Winter is the peak season for eating oranges. In Guangdong, oranges symbolize good fortune, so during the Chinese New Year, every household displays them. In fact, oranges are not only nutritious, but every part of them has its own value! Hurry and take a look, don't throw away these treasures!
What are the nutritional values of oranges?
1. Beauty: Oranges are rich in Vitamin C and citric acid. The former has beauty-enhancing effects, while the latter helps to eliminate fatigue.
2. Relieves Constipation: The thin inner membrane of oranges contains dietary fiber and pectin, which can promote bowel movements and lower cholesterol.
3. Beneficial for the Cardiovascular System: Hesperidin can strengthen the resilience of capillaries, lower blood pressure, and dilate the coronary arteries of the heart. Therefore, oranges are a food for preventing coronary heart disease and arteriosclerosis. Research has confirmed that eating citrus can reduce cholesterol deposited in arterial blood vessels and help reverse atherosclerosis.
4. Anti-Cancer: In fresh orange juice, there is a substance called "limonin" with strong anti-cancer activity. It can decompose carcinogenic chemicals, inhibit and block the growth of cancer cells, and increase the activity of detoxification enzymes in the human body by multiple folds. It prevents carcinogens from damaging the cell nucleus and protects the integrity of genes.
Of course, as one of the most popular fruits among the public, its nutritional value is certainly not limited to this. Not only is the orange flesh nutritious, but even the often-discarded orange peel and seeds are treasures for health preservation.
Orange Leaves
Orange leaves can soothe the liver, regulate qi, reduce swelling, and dissipate toxins.
Orange Peel
Orange peels can be used for beauty, removing tea stains, and deodorizing. The "Compendium of Materia Medica" states that dried tangerine peel (chenpi) "supplements when taken with tonic herbs; purges when taken with purgative herbs; elevates when taken with ascending herbs; and lowers when taken with descending herbs." This shows that people in ancient times already recognized the medicinal value of oranges.
In addition, drying and storing orange peels creates chenpi (dried tangerine peel) used in traditional Chinese medicine. Chenpi can regulate qi, remove dryness, promote urination, reduce phlegm, relieve coughs, strengthen the spleen, and harmonize the stomach.
Orange Pulp
Oranges are sweet and sour in taste, and warm in nature. They enter the lung and stomach meridians. They have the effects of stimulating appetite, regulating qi, quenching thirst, and moistening the lungs. They are used to treat symptoms such as chest tightness, nausea and poor appetite, insufficient stomach yin, dry mouth, lung-heat cough, and excessive alcohol consumption.
Orange Seeds
The seeds of the orange are slightly warm in nature, with a bitter and neutral taste. They have the effect of regulating qi, resolving stagnation, and relieving pain. They are effective for testicular swelling pain, hernia pain, breast lumps and swelling, and lower back pain.
Orange Pith
The network of veins on the orange pulp is called orange pith. It has the effects of unblocking collaterals, resolving phlegm, smoothing qi, and activating blood circulation. It is often used to treat conditions like phlegm-induced cough. Orange pith is high in Vitamin P, so it can effectively prevent and treat high blood pressure. Eating more oranges regularly is very beneficial for the health of the elderly.