11 Orange Essential Oil Health Benefits

Orange essential oil has a lot of health benefits.

There are several different types of orange essential oil. I remember when I first started learning about these oils I was confused on why some brands called orange essential oil “bitter”, “wild” “sweet”, and “blood” orange.

I honestly thought it was a marketing tactic or something. I soon learned that I was wrong. I still don’t fully understand all the different types of orange essential oil, but I will attempt to explain them the best I can.

• Sweet orange (Citrus sinensis). This type of orange is extracted from a smaller orange tree than the bitter orange. The tree that it’s extracted from is less common than bitter orange.  One thing that is different about sweet orange is it’s not phototoxic. It’s primarily used to detox the body, relieve depression, anxiety, fat digestion, immunity, and increasing energy.
• Blood orange (Citrus sinensis).  Yes, you are seeing this correctly it does have the same Latin name as sweet orange. This type of orange is considered to be more of a tarter aroma and more complex aroma. Also, it’s primarily used to detox the body, relieve depression, anxiety, fat digestion, immunity, and increasing energy.
• Bitter orange (Citrus aurantium). This type of orange is extracted from the fruit of the tree. The extraction method used like all citrus essential oils is called cold expression. It has more of a bitter aroma compared to sweet orange. Also, like others, it’s primarily used to detox the body, relieve depression, anxiety, fat digestion, immunity, and increasing energy.

The healing properties of orange peels have been used for over 3,000 years now. There are a lot of different compounds that make up orange essential oil. Some of them are limonene, myrcene, neral, citronellal, geraniol, alpha-pinene, lanalool, and sabinene.

There are a lot of health benefits to orange essential oil. There are a lot of antidepressants, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, aphrodisiac, antiseptic, diuretic, carminative, sedative, etc. properties in orange essential oil.

Just think about it orange is in a lot of products that we use each and every single day.  For instance, it’s common to find orange in soaps, creams, soft drinks, room fresheners, baking items, etc.  However, one of the best things about orange essential oil is it’s of the cheaper essential oils but does have a ton of healing properties. 

Orange Essential Oil Warning

You should never ingest orange essential oil. It can result in vomiting, nausea, etc. Also, orange has been known to cause photo-toxicity in people that have allergic reactions to orange essential oil.

11 Health Benefits of Orange Essential Oil

There are many uses for orange essential oil.  It can really help improve your overall health and well-being. Down below I am going to show you some of the most well-known ways to use the oil.

Orange essential oil mixes well with cinnamon, frankincense, ginger, cloves, black pepper, sandalwood, lavender, and vetiver.

Relieves Depression

For people that struggle with depression orange essential oil is good for improving their mood.  Sometimes you just need that little added kick to help boost your depressive thoughts.

This essential oil directly affects the olfactory system which affects the brain.  In simple English orange relaxes, uplifts, and makes you feel happy.

Therefore, if your stressed or anxious orange essential oil can be beneficial. There is research that proves orange essential oil reduces your pulse rate and salivary cortisol when your body is in a state of anxiety.

If you’re feeling emotionally worn down orange essential oils can help.

Diffuse: You can mix orange with grapefruit, lime, lemon, and other citrus essential oils throughout the day to boost your mood.

Inhale: Use an inhaler and inhale it throughout the day for 1-2 minutes a day as many times as you need to during the day.

Boost Immune System

Orange essential oil is great for boosting your bodies immune system.  Since this oil is extracted from orange peels it contains a chemical called limonene which is very powerful and combats oxidative stress.

When you think of immunity essential oils the first synergy that most think of is Thieves.  Orange isn’t one of the oils that are used in the Thieves blend, but it’s a great essential oil for boosting your immune system.

Orange essential oil has a lot of antioxidants in it.  Antioxidants keep your body from getting sick.

Diffuse:  Put 3-4 drops mixed with either 3-4 drops of either clove bud, eucalyptus, cinnamon, and rosemary to kill airborne germs.

Topically:  Mix 15-20 drops of orange essential oil with 2 oz of castile soap. Wash your hands with it daily to kill germs that might be on your hands.

Ingest:  Two companies that encourage the use of essential oils internally are Young Living and doTERRA.  You can use one of those two brands to mix with a teaspoon of raw organic honey and swallow it once or twice a day.

Household Cleaner

Orange essential oil has a lot of antibacterial properties in it. Meaning, it kills germs. So, why not clean with it?

Household chemicals contain a lot of chemicals. Chemicals are toxic to the human body. Did you know that a lot of the chemicals that are contained in cleaning products an actually cause cancer?

Stop using your store-bought household cleaners and use natural cleaning products instead. You can use your cleaners to clean your countertops, the cutting board, appliances, the bathroom, etc. The best part is your home will smell citrusy and clean.

Orange Daily Household Cleaner:

• 1 cups water.
• 1 cups white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon castile soap.
• 8 drops of orange.
• 6 drops of lemon.
• 6 drops of grapefruit.

Orange Grease Cleaner:

• 2 oz baking soda.
• 1 oz Castile soap.
• 8 drops of orange.
• 7 drops of lemon.

If you want to you can use 15 drops of orange and no lemon.

Please see this article on cleaning with essential oils.

Acne

A lot of what we know about acne is created by your sebaceous glands. This gland produces to much oil and this clogs your pores.

While a lot of people wouldn’t consider orange essential oil being their “go to” oil for acne. It does work good as a spot acne treatment.

It does work for most oily and dry skin types. Orange essential oil does help remove excess sebum from your skin.

Spot acne treatment:

Topically: Use 10 mL of grapeseed carrier oil or almond carrier oil. Mix 10 drops of sweet orange essential oil. Use a cotton ball to dab your face. Leave it on for 5 minutes and then rinse it off with water.

See this article on acne and essential oils for more information.

Sedating Effects

I know what your thinking. I thought you said orange essential oil is an uplifting essential oil.

It is an uplifting essential oil, but it also relaxes you at the same time. Meaning that in the morning you can use it to uplift you. In the evening you can use it to calm your nerves.

Diffuse. In the morning try diffusing it with lemon and grapefruit to help give you a jumpstart to your day. 30 minutes before bed time try to diffuse orange with lavender to ease your mind before going to sleep at night.

Relieves Inflammation

It’s a well-known fact that orange essential oil has anti-inflammatory properties in it.

There was a study in 2009 that showed orange was more effective than lemon, pine, and eucalyptus essential oil.

Orange essential oil has been shown to be as effective as the well-known drug ibuprofen for reducing inflammation. This is because of one of the key constituents which is d-Limonene which is found in the oil.

Topically. Mix a tablespoon of grapeseed or coconut oil with 10 drops of orange oil. Rub it into the area for about 1-2 minutes until it’s fully absorbed into the body.

Pain Relief

Orange essential oil has been used to relieve bone, muscle, and joint pain.

As I have already mentioned it has a lot of anti-inflammatory properties that decrease swelling tissues.

But, specifically for bone and joint pain, it’s effective at reducing pain.

There was an interesting study in 2017 conducted with patients that were admitted into the emergency ward. They all had bone fractures and 4 drops of orange oil (on a pad) was pinned to their collar. It was at least 8 inches away from their head. They replaced the pad with the oils on it every hour.

Overall they found out that patients that underwent the aromatherapy treatment had lower pain without any effect on their vital signs.

This is because orange promotes a positive mood which is beneficial to raise your pain tolerance.

Diffuse. Diffuse orange essential oil when you are suffering from joint or bone pain. It will help uplift your mood and raise your pain tolerance.

Topically. Make 10 mL roll-on with 8 drops of orange and 2 drops of clove bud oil. Use coconut oil as a carrier oil. Apply it to your sore muscles, bones, and joints.

Reduces Infections

Orange essential oil has some strong antibacterial properties in it.

You can apply orange essential oil to your wounds to help them from getting infected. This will lessen the likelihood of bacterial infections occurring. Not, only does orange essential oil have antibacterial properties in it, it also has antifungal and antiseptic properties.

Lastly, it’s a pretty safe oil to use on kids and is a germ destroyer.

Topically. Mix 2 drops of orange with 3-4 drops of tea tree or lavender to 1/2 teaspoon of sweet almond or fractionated coconut carrier oil. Apply it to your cuts 2-3 times a day. Make sure you put a bandage after applying the mixture.  Also, try mixing 1-2 drops of orange essential oil with a teaspoon of aloe vera gel and applying it to your cuts and scrapes.

Detox Body

Out of all the essential oils that help your body detox orange is great for detoxification.

Orange essential oil is a good compound for getting rid of toxins out of the body. It helps your body flush bile, uric acid, excess salts, excess water, and get pollutants out of your body. Your body secretes these compounds through your urine.

Diffuse.  Put 5-7 drops in your diffuser and diffuse it throughout the day.

Relieves Gas

Orange essential oil is a carminative. This means that it’s a compound that helps remove gas from the intestines. Typically, when people have gas it forms in the intestines. The gas then travels up to the chest. This will cause a lot of indigestion and discomfort. Since orange essential oil relaxes the muscles it helps prevent gas from forming.

Topically: Mix 10 drops of orange essential oil with 1 ounce of coconut carrier oil. Apply it to your abdomen area and rub counterclockwise for 30 seconds a couple times a day.

Aphrodisiac

Orange essential oil is a mild aphrodisiac. If you’re having problems with sexual desire or your libido isn’t their orange can really help. Meaning, the smell can increase your desire to have sex and also improves your performance. This is done by an increased secretion of sex hormones.

Diffuse:  Diffuse 5-7 drops of orange essential oil to increase your sexual desire throughout the day.

Hopefully, this has helped you in learning about orange essential oil.  If you have any questions please leave a comment down below.