"Back to Basics" - Top Ten Single Oils - Wild Orange

This is day 7 of my "Back to Basics" series.



Wild Orange

This is one of my favorite single oils. The main chemical component in orange is Limonene. It is also very high in monoterpenes, which gives this oil an energizing aroma. doTERRA's oranges are sourced from the Dominican Republic and the oil is extracted from the rinds (peel) through the cold press technique. The scientific name for wild orange is Citrus sinensis.

Wild orange is a power cleaning and purifying oil that provides protection from seasonal and environment threats and is very high in antioxidants.* Like most citrus oils, orange is also incredibly effective at uplifting one's mood.* This oil is commonly used in cleaning recipes, as a flavor enhancer in water and foods, in a diffuser to uplift moods and purify air, and when combined with other oils, it can provide a mid-day mental pick me up.

I use this oil in my house every day. Here is a list of ways we use it:

1. Diffuse with lavender at night to promote relaxation and reduce anxiety.*
2. Add to a roller bottle with lavender and fractioned coconut oil (FCO) and apply to bottoms of feet, wrists, and back of neck for relaxation and reduced anxiety* before bed or as needed throughout the day.
3. Combine with peppermint oil either in a diffuser or in your hands (rub palms together and inhale aroma and rub on the back of your neck) for a mid-day mental pick me up.
4. In my homemade lip balm recipe from doTERRA (link below).

Health concerns:*

Anxiety: Healthy male subjects displayed reduced anxiety after five minutes of inhalation of orange essential oil compared to the inhalation of melaleuca essential oil or distilled water when submitted to an anxiety inducing situations (Goes et al., 2012).

Links:
doTERRA Product Page: Wild Orange
doTERRA Blog: Orange Creamsicle Lip Balm
Buy Wild Orange: here

Research:
Aroma Tools. (2015). Modern essentials: A contemporary guide to the therapeutic use of essential oils (7th ed.). Pleasant Grove, UT: AromaTools.

Dornelas, M. C., & Massafera, P. (2007). A genomic approach to characterization of the Citrus terpene synthase gene family. Genetics and Molecular Biology, 30(3), 832 - 840. doi:10.1590/S1415-4757200700005000011

Goes, T. C., Antunes, F. D., Alves, P. B., & Teixeira-Silva, F. (2012). Effect of sweet orange aroma on experimental anxiety in humans. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 18(8), 798 - 804. doi:10.1089/acm.2011.0551

Kamal, G. M., Ashraf, M. Y., Hussain A. I., Shahzadi, A., & Chughtai, M. I. (2013). Antioxidant potential of peel essential oils of three Pakistani citrus species: Citrus reticulata, Citrus sinensis and Citrus paradisii. Pakistan Journal of Botany, 45(4), 1449 - 1454. Retrieved from http://www.pakbs.org/pjbot/PDFs/45(4)/48.pdf

Zhang, Z., Chen, H., Chan, K. K., Budd, T., & Ganapathi, R. (1999). Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis of perillyl alcohol and metabolites in plasma. Journal of Chromatography B: Biomedical Sciences and Applications, 728(1), 85 -95. doi:10.1016/S0378-4347(99)00065-1

CAUTIONS: Possible skin sensitivity. Keep out of reach of children. If you are pregnant, nursing, or under a doctor’s care, consult your physician. Avoid contact with eyes, inner ears, and sensitive areas. Avoid sunlight or UV rays for up to 12 hours after applying product.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.