Citrus Benefits - Easy Kitchen Herbalism

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Fresh winter oranges — is there anything more timely for the cold, grey winter days? As we move through the year I am comforted by the knowledge that what is growing in season around me contains the exact support my body needs. Wintertime brings us juicy, brightly-colored globes packed full of immune-boosting nutrients and uplifting aromatic oils. What are these magical globes? Well, none other than citrus fruits of course!

Citrus fruits are full of vitamins and minerals that support our wellbeing. Packed with Vitamin C, flavonoids, and carotenoids (just to name a few), they build health by providing us with the nutrients necessary for strong immune systems, protecting our soft tissues from depletion, and regulating our mood. Citrus fruits are perfect for making herbal kitchen remedies at home for yourself and your family.

Let’s explore the magic and science of citrus fruits, including what exactly makes them so good for us. We will also learn about how to use citrus peels, which is where most of the vital nutrients are found. At the end of this article, you’ll get a free PDF download of my Citrus Evergreen Brandy Bitters recipe, a remedy sure to get your digestive fire going and give you renewed energy in these cold winter months.

What Are Citrus Fruits?

In plant classification, the genus Citrus contains a group of evergreen shrubs and trees that bear tantalizing orange, yellow, and green fruits. These fruits are characterized by an abundant, sweet flesh consisting of sacs of juice and an aromatic peel. The flowers and leaves of the citrus plants are also highly medicinal and have been used in cooking and home herbalism for centuries.

The tangy citrus fruits that we know and love today originated in South-Eastern China. However, horticulturist Qiang Xu and his team at the Huazhong Agricultural University in China have theorized that the precursors to citrus fruits first grew 25 million years ago on the ancient Indian sub-continent. This sub-continent eventually crashed into the Asian sub-continent, forming the Himalayas. Over time these Ancient citrus-like plants spread and evolved throughout Asia, with the first oranges arriving on the scene about 8 million years ago.

Humans have been cultivating citrus for thousands of years, and small wonder, as these fruits are both delicious and full of abundant vitamins and minerals for our beloved bodies.

Citrus Fruit Health Benefits

There are now countless varieties of citrus fruits, but all share similar constituents that lend to a group of reliable health benefits. These benefits include anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and antioxidant actions, as well as nourishing the skin and connective tissue, strengthening the immune system, uplifting the mood, and calming the nervous system.

There are a few key phytonutrients found in citrus fruits that create these wonderful benefits for our body. These constituents are heavily present in the peel as well as the inner pulp, so we’ll also explore ways to use citrus that include the peel later on after discussing what, exactly, makes citrus fruits so good for us?

Vitamin C

Most everyone knows that citrus is a primary source of Vitamin C. But what is Vitamin C necessary for, exactly? Vitamin C is an essential nutrient for our bodies to form blood vessels, cartilage, and collagen in muscles and bones. Wound healing also requires Vitamin C, as well as proper iron absorption. Our bodies do not produce it on their own, so we must get it from the foods we eat. Vitamin C is found abundantly in citrus fruits, as well as sour greens, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, and dark leafy greens.

As a rather volatile substance, Vitamin C rapidly breaks down when exposed to heat and light. Due to this, eating fresh citrus fruits is one of the best ways to get Vitamin C into your body. There are also a number of wild edibles that contain Vitamin C, including huckle berries, blackberries, sheep sorrel, rose hips, hawthorn berries, young yellow dock leaves, and amaranth.

Flavonoids

Flavonoids are a group of phytochemicals known for being highly antioxidant. They are safe for people and animals, yet are toxic to microorganisms, creating a potent anti-pathogenic effect. Flavonoids are the plants own protective system against disease, and thus when we eat them, we enjoy their protective effects.

Citrus peels contain abundant flavonoids, the inner pulp a moderate amount. The flavonoids found in citrus are well-known for their antioxidant properties which help prevent cellular damage and reduce general inflammation throughout our body.

The fruits of citrus contain a unique class of flavonoids called polymethoxylated flavones,(say that five time fast!) or PMFs. PMFs are primarily in the peel, and scientists have found PMFs help decrease atherosclerosis, reduce weight gain and insulin resistance, and perhaps reduce the risk of cancer.

The best way to get these benefits from citrus fruits is to use foods and remedies that incorporate the peel. Keep reading for examples of how to do this and a recipe for my evergreen citrus bitters that includes fresh orange peel.

Terpenes & Limonoids

The tantalizing scent of citrus is due to essential oils, the volatile aromatic oils found primarily in the peel & leaves of the plants. Citrus contains an abundance of two essential oils, terpenes and limonoids. These substances are known to be anti-microbial, and largely responsible for the preservative properties of citrus peel.

They are also protective to neurons, helping prevent damage from inflammation. Terpenes and limonoids have a marked effect on the nervous system, and have been shown to ameliorate nerve pain and support mental wellness through reducing anxiety and uplifting the spirit. The next time you have a citrus fruit in your hand, inhale the aroma of the fruit and notice how it makes you feel! Most aromatic plants have mood-elevating effects, and citrus fruits are no exception.

Carotenoids

If you’ve ever marveled at the beautiful oranges, reds, and yellows found in citrus fruits, then you have carotenoids to thank. Carotenoids are a fatty acid that contain tetraterpene pigments, prized for their ability to produce brilliant colors. They help protect the fruits from sun damage, and in turn, can help our immune systems protect our cells from damage.

Necessary for the body to synthesize Vitamin A, carotenoids help maintain healthy eyes, reproductive systems, and proper growth and development. Carotenoids help the female body with ovulatory processes as she creates and releases healthy eggs each month. They also decrease the risk of embryonic mortality once an egg has been fertilized. In males, carotenoids help keep the essential structures of the reproductive system strong while supporting healthy, mobile sperm production.

There are 9x more carotenoids in the peel of citrus fruits than in the pulp, so if you are looking to get the most carotenoids in your system as possible, some citrus peel tea might be in order!

Inviting Citrus Into Your Everyday

The most obvious way to get citrus fruits into your body is…you guessed it, eat them! Lemons and limes can be squeezed into water, and oranges, grapefruits, tangelos, and other less sour fruits can be eaten liberally. Try peeling and slicing up your favorite sweet citrus fruits and drizzling with olive oil and a sprinkle of fresh mint to make an easy, delicious salad.

Since many benefits are concentrated in the peels, here are some fun and easy ways to incorporate citrus peel into your everyday eating.

How to use citrus peels

  • Use the zest as a flavoring agent in your meals. Baked goods, meats, veggies, and salads are great places to try some citrus zest. You can even muddle some zest into sparkling water to add a little pizazz. Usually 1-2 tablespoons of zest is sufficient to impart a subtle citrus flavor into your recipes.

  • Make a tea with the dried peels. Dried citrus peels are renowned in Traditional Chinese Medicine as a basic nourisher of Spleen Chi, which is responsible for getting nourishment where it needs to go from the digestive system, governing our energy levels, and enhancing a clear, decisive mind free from excess worries. You can make a tea from the peels alone or blend them with your favorite herbs. In herbal medicine dried citrus peels are a common ingredient in tea blends to add flavor and help the body assimilate the nutrients of the tea efficiently.

  • Infuse the peels into your menstruum of choice. In western herbalism, menstruum refers to the substance into which medicinal herbs are extracted. In this case, making extracts with vinegar, vodka, brandy, and olive oil are all great ways to access the manifold health benefits of citrus peel tea. Check out my recipe below for making your own Citrus + Evergreen brandy bitters.

P.S. If you’re wondering where to get dried citrus peels, Mountain Rose Herbs is a great resource — I regularly get my herbs from them with great results! Other reliable companies I support are Frontier Herbs and Starwest Botanicals.

Recipe for Citrus Evergreen Bitters

This recipe is adapted from Wild Remedies by Rosalee de la Foret & Emily Han, one of my most favorite herbal books of all time. It is full of delicious and easy herbal remedy recipes for every season. To download your own printable .pdf version, click on the button below the graphic.

To make this recipe alcohol free, swap out the brandy for apple cider vinegar. Any bitter herbs you have on hand can be used, including but not limited to dandelion root & leaf, yellowdock root, angelica root, artichoke leaf, or motherwort leaf, etc.

cITRUS eVERGREEN bITTERS

Ingredients:

  • 2 oranges, sliced thin

  • 1/2 cup fresh evergreen needles (do not use hemlock or yew leaves. Pine, fir, or spruce are best.)

  • 1/4 cup Burdock Root

  • 1 tablespoon dried mugwort leaf

  • 4 cups Brandy

  • 1/2 cup honey, or to taste

Instructions:

  • In a sanitized quart jar, place the oranges, evergreen, burdock and mugwort into the jar.

  • Pour over the brandy, stir until herbs are saturated.

  • Add honey. Cap and shake vigorously until honey is incorporated.

  • Let infuse for 3 days, shaking daily. Check for taste, and strain when you like the flavor, usually about 7-10 days.

  • Strain out plant matter, store in a clean jar for up to a year. Take by the teaspoonful before or after eating.

I hope you enjoy, and let me know what you thought of this article in the comments. Herbal medicine is people’s medicine, so be sure to share with your network!

Sources

The preceding information is of an educational and general nature and should not be construed as legal or medical advice. You should consult appropriate written and professional sources to answer questions related to your individual situation. Exercising one's rights often entails some element of risk, and you should verify all information relevant to your situation before acting; the author and publisher disclaim any responsibility or liability for any loss incurred as a consequence of the use of any information herein.

Herbs and the BodySusan Hughescitrus, citrus peel, orange recipes, benefits of citrus, bitters, winter recipes, herbal recipes, kitchen herbalComment