About Orange Oil

Fresh-squeezed orange juice is a popular drink at breakfast, and a few orange slices are a healthy afternoon snack. If you include oranges in your diet for their high vitamin C content, you know the fruit does much more than just taste good. While oranges do all of these things, oil from the orange has many uses and benefits you might not be aware of.

History

Some essential oils have a history going back thousands of years, but orange oil does not. Native to China and India, oranges first saw medicinal use in late 17th century Europe. Orange trees thrive in a Mediterranean climate and are now grown mostly in Brazil, Florida and Israel.

Characteristics and Components

Essential orange oil comes not from the fruit but the peel. A process using pressure extracts the oil from the outer peel. The oil yielded has a full, dark yellow color and the expected orange-peel citrus aroma. The oil itself consists of a variety of chemical compounds. Aromatherapist and author Patricia Davis writes in her book, "Aromatherapy: An A-Z," that limonene is orange oil's primary constituent. It also includes citral, citronella and myrcene.

Properties

Orange oil has a number of beneficial properties. Davis notes that orange oil works as both an anti-depressant and anti-spasmodic--it reduces muscle spasms. Jeanne Rose, an aromatherapist, explains in her book, "375 Essential Oils and Hydrosols," that essential orange oil's other properties include being an antiseptic and tension reducer. A 2006 study published in "BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine" found that orange oil also had significant anti-bacterial action against some bacteria strains.

Uses

Rose says the antiseptic and antibacterial action make it useful as a disinfectant. You can also use it in a steam inhalation to treat colds and respiratory infections. For patients dealing with sleep trouble, Davis recommends using orange oil for its tension-reducing and sedative effects.

Cautions

While orange oil generally is safe to use, it does have a few potential negative side effects. It can cause slight skin irritation. Don't use it undiluted on your skin. Remember that essential oils do not dissolve in water, so you need to mix them with carrier oils or another essential oil. Like most citrus oils, orange oil is slightly phototoxic--it makes it easier for your skin to get sunburned. You shouldn't use orange oil on your skin before spending time in the sun.