Bitter Orange Peel – 1 lb (454 g)

Bitter Orange Peel, known in Chinese as 枳壳 (Zhǐqiào) and scientifically as Fructus Aurantii, is a valued herb in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). This TCM herb has been traditionally used to support natural wellness, maintain vitality, and encourage holistic balance. At TCMforyou.com, we provide premium-quality Bitter Orange Peel carefully sourced to preserve its therapeutic properties.

As a herbal supplement, Bitter Orange Peel helps promote overall well-being and supports natural energy, immunity, and balance. Integrating this herb into your wellness routine offers a gentle, time-tested approach to enhancing daily health. Whether brewed as tea, added to herbal remedies, or taken as part of a TCM formula, Bitter Orange Peel provides a safe, natural way to experience the benefits of traditional Chinese medicine.

Trusted for centuries, Bitter Orange Peel has been used in TCM to harmonize the body and encourage optimal functioning of key systems. At TCMforyou, we prioritize authenticity and quality. Each batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure purity and potency, delivering an herbal product aligned with traditional practices.

Experience the natural support of Bitter Orange Peel, promoting immune health, vitality, and holistic well-being. Embrace the wisdom of TCM and incorporate this gentle, effective herbal remedy into your daily wellness journey.

[Overview] This herb is the immature fruit of Citrus aurantium L. and its cultivated variants of the Rutaceae family. It is mainly produced in Sichuan, Jiangxi, Hunan, and Zhejiang provinces. The Sichuan product is called “Chuan Zhiqiao,” the Jiangxi product “Jiang Zhiqiao,” and the Hunan product “Xiang Zhiqiao.” Harvested from late July to early August when the fruit is immature, the larger fruits are cut transversely in half and dried in the sun or by low heat.

[Properties] Bitter and sour in taste, slightly cold in nature. Enters the Lung, Spleen, and Large Intestine meridians.

[Actions] Regulates Qi and relaxes the middle burner, promotes the movement of Qi to resolve stagnation and reduce accumulation.

[Applications]
1. Used for Qi stagnation with distension and pain in the chest and hypochondrium. For spleen and stomach Qi stagnation with epigastric and abdominal distension, belching, and nausea, often combined with Magnolia officinalis (Chuan Po) and Aucklandia lappa (Mu Xiang). For liver Qi stagnation with hypochondriac distension and pain, belching, and poor appetite, often combined with Cyperus rotundus (Xiang Fu) and Citrus reticulata peel (Qing Pi). For heart and lung Qi stagnation with chest and diaphragm fullness, often combined with Platycodon grandiflorus (Jie Geng) and Xiang Fu. For Qi stagnation with blood stasis causing chest pain or abdominal masses, often combined with Xiang Fu, Ligusticum chuanxiong (Chuan Xiong), Carthamus tinctorius (Hong Hua), and Corydalis yanhusuo (Yan Hu Suo).
2. Used for food accumulation with indigestion, hiccup, and damp-heat dysentery. To treat food stagnation with epigastric and abdominal distension, often combined with Magnolia officinalis (Hou Po), Atractylodes macrocephala (Bai Zhu), and Crataegus pinnatifida (Shan Zha). For hiccup and belching, often combined with Hematite (Dai Zhe Shi) and Inula flower (Xuan Fu Hua). For damp-heat dysentery with tenesmus and incomplete defecation, often combined with Coptis chinensis (Huang Lian) and Areca catechu (Bing Lang).
3. Used for uterine prolapse and rectal prolapse due to Qi deficiency and sinking. Can be used alone as a decoction or combined with Bupleurum chinense (Chai Hu) and Cimicifuga foetida (Sheng Ma). Currently commonly used clinically for treating gastroptosis, often combined with Astragalus membranaceus (Huang Qi), Angelica sinensis (Dang Gui), and Bupleurum chinense (Chai Hu).
Additionally, this herb can be used for diarrhea with blood in the stool, often combined with Prunus mume (Wu Mei), Coptis chinensis (Huang Lian), and Sanguisorba officinalis (Di Yu).

[Dosage and Administration] Internal use: decoction, 5–10 g; large doses up to 60 g; or used in pills and powders. External use: appropriate amount, decocted for washing or heated and applied as a compress. To regulate Qi and relax the chest, use raw; to strengthen the spleen and aid digestion, use stir-fried or honey-fried; for diarrhea with blood, use charred.

[Cautions] Use with caution in cases of spleen and stomach deficiency or during pregnancy.

[Modern Research]
1. Chemical constituents refer to the entry for “Zhi Shi” (Fructus Aurantii Immaturus).
2. Pharmacological effects: Fructus Aurantii Immaturus has hypertensive and anti-shock effects. Its decoction increases contraction of isolated toad hearts at low concentrations but decreases contraction at high concentrations. The decoction significantly inhibits gastrointestinal motility in animals, but chronic gastric and intestinal fistula experiments show some excitatory effects and stronger gastrointestinal contractions. The decoction excites the uterus in rabbits but inhibits isolated mouse uterine tissue.
3. Clinical reports: For first-degree uterine prolapse, 15 g Fructus Aurantii Immaturus and 15 g Vaccaria segetalis (Chong Wei Zi) are decocted to 100 ml, sugar added as appropriate, and bottled in 500 ml quantities. Patients take 100 ml daily, with one course consisting of 6 bottles. In a total of 924 cases treated, 602 cases showed marked effectiveness, 173 cases were effective, with an overall effective rate of 83.37%. [Journal of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, 1984, 4(4):238]