sinensis, from Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, 1887 to 1898

The Moss Herbal Database

Citrus × aurantium, C. × sinensis
Fam. Rutaceae
Parts: Peel, flowers, and fruit

Plate: Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, 1887 to 1898 ↗

Orange peel

Citrus × aurantium, C. × sinensis

Also: Bitter orange, Seville orange, Sweet orange, Neroli

CoolingDryingTonifying

Aromatic peel for a slow, queasy stomach, and the blossom for nerves.

The glossy, oil-dotted rind of the orange tree, which also bears waxy white blossoms prized for their scent. Orange peel settles nausea and gas and stirs a slow digestion: bitter orange cools and drains, sweet orange comforts, and the blossom calms.

Energetics: Cooling, drying, toning
Taste: Bitter, sour, aromatic, sweet
Family: Rutaceae (citrus family)
Parts used: Peel, flowers, and fruit

Medicinal uses 4

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Traditional useLab and mechanism studiesClinical studies

Indigestion & bloatingTLC
Moves gas and bloating and settles a sluggish stomach.
NauseaTLC
Sweet orange peel eases nausea, and its sour, aromatic note softens strong bitters that can turn the stomach.
Sluggish liver & digestionTLC
Bitter orange peel stirs appetite and bile; it is the base of classic orange bitters.
Anxiety & stressTLC
Orange blossom water and the scent of orange oil eased anxiety in small clinical trials.

Preparations

Peel tea, orange bitters, fresh peel tincture, and orange flower water.

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Cautions

Concentrated bitter orange extracts contain synephrine, which raises blood pressure and heart rate. Avoid weight-loss products that pair it with caffeine.
Bitter orange can raise blood levels of some medicines the way grapefruit does; check with your prescriber.
Oils in the peel can make skin more sensitive to sun.

Medication interactions

Practitioner Practitioners are able to see the 2 types of medicine flagged for orange peel, each with the mechanism and what to do. The plain-language cautions above stay open to everyone.

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Pregnancy & breastfeeding

PregnancyFood amounts

Oranges and their peel in food are considered compatible. Concentrated bitter orange extracts, with their stimulant synephrine, are avoided in pregnancy.

BreastfeedingFood amounts

Food amounts are considered compatible; avoid concentrated bitter orange extracts while nursing.

Folklore

Seville's streets are lined with bitter orange trees, and most of their fruit is shipped to Britain for marmalade. Neroli, the blossom oil, is named for a seventeenth-century princess of Nerola who scented her gloves and bath with it. The sweet orange reached Europe after the bitter one, and the German Apfelsine, Chinese apple, still recalls where it came from.

How to grow

An evergreen tree for full sun, warmth, and well-drained soil, hardy only to light frost; bitter orange is the hardier of the two and serves as a rootstock. In cold climates, grow a dwarf tree in a large pot and bring it in for winter.

In the wild

Both oranges are ancient hybrids from southern China and Southeast Asia with no truly wild stands. They are grown across the subtropics, from Spain and Morocco to Florida, Brazil, and California.

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