pages excerpted from Berkowsky’s Synthesis Materia Medica/Spiritualis of Essential Oils.
Bitter Orange Materia Medica
$5.00
The name “orange” derives from “narandj,” the Sanskrit (or perhaps Arabic) root word for the orange fruit. The oils of both the bitter and sweet orange (Citrus aurantium var. dulcis) are used in Spiritual PhytoEssencing, but I have found far greater application for the former. The physical effects of both oils are virtually identical but, as might be expected when one oil is described as “sweet” and the other “bitter,” the psycho-spiritual effects of the two oils are significantly, though not altogether, different.
In herbal medicine, the vitamin and mineral-rich bitter orange is utilized for its expectorant, laxative, carminative, stomachic, hypertensive and nervine properties and actions. As a digestive tonic it’s used to improve appetite and to treat anorexia, stomach disturbances, nausea, indigestion, flatulence, constipation, diarrhea and bloating. In China, both the ripe (zhi ke) and unripe (zhi shi) fruits are used to stimulate digestion, the latter being considered more potent. Bitter orange relieves abdominal pains, gastrointestinal spasms and increases gastric juice secretion.
Download this chapter to learn more about BITTER ORANGE PEEL—Citrus aurantium var. amara
