Orange (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) seems to have originated in China and was brought to the Mediterranean by Italian navigators around 1450.
USA is in first place in world production with a product grown mainly in Florida. This is followed by China, Brazil, Spain, Japan, Mexico and Italy.
Orange contains on average:
- from 45 to 52 calories
- Protein 07/1.3 g
- Carbohydrates 12/12.7 g
- Fibers 0.5 g
- Calcium 42 mg
- Phosphorus 20 mg
- Iron 0.5 mg
- Potassium 200 mg
- Vitamin 200 IU
- Thiamine 0,10 mg
- Vitamin B2 Riboflavin 0.04 mg
- Niacin 0,4 mg
- Vitamin C Ascorbic acid 50 mg
- Sodium 1 mg
- limonene (75-90%)
- linalool
- geraniol
Practically everything is used of the plant:
- Pulp : juices
- Peel : perfumes, cakes, varnish resins
- Seeds : oil, soap, plastic, fertilisers
- Flowers and leaves: perfumes
- Wood : walking sticks, cabinet-making
As an adjuvant in traditional medicine it is used against:
- Fever
- Catarrh
- Skin Diseases
- Acne
- Capillary fragility
- Intestinal disorders
Orange navel essential oil contains terpenes such as limonene, the main constituent, and linalool, which have an antioxidant effect and have been successfully used for decades as chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agents against many types of cancer (1).
Some studies report a some efficacy of the essential oil in aromatherapy (2), as larvicide (3), as antifungal (4).
