Oranges are sweet, sour, and delicious. Don't be fooled by their small size, as the entire fruit is a treasure. The orange peel, pith, seeds, and pulp are all "natural medicines." Winter is a high-incidence period for respiratory tract diseases, so having one when you're feeling unwell is a good idea.
Dried Tangerine Peel
The dried, mature outer peel of an orange, with the older ones being of higher quality. It is warm in nature with a bitter and pungent taste. It functions to regulate qi and strengthen the spleen, dry dampness and transform phlegm, stop coughing, and lower adverse qi. It can be used to treat conditions such as fullness and pain in the epigastrium, poor appetite, nausea and vomiting, belching, hiccups, loose stools, diarrhea, and cough due to cold phlegm. It can also counteract fish and crab poisoning. When harvesting dried tangerine peel, the red outer peel after removing the white inner pith is called "Chenpi Hong" (Tangerine Peel Red), and the white inner pith after removing the red outer peel is called "Chenpi Bai" (Tangerine Peel White). Both are also used clinically. Their effects are similar to dried tangerine peel, but the former is more focused on drying dampness and transforming phlegm, while the latter excels at harmonizing the stomach and transforming dampness.
Green Tangerine Peel
The outer peel of unripe tangerines or young fruits, named for its green color. It is warm in nature with a bitter and pungent taste. It has the function of soothing the liver and breaking qi, dissipating nodules and resolving phlegm. Its effect is stronger than that of dried tangerine peel. It is often used for conditions caused by liver depression and qi stagnation, such as fullness in the chest and hypochondrium, stuffiness and bloating in the epigastrium, hernia, food stagnation, distension or lumps in the breasts, and abdominal masses.
Orange Pulp
The pulp is sweet and sour in taste, and cool in nature. It functions to stimulate the appetite and regulate qi, stop coughing and moisten the lungs, and sober up and refresh the mind. It is primarily indicated for vomiting and poor appetite, dry mouth and tongue, cough due to lung heat, and excessive drinking. Because it is rich in Vitamin B1 and Vitamin P, it can help treat hyperlipidemia, arteriosclerosis, and various cardiovascular diseases. The "nomilin" substance it contains also has a significant anti-cancer effect and can help prevent stomach cancer.
Orange Seeds
The seeds of the orange. They are slightly warm in nature with a bitter and neutral taste. Their primary function is to regulate qi, dissipate nodules, and relieve pain. They are effective for testicular swelling and pain, hernia pain, breast lumps and distension, and lower back pain.
Orange Pith
The network of veins inside the orange peel. It is sweet, bitter, and neutral in nature. It has the function of moving qi and unblocking the collaterals, and transforming phlegm to stop coughing. It is primarily indicated for chest and hypochondriac distension and pain due to phlegm stagnating in the collaterals, cough with phlegm, or coughing up blood-streaked phlegm.