Orange peel - Latin Name: (Citrus aurantium var. sinensis)

Herbal Anecdote: In traditional Chinese medicine, two separate preparations are made using bitter orange peel. Zhi qiao is prepared from the dried peel of a green, immature orange, while zhi shi is prepared from dried fruit.

Traditional Uses: Bitter orange is used similarly in a wide variety of traditions. In Mexico and South America the leaf is used as a tonic, as a laxative, as a sedative for insomnia, and to calm frazzled nerves The peel of the fruit is used for stomach aches and high blood pressure. The Basque people in Europe use the leaves for stomach aches, insomnia, and palpitations and the bitter orange peel as an anti-spasmodic. In traditional Chinese medicine, the peel of the immature fruit is used for indigestion, abdominal pain, constipation, and dysenteric diarrhea. Where the patient is weak, the milder, mature fruit is used similarly. Bitter orange continues to be widely used for insomnia and indigestion in many parts of the world.