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Orange Fruit (With Pictures)- Benefits of Orange Juice

Botanical Name: Citrus aurantium

Family Name : Rutaceae

Orange is a beautiful gift of nature. It is one of the popular fruits of citrus family. It is very delicious and nourishing fruit. Oranges are oval to sphere-shaped fruits with leathery, porous skin. Their color ranges from orange to red-orange. Oranges may be confused with other citrus fruits, such as grapefruits and tangerines.

The orange tree, reaching 25 ft (7.5 m) or, with great age, up to 50 ft (15 m), has a rounded crown of slender branches. The twigs are twisted and angled when young and may bear slender, semi-flexible, bluntish spines in the leaf axils . Borne singly or in clusters of 2 to 6, the sweetly fragrant white flowers, about 2 in (5 cm) wide, have a saucer-shaped, 5-pointed calyx and 5 oblong, white petals, and 20 to 25 stamens with conspicuous yellow anthers.

Origin and Distribution Orange is a native of China, introduced in India by Vasco-daGama in 1498 but the present varieties were introduced from other countries. Orange cultivation is a major business and an important part of the economies of the US ( Florida and California ), most Mediterranean countries, Brazil , Mexico , Pakistan , China , India , Iran , Egypt , Turkey and in lesser extend Spain , South Africa and Greece. Properties of orange Anti-scorbutic, nutritive, cardio-tonic, anti-pyorrhoea and dental caries, carminative etc. Forms of Use :- Juice

Food Value of orange

Starch of the orange is predigested food which changes into readily assimilable sugar by sun rays. That's why it is readily absorbed in the blood. It produces heat and energy in the body immediately after its use. Daily use of orange juice prevents common cold, influenza and bleeding gums. It keeps one healthy and strong and contributes towards longevity. Orange juice suits young & old and can be recommended in all kinds of diseases.

Analysis of 100 gms edible part of 0range gives the following composition:

Medicinal Uses & benefits

1. Fever - Orange is an excellent food in all types of fever when the digestive power of the body is seriously disturbed. Orange juice is the most ideal liquid food in fevers like typhoid, TB and measles. It gives energy, increases urinary output and promotes body resistance against infections, thereby helping to recover fast.
2. Dyspepsia - Orange is a good food remedy in chronic dyspepsia. It gives rest to the digestive organ and supplies nutrition in the most easily assimilable form. It also stimulates the flow of digestive juices thereby improving digestion and increasing appetite. It creates favourable conditions for the development of friendly bacteria in the intestines.
3. Constipation - taking one or two oranges at bed time and again on getting up in the orning, is an excellent way of stimulating the bowel action thus removing food residue from the colon which may cause putrefaction and intoxication.
4. Bone and Teeth - Being a good source of calcium and vitamin C, orange works well in the diseases of the bone and teeth. Many patients of pyorrhoea and dental caries have been cured by taking large amounts of orange juice.
5. Children's Ailments - Orange juice is considered to be the best food for infants if 15 to 120 ml of it is given daily to them. It prevents scurvy and rickets and helps growth. It is good for babies whose normal development is retarted for some cause.
6. Heart Disease - Orange juice sweetened with honey, is highly useful in heart diseases. In cardiac conditions like coronary ischaemia and infarction, its juice is recommended.
7. As Expectorant - The use of orange mixed with a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of honey is effective remedy for TB, asthma, common cold, bronchitis and another condition of cough associated with difficult expectorations. It eases expectorations and protects from secondary infections.
8. Acne - The orange peel is valuable in the treatment of pimples and acne. The peel, pounded well with water on a piece of stone, should be applied on the acne-affected area.

Orange Juice and other products

Oranges are widely grown in warm climates worldwide, and the flavors of orange vary from sweet to sour. The fruit is commonly peeled and eaten fresh, or squeezed for its juice. It has a thick bitter rind that is usually discarded, but can be processed into animal feed by removing water using pressure and heat. It is also used in certain recipes as flavoring or a garnish. The outer-most layer of the rind is grated or thinly veneered with a tool called a zester, to produce orange zest, popular in cooking because it has a flavor similar to the fleshy inner part of the orange. The white part of the rind, called the pericarp or pith, is a source of pectin.