Orange, orange blossom and bitter orange leaf: traditional uses and how to prepare them

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The orange tree gives more to the herbal shelf than fruit. Its leaves, flowers, zest and bark have all been used in European and Middle Eastern household herbalism, mostly as calming evening infusions and bitter digestive preparations. Here is what each part is, what tradition credits it with, and how to make the drinks tonight from a supermarket orange.

What it is credited with

All of the following belong to tradition and to herbal practice, not to medicine.

• Bitter orange leaf has a long-standing reputation as a sedative plant: herbalists have used it to ease nervous tension, restless evenings and difficulty settling down to sleep.
• The same leaf was traditionally given for dry hacking coughs, nervous stomach cramps, a fluttery heartbeat from stress, and tension headaches.
• In old household practice, leaf infusions were also used as a febrifuge and diaphoretic — that is, to encourage sweating when someone had caught a chill.
• Orange blossom is credited by herbal tradition with the same calming quality, in gentler form; it is the classic children’s-bedtime and after-dinner flower of Mediterranean herbalism.
• Orange blossom water is valued as a relaxing, fragrant addition to drinks and desserts, and appears in both kitchen and pharmacy preparations.
• Neroli essential oil, distilled from the flowers, has a reputation in aromatherapy as tonic and stress-relieving; it is famously rare and is the backbone of good Cologne.
• Bitter zest and bark are classic bitters: naturopathy credits them with waking up a sluggish appetite and supporting comfortable digestion, including wind and bloating after heavy meals.
• Orange syrups and orangeade were traditionally offered as refreshing drinks to someone feverish and off their food.
• Zest has a traditional reputation for supporting fragile small blood vessels, the kind that bruise easily.
• An old bedside trick: for sore heels in someone confined to bed or recovering from surgery, half an orange rind is hollowed out and capped over each heel as a soft cushion.
• Leaf and flower infusion, used cool on the skin, has a reputation for leaving the face soft and comfortable.

How to use it

Evening infusion of flowers or leaves

• Use about a heaped tablespoon of dried orange blossom or dried orange leaves per large mug, or a small handful for a litre teapot.
• Pour on water just off the boil, cover, and steep 10 minutes — covering matters, the aroma is the active part.
• Two to three cups across the day, with the last one half an hour before bed.
• A few drops of orange blossom water stirred in lift the perfume. Honey suits the blossom; the leaf is frankly bitter and takes it well.

Strong decoction of orange leaves

• A generous double handful of fresh leaves to a litre of water, brought up to a simmer and held there briefly, then left covered off the heat.
• This was the old household version, taken by the small cupful in the evening when tradition called for something calming and stronger than a simple infusion.
• Very bitter. Keep it to short spells of a few days rather than nightly for weeks.

Bitter orange zest syrup

• Chop dried bitter orange zest, cover with a strong neutral spirit and leave to macerate overnight.
• Strain, then stir into a sugar syrup made with a litre of water and enough sugar to give body.
• A spoonful in hot or cold water after a rich meal is the traditional tonic and stomachic use.
• Keeps in the fridge in a sealed bottle. Contains alcohol — not for children.

Appetite orange wine

• Macerate dried bitter orange zest in a bottle of white wine with a few chamomile flowers for about ten days, shaking daily.
• Strain into a clean bottle. A small glass before a meal is the classic aperitif-style use.

In the kitchen

• Fresh, juiced, in jams and marmalade, in ice cream, in sauces for duck and pork, or candied as peel.
• Orange carpaccio: peeled orange rounds laid flat, a dusting of cinnamon, a few torn mint leaves. Five minutes, impossible to spoil.
• Orange blossom water goes into pastries, rice puddings and fruit salads.

Varieties worth knowing

• Valencia types — fine cultivars ripen from late autumn to early spring: ‘Valencia Late’ (juicy, sweet), ‘Maltese’, ‘Jaffa’ (fragrant), ‘Salustiana’ (large, hardier).
• Navels — ripe in late autumn, sweet and easy to segment: ‘Washington Navel’, ‘Navelina’, ‘Navelate’.
• Blood oranges — ripe in late winter and needing real heat: ‘Moro’, ‘Sanguinelli’.
• Semi-blood types — ‘Semi-blood Maltese’, ‘Enhanced double fine’, picked in early to mid-spring.
• Bitter orange (Seville orange) is the marmalade and herbal one — the source of petitgrain, neroli and the bitter zest preparations above.

If you grow your own

• Full sun, neutral soil, ideally clay that holds water and feed without staying soggy.
• Trunks cope with around 16°F (-9°C) but leaves die below 26°F (-3°C); the tree idles between 32 and 50°F (0 to 10°C) and needs a yearly average of at least 57°F (13°C) to fruit. Above 95°F (35°C) it stalls again.
• When weeding, never scratch deeper than 2 inches (5 cm): the surface roots are fragile and every wound is a door for disease.
• In pots it is highly ornamental, but it needs a cool greenhouse or a sheltered lean-to to overwinter cleanly.
• Watch for scale insects (white oil smothers them), mites, citrus blossom moth larvae, chlorosis and, under cover, whiteflies.

Frequently Asked Questions

The one thing to remember: for the calming side of the orange tree use the flowers or leaves as an infusion in the evening; for the digestive side use the bitter zest, and only from untreated fruit.

Which part of the orange tree do I use for an evening tea?

The flowers, or failing that the dried leaves. A heaped tablespoon per mug, water just off the boil, covered for 10 minutes. Herbal tradition places this cup half an hour before bed, and a few drops of orange blossom water improve the perfume.

Can I zest any orange from the supermarket?

Only if it is sold as unwaxed and untreated. The zest is the part that carries surface treatments, and it is also the part you are putting in your syrup or tincture. Scrub and dry the fruit before paring, and take no white pith.

What is the difference between neroli and petitgrain?

Both come from the bitter orange tree. Neroli is distilled from the flowers and is rare and expensive; petitgrain comes from the leaves and twigs and is much cheaper. Aromatherapy credits both with a tonic, stress-relieving character, and both are for external, diluted use only.

Is bitter orange safe if I take medication?

Ask your pharmacist first. Citrus peel preparations can change how some medicines are absorbed, and concentrated bitter orange extracts are not advisable with heart, blood pressure or thyroid treatments, nor with stimulants. A cup of blossom tea is a far gentler proposition than a supplement.

When are oranges at their best?

Fine Valencia types run from late autumn to early spring, navels come in late autumn, blood oranges in late winter and semi-blood types in early to mid-spring. Bitter oranges for marmalade and herbal preparations arrive in the same late-winter window.

This information is provided for general interest and reflects the traditional use of plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice. If you are on medication, pregnant, or in any doubt, ask a healthcare professional.