Oranges are nutritious and have high medicinal value, but they should be eaten in the right way. How can you eat oranges to maximize their medicinal value?
Many people like to pull off all the white pith from the orange segments before eating them. This is actually not a scientific way to eat oranges. The white, web-like pith on the outside of the segments is called "orange silk" (橘络). It has the effects of dredging collaterals, resolving phlegm, regulating qi, and promoting blood circulation. It is not only an excellent food therapy for patients with chronic diseases like chronic bronchitis and coronary heart disease, but it also has a supplementary therapeutic effect for chest pain caused by prolonged coughing. Therefore, it's best not to remove the orange silk when you eat an orange.
Kumquat Tea
Some people like to steep fresh orange peel in water after eating the orange. This is using fresh orange peel as dried tangerine peel (陈皮), which is used to dry dampness and resolve phlegm. Dried tangerine peel has the effects of regulating qi, harmonizing the middle jiao, drying dampness, and resolving phlegm. However, dried tangerine peel is not the same as fresh orange peel; it is made from mature orange peel that has been sun-dried or air-dried. Generally, it needs to be stored for at least a year until its volatile oil content is significantly reduced and its flavonoid content is relatively increased before its medicinal value is fully realized, and the older it is, the better. Fresh orange peel contains a high amount of volatile oil and does not possess the same medicinal properties as dried tangerine peel. Steeping fresh orange peel in water not only fails to provide the medicinal benefits of dried tangerine peel, but the strong, irritating volatile oil can also stimulate the stomach and intestines, adversely affecting health. Therefore, do not casually steep fresh orange peel in water to drink.
kumquat tea