Orange Oil is an essential oil made from the pressed skin and fruit of an orange.
Orange oil is one of the most commonly used essential oils has a long history of medical use spanning thousands of years.
The Chinese, Egyptians, Indians and many other ancient civilizations knew it had insane health-boosting qualities and only today are we discovering just how powerful it is at helping to correct certain medical conditions and improve our daily lives.
Orange oil is both inexpensive and easy to find as well as extremely easy to use which makes it a great addition to any modern person’s medicine chest.
3 Great Reasons To Use Orange Oil
1 – It Helps to Reduce Anxiety: One of the main reasons people use orange oil with aromatherapy is because it’s been shown to help lift a person’s mood and calm them down.
In 2013 the journal Advanced Biomedical Research published a study showing how well orange oil was at improving mood.
The researchers who conducted the study observed 30 children whose ages were 6-9 and who had to have a dental procedure done.
Before their first procedure, the children were given an orange oil aromatherapy treatment. Before the second procedure, no treatment was given.
The researchers discovered that the children “had reduced cortisol levels and pulse rates when receiving the aromatherapy, and this led to decreased anxiety.”
Further research on adults support these same findings as 56 adults were given the same treatment and researchers discovered they too benefitted from lower anxiety as a result of orange oil therapy.
2 – May be used as an antidepressant:
Along with reducing anxiety, orange oil may benefit those who suffer from depression.
The truth about Cancer writes: A small Japanese study reported in 1995 on 12 depressed human patients had impressive results. The researchers noted the citrus aromatherapy was quite effective, and stated “…the doses of antidepressants necessary for the treatment of depression could be markedly reduced. The treatment with citrus fragrance normalized neuroendocrine hormone levels and immune function and was rather more effective than antidepressants.”
A 2005 study done by Thai and Austrian researchers on 24 healthy volunteers found orange oil to be stimulating to the autonomic nervous system. The scientists in this study stated “These findings furnish scientific proof for the use of the sweet orange oil in aromatherapy for the relief of mild forms of depression and stress in humans.
3 – Can protect the heart:
It’s a well-known fact that antioxidants from plants can help to boost many aspects of our health.
Researchers believe that the flavonoids from orange peels (a known antioxidant) may help to protect the heart.
In a 2014 study, a team of British, Australian and Indian scientists discovered a flavonoid found in orange peel called naringin could reduce hypertension and protect the heart.
This was followed up by a study by Pakistani researchers who split up two groups of rats, both on a high cholesterol diet. One group was given orange and grapefruit juice and the other group did not get that treatment.
After 8 weeks the rats who were drinking the orange and grapefruit juice had a significant reduction in triglyceride and cholesterol levels.