|
 Bitter
Orange, also known as Bigarade Orange or Neroli, has served many
ancient cultures for its medicine effects in treating a large
variety of health disorders. Today bitter orange teas, tinctures,
and extracts are still used to treat gastrointestinal disorders,
insomnia, head aches, and obesity.
Bitter Orange for
Better Health
Bitter orange has a complex chemical
makeup specifically in the oil that is extracted from the peel. This
oil produced gives bitter orange a strong odor and flavor and is
used to treat a variety of health problems. The peel contains
flavones, the alkaloids synephrine, octopamine, and
N-methyltyramine, and carotenoids.
Only the peel of bitter
orange has proven medicinal value, mainly for digestive problems and
health concerns. However, in folk medicine the flower of bitter
orange is also used. Folk medicine uses the flower not only to treat
gastrointestinal disorders, but to also treat a myriad of health
problems ranging from nervousness and insomnia, to gout and sore
throat, and even for obesity. In oriental medicine, the flower of
the bitter orange is used for poor appetite, chest and stomach pain,
and vomiting. Homeopathic practitioners use both the peel and the
flower to remedy both headaches and pain.
Today bitter orange
continues to be employed in a wide variety of traditions. In Latin
America, the leaf of the bitter orange plant is prepared as a tonic
and used as a laxative, a sedative for insomnia, and to calm
anxiety. The peel of the fruit is used to treat stomach aches and
high blood pressure. Some cultures use bitter orange peel as an
anti-spasmodic. In traditional oriental medicine, the bitter orange
peal is used to treat indigestion, abdominal pain, constipation, and
dysenteric diarrhea. Bitter orange is still used throughout the
world as a possible cure for insomnia and
indigestion.
Bitter Orange for Weight
Loss
Bitter orange contains several chemical
compounds believed to stimulate metabolic rate, which may increase
calorie burning in the body. While no clinical trails have
substantiated the effectiveness of bitter orange as weight loss
supplement, it appears to be effective in combination with St.
John’s wort and caffeine.
Dosage and
Administration
Many health professionals recommend 1
to 2 grams of dried bitter orange peel simmered for 10 to 15 minutes
in a cup of water. Three cups are usually recommended as a daily
dosage. As a tincture, 2 to 3 ml is usually recommended, also to be
taken three times a day. Supplementing with pure bitter orange oil
is usually avoided.
Supporting
Literature
Martinez M. Las Plantas
Medicinales de Mexico. Mexico City: Libreria y Ediciones Botas,
1991.
Bejar E, Bussmann R, Roa C, Sharon D. Herbs of Southern
Ecuador: A Field Guide to the Medicinal Plants of Vilcabamba. Spring
Valley, CA: LH Press, 2001.
Blumenthal M, Goldberg A, Brinckmann
J, eds. Herbal Medicine: Expanded Commission E Monographs.
1999.
Gonzalez-Ferrara MM. Plantas medicinales del noreste de
Mexico. Monterey, Mexico: Grupo Vitro,
1998.
|
