Action: Antiseptic, Carminative, Expectorant.
Use s. Flatulence. Stomach cramp. Intestinal colic. Weak digestion. Nausea. Headache. menstruation.
Preparation. Tea. 1 teaspoon to each cup boiling water; infuse 5-10 minutes. Half-1 cup as necessary. Bergamot imparts the distinctive flavour to Earl Grey tea.
Aromatherapy. Diluted oil for shingles: 6 drops to 2 teaspoons Almond oil as a soothing lotion.
BERI BERI. A disease caused by a deficiency of thiamine (Vitamin B1) by eating polished rice from which the husk (in which the vitamin is found) is discarded. Others at risk from Vitamin B1 deficiency are alcoholics, hypothyroids, pregnant women and those with a high intake of refined sugar but a low intake of fresh fruits and vegetables. Heavy coffee drinkers suffer temporary wastage.
Symptoms: weight loss, poor appetite, loss of sensation in arms and legs. Polyneuritis, muscular atrophy. Mood changes.
Painful Of value. Slippery Elm. Dandelion. Alfalfa sprouts or tea. Psyllium husks.
Diet. Vitamin B1 is present in green vegetables, eggs, meat, nuts, yeast, natural unprocessed brown rice, cereal germ and husks, oatmeal, peas, beans, asparagus, brewer’s yeast, desiccated liver.
Supplements. Vitamin B-complex. Vitamins B1 and C. ... bergamot, red
Active principle: “maesanin”. (Dr Isno Kubo, University of California-Berkeley)
Recommended by the Bwana-mganga medicine-men as a tea to be drunk one week before visiting Lake Victoria, an area where cholera is endemic. ... orange berries
This substance may be contaminated in manufacture with the highly toxic , commonly known as dioxin (see defoliant poisoning).... agent orange
FAMILY: Rutaceae
SYNONYMS: C. vulgaris, C. bigaradia, Seville orange, sour orange bigarade (oil).
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: An evergreen tree up to 10 metres high with dark green, glossy, oval leaves, paler beneath, with long but not very sharp spines. It has a smooth greyish trunk and branches, and very fragrant white flowers. The fruits are smaller and darker than the sweet orange. It is well known for its resistance to disease and is often used as root stock for other citrus trees, including the sweet orange.
DISTRIBUTION: Native to the Far East, especially India and China, but has become well adapted to the Mediterranean climate. It also grows abundantly in the USA (California), Israel and South America. Main producers of the oil include Spain, Guinea, the West Indies, Italy, Brazil and the USA.
OTHER SPECIES: There are numerous different species according to location – oils from Spain and Guinea are said to be of superior quality.
HERBAL/FOLK TRADITION: ‘Oranges and lemons strengthen the heart, are good for diminishing the coagubility of the blood, and are beneficial for palpitation, scurvy, jaundice, bleedings, heartburn, relaxed throat, etc. They are powerfully anti-scorbutic, either internally or externally applied.’. The dried bitter orange peel is used as a tonic and carminative in treating dyspepsia.
In Chinese medicine the dried bitter orange and occasionally its peel are used in treating prolapse of the uterus and of the anus, diarrhoea, and blood in the faeces. Ingestion of large amounts of orange peel in children, however, has been reported to cause toxic effects.
ACTIONS: Anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, astringent, bactericidal, carminative, choleretic, fungicidal, sedative (mild), stomachic, tonic.
EXTRACTION: An essential oil by cold expression (hand or machine pressing) from the outer peel of the almost ripe fruit. (A terpeneless oil is also produced.) The leaves are used for the production of petitgrain oil; the blossom for neroli oil.
CHARACTERISTICS: A dark yellow or brownish-yellow mobile liquid with a fresh, dry, almost floral odour with a rich, sweet undertone.
PRINCIPAL CONSTITUENTS: Over 90 per cent monoterpenes: mainly limonene, myrcene, camphene, pinene, ocimene, cymene, and small amounts of alcohols, aldehydes and ketones.
SAFETY DATA: Phototoxic; otherwise generally non-toxic, non-irritant and non sensitizing. Limonene has been reported to cause contact dermatitis in some individuals.
AROMATHERAPY/HOME: USE See sweet orange.
OTHER USES: Used in certain stomachic, laxative and carminative preparations. Employed as a fragrance component in soaps, detergents, cosmetics, colognes and perfumes. Extensively used as a flavouring material, especially in liqueurs and soft drinks. Also utilized as a starting material for the isolation of naturallimonene.... orange, bitter
FAMILY: Rutaceae
SYNONYM: Citrus aurantium subsp. bergamia.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: A small tree, about 4.5 metres high with smooth oval leaves, bearing small round fruit which ripen from green to yellow, much like a miniature orange in appearance.
DISTRIBUTION: Native to tropical Asia. Extensively cultivated in Calabria in southern Italy and also grown commercially on the Ivory Coast.
OTHER SPECIES: Not to be confused with the herb bergamot or bee balm (Monarda didyma).
HERBAL/FOLK TRADITION: Named after the Italian city of Bergamo in Lombardy, where the oil was first sold. The oil has been used in Italian folk medicine for many years, primarily for fever (including malaria) and worms; it does not feature in the folk tradition of any other countries. However, due to recent research in Italy, bergamot oil is now known to have a wide spectrum of applications, being particularly useful for mouth, skin, respiratory and urinary tract infections.
ACTIONS: Analgesic, anthelmintic, antidepressant, antiseptic (pulmonary, genito-urinary), antispasmodic, antitoxic, carminative, digestive, diuretic, deodorant, febrifuge, laxative, parasiticide, rubefacient, stimulant, stomachic, tonic, vermifuge, vulnerary.
EXTRACTION: Essential oil by cold expression of the peel of the nearly ripe fruit. (A rectified or terpeneless oil is produced by vacuum distillation or solvent extraction.)
CHARACTERISTICS: A light greenish-yellow liquid with a fresh sweet-fruity, slightly spicy-balsamic undertone. On ageing it turns a brownish-olive colour. It blends well with lavender, neroli, jasmine, cypress, geranium, lemon, chamomile, juniper, coriander and violet.
PRINCIPAL CONSTTTUENTS Known to have about 300 compounds present in the expressed oil: mainly linalyl acetate (30–60 per cent), linalol (11–22 per cent) and other alcohols, sesquiterpenes, terpenes, alkanes and furocoumarins (including bergapten, 0.30–0.39 per cent).
SAFETY DATA: Certain furocoumarins, notably bergapten, have been found to be phototoxic on human skin; that is, they cause sensitization and skin pigmentation when exposed to direct sunlight (in concentration and in dilution even after some time!). Extreme care must be taken when using the oil in dermal applications – otherwise a rectified or ‘bergapten-free’ oil should be substituted. Available information indicates it to be otherwise non-toxic and relatively non-irritant.
AROMATHERAPY/HOME: USE
Skin Care: Acne, boils, cold sores, eczema, insect repellent and insect bites, oily complexion, psoriasis, scabies, spots, varicose ulcers, wounds.
Respiratory System: Halitosis, mouth infections, sore throat, tonsillitis.
Digestive System: Flatulence, loss of appetite.
Genito-URINARY SYSTEM: Cystitis, leucorrhoea, pruritis, thrush.
Immune System: Colds, fever, ’flu, infectious diseases.
Nervous System: Anxiety, depression and stress-related conditions, having a refreshing and uplifting quality.
OTHER USES: Extensively used as a fragrance and, to a degree, a fixative in cosmetics, toiletries, suntan lotions and perfumes – it is a classic ingredient of eau-de-cologne. Widely used in most major food categories and beverages, notably Earl Grey tea.... bergamot
FAMILY: Rutaceae
SYNONYMS: C. aurantium var. dulcis, C. aurantium var. sinensis, China orange, Portugal orange.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: An evergreen tree, smaller than the bitter variety, less hardy with fewer or no spines. The fruit has a sweet pulp and non-bitter membranes. Another distinguishing feature is the shape of the leaf stalk: the bitter orange is broader and in the shape of a heart.
DISTRIBUTION: Native to China; extensively cultivated especially in America (California and Florida) and round the Mediterranean (France, Spain, Italy). The expressed oil is mainly produced in Israel, Cyprus, Brazil and North America; the distilled oil mainly comes from the Mediterranean and North America.
OTHER SPECIES: There are numerous cultivated varieties of sweet orange, for example Jaffa, Navel and Valencia. There are also many other subspecies such as the Japanese orange (C. aurantium var. natsudaidai). See also bitter orange.
HERBAL/FOLK TRADITION: A very nutritious fruit, containing vitamins A, B and C. In Chinese medicine the dried sweet orange peel is used to treat coughs, colds, anorexia and malignant breast sores. Li Shih-chen says: ‘The fruits of all the different species and varieties of citrus are considered by the Chinese to be cooling. If eaten in excess they are thought to increase the “phlegm”, and this is probably not advantageous to the health. The sweet varieties increase bronchial secretion, and the sour promote expectoration. They all quench thirst, and are stomachic and carminative.’.
ACTIONS: Antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, bactericidal, carminative, choleretic, digestive, fungicidal, hypotensive, sedative (nervous), stimulant (digestive and lymphatic), stomachic, tonic.
EXTRACTION: 1. Essential oil by cold expression (hand or machine) of the fresh ripe or almost ripe outer peel. 2. Essential oil by steam distillation of the fresh ripe or almost ripe outer peel. An oil of inferior quality is also produced by distillation from the essences recovered as a byproduct of orange juice manufacture. Distilled sweet orange oil oxidizes very quickly, and anti-oxidant agents are often added at the place of production. (An oil from the flowers is also produced occasionally called neroli Portugal or neroli petalae; an oil from the leaves is also produced in small quantities.)
SYNONYM: 1. A yellowy-orange or dark orange mobile liquid with a sweet, fresh fruity scent, richer than the distilled oil. It blends well with lavender, neroli, lemon, clary sage, myrrh and spice oils such as nutmeg, cinnamon and clove.
2. A pale yellow or colourless mobile liquid with a sweet, light-fruity scent, but little tenacity.
PRINCIPAL CONSTITUENTS: Over 90 per cent monoterpenes, mainly limonene. The cold expressed oil also contains bergapten, auraptenol and acids.
SAFETY DATA: Generally non-toxic (although ingestion of large amounts of orange peel has been known to be fatal to children); non-irritant and non-sensitizing (although limonene has been found to cause dermatitis in a few individuals). Distilled orange oil is phototoxic: its use on the skin should be avoided if there is danger of exposure to direct sunlight. However, there is no evidence to show that expressed sweet orange oil is phototoxic although it too contains coumarins.
AROMATHERAPY/HOME: USE
Skin care: Dull and oily complexions, mouth ulcers.
Circulation muscles and joints: Obesity, palpitations, water retention.
Respiratory system: Bronchitis, chills.
Digestive system: Constipation, dyspepsia, spasm.
Immune system: Colds, ’flu.
Nervous system: Nervous tension and stressrelated conditions.
OTHER USES: Sweet orange peel tincture is used to flavour pharmaceuticals. Extensively used as a fragrance component in soaps, detergents, cosmetics and perfumes, especially eau-de-colognes. Extensively used in all areas of the food and drinks industry (more so than the bitter orange oil). Used as the starting material for the isolation of naturallimonene.... orange, sweet