Orange peel: 2016 Upcoming Herbal Medicine

• Asthma
• Diabetes
• Prostate enlargement
• Cancer
• Weight Loss
• High Cholesterol
Digestion
• Many More

What’s on the shelf? This question pops up now and then, especially at the beginning of a new year. Many of the readers of this column have wondered since the middle of last month if there won’t be any thing up the sleeves of 2016. There will be, I have found myself re-assuring them, especially since new products and processes are rituals on this page at this time of the year. So, what’s new on the shelf? Today, and perhaps next week, I will speak aboutorange peel and Kale.  Beet root, too, will be no push over. There hasn’t been enough beet root in the Lagos market since I began to mention it from about June last year. So, I have had to be suggesting the capsulated or tablet form to many enquirers who cannot find the fruit to buy. Mrs. Florence AkibonFusi, who lives in Iju, tells me it had become the rave in this Ogun State boundary area with Lagos, and predicts that it may become more popular than Moringa. Today, I wish to present Orange peel as medicine. It has worked wonders for me and many people. It should for you, too. If it doesn’t fit the health bills ascribed to it, there wouldn’t have been such worldwide demand for it which had led to the growing abroad of orange tree plantations which provide orange peel powder for a billion naira orange peel medicine business.  

Some health benefits of orange peel

Dr.Edward Group, Dc, Np, DAC BN, DCBCN, DABFM, is reported bywww.globalhealingcenter.com to have published an article updated on  July 17, 2013 in which he pleads that you do not throw away the peel of any orange or other citrus fruit from which you obtain the juice. Says Dr. Edward:
“Although orange peels are common addition to the compost pile, next time you are about to toss them, don’t. They are packed with beneficial compounds and nutrients that can do your body some extra good, especially if you are suffering from respiratory distress. When toxins or allergen in the air we breathe irritate delicate lung tissues, they can become irritated. Orange peels assist the lungs in cleansing themselves with it redness and histamine –reducing properties and actions. Why is orange peel beneficial? Like most fruits, oranges are full of nutrients and enzymes that help our bodies perform better. Orange peels are rich in flavonoids, powerful antioxidants that help reduce oxidative damage and fight free radicals. Orange peels is also loaded with natural histamine -suppressing compounds. If you have allergens or are close to someone who does, you understand how the sleepiness associated with some anti-histamines can be fast as disruptive as the histamines reaction itself. Orange peel may provide an alternative. Perhaps of the amazing and beneficial qualities of orange peel is its histamine and irritation-reducing action, which adds to its already long list of reasons for being highly effective as a lung-cleansing herb.”

Dr. Edward says the rind and peel are loaded with Vitamin C (more than in the juice), Vitamin A, enzymes, fiber and Pectin. He suggests that dehydrated orange powder may be added to bath water for aromatherapy effects to relieve lung congestion or other respiratory irritations.

y friend, Mr. Danson Sunday Danson, should be a witness of truth in this matter. His tickling muscle spasms in the throat disappeared on the first day he ate orange peel. Persuaded by this to continue, he has been delivered of a “pregnancy” he has bourne for years. One of my sons is a beneficiary of orange peel healing power. He came home last month with a bad gastric problem which made him belch foul gas almost every five minutes. He ate the peel of a whole orange on a Saturday evening. I eaved dropped on his breathing at night. Nothing amiss happened. The following day, Sunday, all was well… till this day! From www.lifestrong.com, we learn of a Purdue University contribution to this subject. The website says, “raw orange peel orange peel has 1.5 gramme of protein and is a source of potassium, riboflavin (Vitamin B1), Vitamin A, it adds that while oranges provide Calcium, for bone and tooth health, for example, Purdue University shows the peel is a richer source of them. Says the University:

“One hundred gramms of edible orange fruit contains 40 calcium milligram of Calcium while the same amount of orange peel has 161 miligram of calcium.”
Beta carotene, that great antioxidant, is one of the valuable nutrients thrown away when you give your orange peel to a goat, as we do in Nigeria.
Lifestrong says: Orange peel contains Beta carotene, a pigment in orange and yellow fruit and vegetable. Beta carotene is converted to Vitamin A in your body which is beneficial for your immune system as well as vision health.The University of Maryland Medical Centre says, “Beta carotene is also an antioxidant which helps protect your body from free radicals that can cause cell damage.” The University Michigan Health System, too, bears scientific testimony, according to Lifestrong. The University says that, “simmering one to two grammes of dried peel in three cups of water to make a tea might relieve indigestion and heart burns. It adds: ‘orange peel has been used to treat insomnia and as a laxative.”

In September 2014, Bhavyajyati Chilukoti wrote in www.the healthsite.com: Most of us who eat oranges normally throw out the peels, but what many of us are unaware of is that these peels are loaded with highly nutritious compounds that are beneficial for our health. Orange peels contains more than 60 types of flavonoids and over 170 different types of phytonutrients, in addition to being rich in various pectin, vitamins, minerals and fibre.” Here are top 7 benefits of orange peel which might make you think before discarding the peels.

ONE: ”Helps in weight loss. One of the key reasons why people dislike orange peel is because of its bitter taste, but these peels act as an excellent weight loss aid, as it contains good amount of fibre and is low in calories. It also exerts anti-obesity effects by suppressing weight gain by the body and formation of adipose tissues.”
TWO: “Reduces respiratory problems.Orange peel provides excellent support against respiratory stress is also found effective for treating asthma. It exerts a lung cleansing by playing a vital role in breathing down and expelling congestion (phylegm). It also contains high level of histamine- reducing compound and anti-oxidants which help in reliving various respiratory complication like bronchitis, and colds, flu and lung cancer.”
THREE: “Prevents digestive complications.Orange peel is a rich source of non-soluble polysaccharides types of dietary fiber, like Pectin, tannis, and hemicellulose. These compounds prevent constipation by increasing the bulk and reducing contact time of food with intestine. It also plays an active role in reducing acidity (gas trouble) and prevents vomiting and heart burn.”
FOUR: “Improves canal health. Do you suffer from bad breath? Chew orange peels instead of a gum or mouth fresher to get rid of the foul odour naturally. Orange peels are also an effective and cheap measure to whiten stained teeth in addition to preventing sensitive teeth, you can either run inside of an orange peel or apply its paste on the teeth to whiten it naturally.”
FIVE: “Protects from cancer. Several studies have shown that increased consumption of orange peel in the diet lowers the risk of human cancers. Orange peel offers protection against colon cancer by binding to the toxic chemicals in the food, thereby hindering their exposure to the intestinal mucus membrane.”
SIX: “Acts as a natural skin bleach. Vitamin C, present in orange peels, act as an effective and safe natural scrubber and bleach for skin.The peel extract when applied with curd or milk can lighten dark blemishes and spots on the skin. You can also rub the peel directly in the skin or use diluted paste to prevent skin burns and remove sun tan. It also helps tone the skin, protect from harmful sun rays and cleanse pores naturally.”
SEVEN: “Improves heart health. Orange peels contain nobiletun, a type of polymethoxyiated flavones compounds to exert positive effects on the heart. These compounds lower your risk of heart disease and inflammation in addition to lowering the blood cholesterol levels in the body.”  

Orange peel extracts/supplements
In inflammatory conditions, orange peel extracts and supplements and concentrated orange peel extracts are used with satisfactory result. This is why people challenged with Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) or friendly enlargement of the prostate gland, may find it helpful.
University of Paris experimented with D-Limonene, a compound found in orange peel. It wanted to know if D-Limonene had anti-inflammatory action: In a series of animal and human trials, D-Limonene reduced intestinal inflammation in rats, “with efficacy comparable to Ibuprofen, the pharmaceutical anti-inflammation agent. The rat also exhibited lower levels of Tumour Necrosis factors alpha (TNFa), one of the chemicals found in the system where tumours and/or cancers are developing or D-Limonene are likely to be found to inhibit TNFa actively in fibroblast human cultures. Human subjects given D-Limonene for 56 days had decreased plasma levels of inflammatory indicators or markers when compared with those who did not take D-Limonene supplement. The researchers concluded:
D-Limonene indeed demonstrates significant ant-inflammatory effects both in VIVO and in VITRO, suggesting a beneficial role of D-Limonene as diet supplement in reducing inflammation.”
The website www.globalhealing.com backs the finding with these suggestions.  “The Limonene and flavonoids found in orange peel seem to have anti cacenogenic properties, by acting as a blocking agent. Studies have shown that Limonin and Lemonene, both found in high concentrations in the peel, can induce the enzyme activity of Glutathione S-Transferase, which is an important detoxifying enzyme. The citric acid found in orange peel also helps starve cancer cells by cutting off their energy supply. A number of studies have shown decreased risk of several cancers, linked with the increased consumption of orange peels. In addition, orange peels and orange extract can provide and extra benefit to diabetics and those looking to reduce overeating. This is due to the fact that orange peels are a natural source of pectin, a natural fibre that helps decrease the rise in blood sugar after a meal. It may also be helpful in lowering cholesterol. In a May 2004 Journal of Agricultural and food chemistry article, Canadian researchers and the United States Department of Agriculture reported that isolated compounds from orange and tangerine peels showed promise of a natural alternative for reducing LDL cholesterol without the side effects of Mainstream anti-cholesterol drugs. D-Limonene, another biochemical found in orange peels, is helpful in dissolving kidney stones. In fact, the use of D-Limonene mixed together with concentrated, unsweetened cranberry juice or capsules has a proven track record in dissolving kidney stones. In addition, orange peel has antiseptic, bactericidal, fungicidal properties which are extremely beneficial in eliminating kidney or urinary tract infection. This is why you would find orange peels as an ingredient in Jon Baron Kidney, Gall Bladder and pancreas optimisation formula, KGP flush. Orange peels may also help with heart burn. According to a 2007 Alternative Medicine review article by Jidong sun, Ph.D.

D-Limonene possesses the ability to neutralise gastric acid and support normally peristalsis. Allergy sufferers may benefit from consuming more orange peels as well as. The peel contains natural histamine- suppressing compounds. Orange peels also may play a role in lungs cleansing by helping in breakdown and help in congestion.
Stephen Daniells offers hope to diabetics in a sugar-balancing hope, in orange peel when he says inwww.nutraingridients.com: ”A daily supplement of an extract from citrus peel could reduce insulin resistance in hamsters, suggesting the extract might also help prevent diabetes in humans, says a North American study. The citrus peel extract, polymethoxylated flowers (PMFs) have been reported to have beneficial effects on cholesterol levels, but this is said to be the first study that looks in details, of the benefits and reports that the extracts have positive effect on inflammatory cytokine levels. This study provides novel evidence that PMF reverses hyper triglyceridimia and restores insulin sensitivity, said researchers from the University of Hawa…, in collaboration with KGK synergise, a Canadian neutracellbrical company. PMFs are similar to other plant pigments found in citrus fruits that have been increasingly linked to health benefits, including protection against cancer, heart disease, and inflammation. The main PMFs in the extract are tangerine, anobiletin, as well as small amounts of synephrine. The new study, published in the Journal Life Sciences, investigated the effect of a daily supplement of PMF on insuling-resistance hamsters. Twenty-eight hamsters where fed a fructose-rich diet for two weeks to induce hypertriglyceridemia and insulin resistance. The animals were then divided into four equal groups and fed one of the four diets: Chow, control fructose diet, fructose plus low close PMF (62.5mg per kilogramme body weight per day), fructose plus high close PMF (125miligramme per kilogramme per day).
After four weeks of the text diet, the researchers found that both PMF groups showed a significantly decrease in serum triglycerides (td) and cholesterol levels compared to the fructose-fed hamsters. The decreases in TG were Limited to the heart (33 percent for the 125grm PMF group) and liver C 42 percent for the 128 PMF group) with no challenges observed in the epididamal fat and muscle. After PMP supplement action for four weeks, significant reductions in TG and cholesterol were observed on a close dependent manner related to lipids, cholesterol and inflammation, indicating that the response was specific to PMF, because insulin resistance diabetes and obesity are recognised as inflammatory disorder, say the researchers. They measured concentrations of the mediators for inflammation, Tumour Necrosis factor alpha (TNFa) and interleukin -6 (IL-6) and markers of immune response, the cytokeine FN gramma.
The researchers found decreased levels of these biomarkers in the PMF supplemented groups and the effect appeared to be close dependent. The mechanism of PMF in increasing insulin sensitivity in this study can be explained at least in part by its regulatory effect on cytokines, said L!”

From: http://thenationonlineng.net/orange-peel-2016-upcoming-herbal-medicine/