Bulk Herbs: Orange peel - cut

Orange Peel is a digestive aid. It is used for abdominal bloating, nausea and poor appetite. Orange peel moves stagnant energy and helps the digestion. Also used as an expectorant for Arguably, the most important flavanone in oranges, herperidin has been shown to lower high blood pressure as well as cholesterol, and to have strong anti-inflammatory properties. Importantly, most of this phytonutrient is found in the peel and inner white pulp of the orange.

A class of compounds found in citrus fruit peels called polymethoxylated flavones (PMFs) have the potential to lower cholesterol more effectively than some prescription drugs, and without side effects. Using orange peel to flavor tea, salads, salad dressings, yogurt, soups, or hot oatmeal, buckwheat or rice every day may be a practical way of achieving some cholesterol-lowering benefits.

Studies show that carbohydrates in orange peel have health-promoting effects. One of them, pectin, has probiotic properties. Probiotics are nondigestible foods or nutrients that increase growth of beneficial, probiotic bacteria in the large intestine, where they stimulate health and help curb foodborne pathogens.

Excerpts from Nutritional Herbology

Orange peel contains aromatic compounds that are antiseptic, reduce muscles spasms and decrease the thickness while increasing the production of mucosal fluids. It also contains bitter compounds that are anti-inflammatory, reduce muscle spasms, increase the production of digestive fluid and increase blood circulation. Citrus peel has been used to treat coughs, colds, flu, fevers, and bronchitis.