Orange
Juicy Trivia
It is believed that oranges were first produced in south East Asia, some time around 4000 BC. Christopher Columbus planted the first orange trees in the Caribbean islands in the late 15th century after he brought the seeds there on his second voyage to the New World. There are over 600 varieties of oranges.
The tradition of finding an orange in your stocking each Christmas has many explanations. Many years ago St Nicholas inherited a large sum of money, with his newfound wealth he decided to devote his life to helping others. The story says that St. Nicholas heard of a poor man who had three daughters but didn't have money for dowries so was unable to find future husbands. St. Nicholas travelled to the poor mans house, and tossed three sacks of gold down the chimney. The sacks of gold, by chance, fell into each of the girls' stockings, which were hanging by the fire to dry. So, if you are still one of those lucky people who find an orange in your Christmas socking you know it is a symbol of the gold that St Nicholas left in the stockings for the daughter’s dowries.
Jason Says...
Oranges are full of vitamin C and fantastic for fighting off colds. They make a delicious juice on their own. Oranges blend well into smoothies.
Juice or Smoothie?
Juice: Always peel an orange skin has an oil within it that is indigestible to humans but be sure to leave as much as the white pith on as possible as this contains most of the phytonutrients.
The flavonoid ‘hesperidia’ has the ability to help lower high blood pressure, however this can only be found in the peel and pulp so if you have high blood pressure it may be better to eat your orange leaving as much pith on as possible.
Juicy Benefits
Destroys free radicals that cause signs of skin ageing, scouring the intestine and flushing toxins from the body.
WARNING: May aggravate heartburn
The combination of vitamin C and flavonoids make an important aid in strengthening the immune system. The compounds and antioxidants in oranges can help block cancer, help fight arterial plaque to help prevent heart disease, and block free radicals before they can harm the body.
Oranges have high levels of vitamin C and can also help with lowering cholesterol.
Research
Researchers from the ‘University of Western Ontario’, Canada found a link between orange and grapefruit juice and the treatment of breast cancer and high cholesterol.
A study led by Satoko Akiyama for the ‘Department of Nutritional Science’, Tokyo 156-8502, Japan, concluded that hesperidin (a flavonoid found in the pith and peel of oranges) normalises blood glucose by altering the activity of glucose regulating enzymes and lowers serum and liver lipid levels - hesperidin showed both
hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects.
A presentation on ‘Cancer Chemo Prevention and Therapy’ by
Monoterpenes given at a symposium on ‘Mechanisms and Prevention of Environmentally Caused Cancers’ in October 1995 showed that limonene, present in citrus fruits including oranges have been shown to prevent mammary, liver, lung, and other cancers.
Vitamins, Minerals and Extras
Vitamins A, C, folate, B1 thiamine, B2 riboflavin, B3 niacin, B6 pyridoxine, beta-carotene and folic acid,calcium, Iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, selenium, sodium.
References
The Complete Book of Juicing - Michael T Murray N.D.
The Doctors Book of Food Remedies - Selene Yeager
The Food Pharmacy - Jean Carper
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Disclaimer
Please be aware that we are not Doctors, so it is important BEFORE making any changes that you consult with your GP or Medical Practitioner. The suggestions above are not meant as an alternative to any current medical treatment so please DO NOT stop taking any medications you are on. They are also not an endorsement of their effectiveness, nor a recommendation that they should be followed but instead, provided for informational purposes. None of the information on the Natural Juice Therapy site is intended or implied to treat, cure or prevent any condition or disease.