The Benefits and Uses of Bitter Orange Flowers: Regulating Qi and Stimulating Appetite, Also Great for Scented Flower Tea

The bitter orange flower is the blossom of the bitter orange (Citrus aurantium var. amara), a plant in the Rutaceae family, Citrus genus, also known as the sour orange or Seville orange. Because its fruit can remain on the branches for several years, with old and new fruits hanging on the same tree, it earned the name "daidai" (generation after generation). It is mainly distributed along the Yangtze River basin and areas to the south, with pure white flowers and a very rich fragrance.

In terms of traditional uses, traditional Chinese medicine holds that bitter orange flowers are sweet with a slightly bitter taste, and have the effects of regulating qi, easing the chest, stimulating appetite and stopping vomiting. They are often used to relieve discomfort such as chest and abdominal distension, poor appetite, nausea and vomiting, and are fairly common in certain qi-regulating formulas.

In daily life, the most common way to use bitter orange flowers is to brew them as a tea. Take a small amount of dried flowers and steep them in boiling water; they have a delicate fragrance, and drinking a moderate amount after meals helps cut greasiness and stimulate appetite. In addition, they can be used to scent flower tea, and the flowers can also be used to extract essence for the food industry and other sectors, giving them fairly wide uses.

Beyond their practical value, bitter orange plants are also a fine ornamental plant, enjoyed both for their flowers and their fruit. The fruit is green at first and turns orange-red when ripe, and it stays on the plant for a long time, making it suitable for garden planting in the ground or for container growing on a balcony.

It should be noted that although bitter orange flowers have many benefits, they are an ingredient in the category of both food and medicine, so daily consumption should be kept to a controlled amount. People with special constitutions or those taking medication should best consult a doctor before drinking to avoid causing discomfort.