Herb Spotlight: Orange Peel

Orange Peel is a beautiful and useful medicinal plant. Often added to bitters formulas for stimulating the digestive system along with increasing appetite, Orange Peel does not disappoint with its' bountiful aromas, and citrus notes. The energetics of Orange Peel are warming and drying. It is also a carminative, decongestant, and of course a digestive tonic.

Most of the time I am using Orange Peel as a natural cleaning agent. I enjoy to make my own household non-toxic cleaning sprays! Not only is this better for my health, my dogs’ health, and my wallets’ health; but also, it is a great way to reduce food waste!

Household Orange Peel Cleaner:

-Orange Peels (feel free to add other citrus peels you have: Grapefruit, Lime, Lemon)

-White Vinegar

-Fresh Rosemary

Add all the above listed ingredients to a mason jar, and be sure all plant contents is fully submerged in the vinegar. It does not matter how much plant material to vinegar ratio you add really. Finally, leave the jar in a dark cabinet for at least three days, to one week for extra sweet scented goodness.

I use this as my all purpose house cleaner, and especially as a floor cleaner!

My Favorite Orange Peel Story:

After a traumatic event, I was in search for a remedy for “eye floaters”, and excess stress on my energetic Liver. I consulted Bob for advise of course. Bob mentioned a Chinese concept called: “Qi Stagnation”. Essentially in this case meaning that I have a bit of a “blockage of energy flow” due to this traumatic encounter, or a “tenseness”.

Bob suggested I brew some Tulsi and Orange Peel Tea, and drink it as much as possible. In addition he said to massage fresh peel onto acupressure points Liver 3, and Large Intestine 4. He noted that the peel on the points should relieve the eye floaters very, very quickly.

As I enjoyed the auromatics of the sweet Tulsi and fresh Orange Peel consuming my kitchen, I scratched up a fresh peel, in order to release the essential oils, and I began to apply it to the acupressure points. I was absolutely amazed! Within minutes my eyesight had been improved, and I was seeing less floaters.

For the next week I continued to sip the brew most days, and applied multiple times a day the acupressure points with the peels.

I am so grateful for Orange Peel, I needed it so much at the time. And not to forget, I had beautiful, juicey, happy, fresh squeezed OJ pretty much every day in addition to my protocol. Not a bad problem to have at all!

Happy peelin’!