Orange essential oil is one of the best antidotes to stress and anxiety and is a favorite of essential oil aficionados. The delicious citrus fragrance of sweet orange essential oil makes it highly beneficial for the preservation of health and beauty.
Orange Essential Oil Uses
Orange essential oil serves a wide range of purposes from the domestic to the industrial and medicinal sector. In the domestic or rather culinary sector, the essential oil is used as a flavoring agent in foods, desserts, and beverages.
It is also used in soaps, creams, and lotions for facial use. Orange essential oil is additionally used in making room fresheners, deodorants, sprays, and perfumes.
How is Orange Essential Oil Obtained?
Oranges have been cultivated since times immemorial. Originating in Asia, the fruit was cultivated on a large scale in Europe. This essential oil has been a significant part of Ayurvedic and herbal medication since ancient times.
Orange essential oil is a yellowish orange liquid that smells sweet and citrusy and is acquired from the peel and rind of oranges (Citrus sinensis) through the process of distillation and cold compression.
Orange Essential Oil Nutrition Facts
100 grams serving of orange essential oil contains 47 calories. Orange essential oil consists of 0.1 grams of fat, 181 grams of potassium, 12 grams of carbohydrates, 2.4 grams of dietary fiber and 8 grams of sugar. It also consists of 0.9 grams of amino acids and is richly supplied with minerals mostly calcium.
It is rich in vitamins C, B6 and A. The major constituents of orange essential oil include alpha-pinene, geraniol, citronellol, sabinene, limonene, myrcene, neral, and linalool. Orange essential oil is inedible and can cause digestive issues when ingested.
How to Use Orange Essential Oil?
- Orange essential oil can be incorporated into the daily life in the following ways.
- Use a diffuser to diffuse the orange essential oil into your surroundings preferably in your bedroom or office cabin. This will help you feel relaxed whenever you enter the room and stay there.
- Pour a teaspoon of orange essential oil into your bathtub to feel calm and relaxed during and after you run a bath. Add a few drops of orange essential oil to your shower gel to beat body fatigue and stress. You can also blend a half a teaspoon of the essential oil with your shampoo and rinse your hair with it.
- Use the orange essential oil as a skin tonic and cleanser. Add a few drops of orange essential oil to your herbal face pack and gently massage your face to reduce acne, spots, and wrinkles.
- Diffuse your bedroom and your pillow with a few drops of orange essential oil to sleep deep and peaceful at night.
- Drink tea prepared with orange essential oil by adding a few drops it in the tea followed by a teaspoon of honey.
- Add orange essential to your food and baked desserts for a delicious and healthy meal.
Health and Beauty Benefits of Orange Essential Oil
Orange essential oil is known for its anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, aphrodisiac, diuretic, sedative, cholagogic, tonic, carminative, antiseptic, antidepressant properties. The sweet fragrance of orange essential oil makes it highly beneficial for use in aromatherapy as well.
A handful of its health and beauty benefits are elucidated below. Follow through with the natural remedies for good health, smooth physiological functioning and glowing skin.
1. Benefits of Wild Orange Essential Oil for the Cure of Spasms
Spasms are sore and irritating and are characterized by sudden painful and involuntary contractions in muscles or convulsive movements.
A spasm includes convulsions and muscle cramps that are extremely painful. Orange essential oil is known for its analgesic and anti-spasmodic properties. It is a natural muscle relaxant.
- Mix a few drops of orange essential oil with coconut oil and heat the oil mixture.
- Apply the oil mixture to the cramping muscles with gentle massaging.
This will help in the alleviation of pain and prevention of muscular spasms.
2. Sweet Orange Essential Oil Benefits for Sleep
Sweet orange essential oil has been in use since ancient times for the effective cure of insomnia, parasomnia, restless leg syndrome, fatigue, stress and general sleeplessnessIt soothes the central nervous system and induces a sense of relaxation and drowsiness.
The sweet aroma of the essential oil is responsible for the elimination of mental stress, anxiety and body fatigue. This induces a sense of restfulness and makes one drift off to a deep and peaceful slumber.
Also Read: Home remedies for sleep apnea
3. Wild Orange Essential Oil Benefits for Libido
Wild orange essential oil is an excellent aphrodisiac. Regular and systematic utilization of orange essential oil serves to be an effective cure for sexual problems like erectile dysfunction, frigidity of nerves, impotence, and lack of sexual drive and loss of libido.
Lack of libido occurs due to increased stress, hormonal imbalance, and other ailments. Diffuse the orange essential oil in your bedroom or massage yourself with the essential oil for enhanced libido and excitement.
4. Orange Essential Oil Benefits for Stress and Anxiety
Orange essential oil is known for its calming, anti-convulsive and sedative properties. People who suffer from anxiety breakdowns, panic attacks, palpitations and increased heart rate are benefitted by the aromatherapy induced by the sweet citrusy fragrance of orange essential oil in feeling calm and relaxed.
Inhale the vapors of orange essential oil using a vaporizer or diffuse the scent in your room or office cabin to feel its excellent anxiolytic and anti-depressant effect. It has been proven by research that orange essential oil can control erratic pulse rate and the level of the hormone cortisol that is secreted during nervous breakdowns.
Recommended Read: natural remedies for anxiety
5. Orange Oil Benefits for Urinary Bladder
Orange essential oil is highly beneficial for the health of urinary bladder as it can regulate the flow of urine. It facilitates the process of urination and aids in the flushing out of toxins such as bile, uric acid, excessive salts, pollutants and excess water from the body through the urine.
The essential oil can stimulate the urinary bladder to produce and excrete the urine. The oil helps in the restoration of hormonal balance and cures inflammation of the bladder. It is also effective in the natural treatment of cystitis. It cures lower abdominal cramps and regulates the flow of urine.
6. Benefits of Orange Essential Oil for Respiratory Issues
Orange essential oil is highly beneficial for the natural cure of respiratory issues like a sore throat, flu, common cold, asthma, bronchitis, coughing fits, tonsillitis, laryngitis and more.
The oil can be inhaled as vapors or can be topically massaged to the chest and neck for soothing the respiratory tract and curing the inflammation and infection. The essential oil stimulates the expulsion of mucus and relieves chest and nasal congestion thereby accelerating the recovery process.
7. Benefits of Orange Essential Oil as a Cholagogue
As a cholagogue, orange essential oil stimulates all the glands in the body, including the endocrine and exocrine glands, to perform their function of secretion of body fluids with more improvement and control.
The essential oil is especially beneficial for the enhancement of menstruation, improved secretion of digestive juices, improved lactation, and controlled secretion of bile, enzymes, and hormones.
8. Benefits of Orange Essential Oil for Cuts and Scrapes
Orange essential oil is known for its excellent antiseptic properties and antimicrobial nature. Applying orange essential oil to cuts and scrapes helps to disinfect the wound and form a protective layer to shield it against environmental pollutants.
The essential oil prevents fungal and septic infection and tetanus as well with the inhibition of microbial spread and growth. Application of the essential oil diluted with olive oil (in a 1:10 ratio) to cuts, wounds and bruises facilitate cell regeneration in the affected area and promote quicker healing(1).
9. Benefits of Orange Essential Oil for the Natural Cure of Headache and Dizziness
Orange essential oil is highly effective in curing headache, migraine and sinus pain. Massage your forehead and neck with the essential oil to eliminate the pain and other health conditions associated with a headache like nausea, dizziness, and anxiety.
The analgesic, aroma-therapeutic and anxiolytic nature makes the oil quite effective for the natural cure of a migraine, sinus, and headache associated with common cold and dizziness.
Recommended Read: Home Remedies for Headache
10. Benefits of Orange Essential Oil for the Natural Prevention of Cancer
The D-limonene contained in orange essential oil is an excellent nutrient that is highly anti-carcinogenic in nature. Application of the oil induces apoptosis of cells and has the capability to prevent cell mutation and metastasis of cells.
Its anti-carcinogenic properties and rich content of antioxidants are especially beneficial for the natural cure of skin cancer caused by the poisonous free radicals that inflict oxidative damage. The polyphenolic constituents of orange essential oil destroy free radicals and shield the skin against oxidative stress and skin cancer.
11. Benefits of Orange Essential Oil for Enhancement of Immunity
Regular utilization of orange essential oil enhances the immune response to a wide variety of ailments. Its antiviral and antibacterial properties help the body to fight against different diseases such as tuberculosis, diphtheria, typhoid and more.
The phenolic compounds contained in orange essential oil protect the body against infections, and their antioxidant nature demolishes free radicals and builds immunity that is strong enough to defend the body against pathogens and ailments.
Drinking tea suffused with orange essential oil also helps to keep flu, sinus, cough and cold and other respiratory infections at bay.
12. Orange Essential Oil for Skin
Eczema is a skin condition that is characterized by patches of dry skin that are itchy, annoying and occur due to poor hydration of the skin. Orange essential oil can be used for the effective treatment of asthma.
- Mix a few drops of orange essential oil with a carrier oil like coconut or jojoba
- Massage your skin with the oil mixture.
The oils enhance the moisturization of skin and nourish it from deep within. Orange essential oil works by reducing the itchy sensation and decongesting the affected area through natural hydration.
Also Read: Home Remedies for Skin Rashes
13. Sweet Orange Essential Oil Benefits for Hair
Orange essential oil is highly beneficial for the health of hair. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of orange essential oil protect the scalp against dandruff and lice.
Massage your scalp with a few drops of orange essential oil mixed with coconut oil to hydrate the scalp, prevent it from becoming dry and rough and enrich it with nutrients.
The antiseptic nature of orange essential prevents scalp infections. Alopecia areata is a disease that affects the scalp and is characterized by permanent bald patches.
- Heat a mixture of the essential oil and olive oil
- Massage your scalp with it to make new hair grow on the patches and fight off the diseaseRecommended Read: how to stop hair fall naturally
14. Sweet Orange Essential Oil Benefits for Nausea
Orange essential oil when mixed with a carrier oil or lemon oil helps to get rid of nausea and dizziness. It can be used in a diffuser or even soaking a handkerchief in few drops of the essential oil. But an excess amount of essential oil can also result in vomiting and excessive nausea(2).
15. Orange Essential Oil Benefits for Insect Bites
Dab your skin with the orange essential oil to ward off moths, midges, and mosquitoes. You can also use the essential oil to cure the area of skin affected by insect bites.
Simply dab it with a few drops of orange essential oil and the itching sensation will decrease along with the swelling and redness. The anti-inflammatory nature of the essential oil makes it highly beneficial for the cure of insect bites.
Orange Essential Oil Side Effects
Orange essential oil shows phototoxicity which is the reason why it is stored in cool and dark places. Ingestion of the essential oil makes one feel nauseous.
It suppresses the appetite and causes vomiting and indigestion. Topical application of orange essential oil might trigger allergic reactions like itchiness and swelling of the skin(3).
FAQs
1. Is there vitamin C in orange essential oil?
Response: Yes,orange essential oil is rich in vitamin C.
2. Is orange essential oil acidic?
Response: Yes, orange essential oil is slightly acidic in nature owing to the presence of vitamin C.
3. Is orange essential oil edible?
Response: Orange essential oil is not directly edible. It can be used via a diffuser or soaking a cloth in the oil
4. Can you use orange essential oil?
Response: Yes. Orange essential oil is used for its health and beauty benefits.
