Cooking with Essential Oils

Orange essential oil is uplifting and helps to reduce anxiety and stress. A 1995 Mie University study found citrus fragrances boosted immunity, induced relaxation and reduced depression. This is particularly good for those in geographical locations that lack sunshine and don’t get adequate sunlight on a regular basis or rooms without much light, diffusing orange essential oil is great for helping with depression and seasonal affective disorder. Orange essential oil is very warming oil both physically and emotionally.

Orange helps to stimulate joy, optimism and playfulness, harmonizing feelings and awakening to creativity. It’s wonderful to diffuse and use for household cleaning for both children and for adults particularly during times when you may feel tense, nervous and withdrawn and need help to relax and open up.

The fruit of Citrus sinensis is called sweet orange to distinguish it from Citrus aurantium, the bitter orange. Sweet Orange essential oil is produced by glands inside the rind of an orange fruit. This can be seen when an orange is peeled, the fine mist that sprays into the air emitting that delicious orange scent is the essential oil. The orange peels are cold-pressed to extract the essential oil. Young Living’s orange essential oil is food grade and can be used as a flavoring of food and drinks, as seen below. While orange essential oils fragrance in perfumes and aromatherapy by massage therapists and other health professionals provides emotional and physical benefit.

Benefits of Orange Essential Oil

• Orange can help reduce fluid retention, overcomes sadness, calming to children, aid digestion, mouth ulcers and gas.
• Orange essential oil can stimulate sensuality and pleasure… especially when combined with ylang ylang essential oil. Diffusing orange and Ylang Ylang essential oils together can be a quite alluring and sensual scent.
• Affect on the psyche: The aroma of therapeutic essential oils triggers physiological and psychological responses through the olfactory response. They can lift our moods, aid in fighting mild to moderate depression, increase alertness, calm aggressive behavior, and help to deal with emotional trauma. Essential oils can also lower anxiety, increase memory, and even affect our dreams (using one of the recipes below and used in a spray bottle can also help frighten away monsters under the bed at night).
• Oils such as: lavender, orange, bergamot, rose, jasmine
• Support urinary system: The eighth edition of Useful Drugs, published by the American Medical Association in 1930, listed a number of essential oils that were rubbed into the kidney area or taken internally (1-2 drops) to help with common urinary, kidney, and bladder infections. Oils known for urinary support are: orange, oregano, tea tree (not for internal use), juniper, rosemary. See list of therapeutic-grade essential oils that are safe for internal use.
• Alertness and focus: The greatest fears of the aging population are the loss of mind, forgetfulness, or dementia. Essential oils have a profound impact on keeping the mind alert and focused. Oils known for these properties are: frankincense, sandalwood, cedarwood, lavender, orange, peppermint, rosemary.
• May help protect against cancer: A vast amount of research indicates that constituents of essential oils may play a major role in cancer prevention and act as an adjunct to cancer therapies. Numerous studies on essential oils seem promising for specific types of cancer.
• Oils such as: frankincense, lemon, orange, lemongrass, clary sage, bergamot, helichrysum, clove, tsuga, lavender
• Beneficial for hypertension and arteriosclerosis.

Ways to Use Orange Essential Oil

Orange essential oil has many uses both physiologically and emotionally. It’s fresh cheery scent makes it a favorite of mine and many others.

Orange Essential Oil for Cooking

• Use 1-2 drops Grapefruit, Orange or Lemon essential oil in your water (or any combination of these). It’s a great way to cleanse the body, the scents are uplifting to your mind – no calories!
• Try adding 2-5 drops in a protein shake or fruit smoothie (a splash of NingXia Red also adds antioxidants and flavor to smoothies and shakes).
• Orange essential oil is terrific in deserts too; like cheesecake, cookies, and and anything chocolate. Add a single drop to your baking recipes for a wonderful fresh orange flavor.
• Add a 1-2 drops in your favorite oil and vinegar salad dressing recipe.
• Mix with Ginger Ale and NingXia Red Juice with several drops of orange essential oil for a yummy and nutritious punch for parties. Note: the amounts of Ginger Ale and NingXia Red will determine how many drops of orange essential to use start off with 3-4 drops and add more only if necessary, remember therapeutic-grade essential oils are very concentrated and as such are very potent.

More tips on Cooking with Young Living Essential Oils

Orange Essential Oil and Household Cleaning

Young Living’s sweet orange oil consists of about 85-96% d-Limonene. Limonene is an efficient cleaning agent which is promoted as being environmentally friendly and preferable to petroleum distillates, as shown in the tips and recipes below. The smell of Young Living Orange essential oil is considered much more pleasant than what is used in store-bought cleaners (it’s higher quality).

• Eliminate odors in fridge: add one drop orange, lemon, grapefruit, bergamot, Thieves, Purification essential oil to a cup of water. Using a sponge wipe surface of icebox, freezer, oven, trash cans.
• Use orange essential oil for cleaning oil and grease from your cooktop and surrounding areas in the kitchen.
• Add a few drops of orange essential oil to hand soap to clean dirt, grease and even paint off of dirty hands.

Orange-Peppermint Air Fresher

• 8-10 drops Orange essential oil
• 6-8 drops Peppermint essential oil

In a 14 oz spray bottle, fill with water to 7/8 full, add essential oils and shake. Spray into center of room for a clean fresh scent. This blend is also terrific to use as a bathroom spray, simply use a smaller spray bottle and adjust the number of drops used.

• Mix a couple drops of orange essential oil with some baking soda to make a paste and brush your teeth for natural teeth whitening instead of chemical bleaches that are absorbed into the bloodstream.
• Make your own Orange-Scented Dryer Sheets; simply take a clean and dampened washcloth (an old one is fine) and put 3-6 drops of Orange essential on the cloth and toss into dryer with laundry. Note: do NOT use other brands of essential oils for this purpose they contain carrier oils that can permanently stain clothing.

House and Garden Insect Spray

• 3 drops spearmint
• 3 drops orange
• 2 qts water

Mix and spray on plants in the house and outside and in greenhouse to keep the bugs and aphids away. Can also be diffused in a greenhouse (use a nebulizer diffuser and increase the number of drops to fill the well adequately – do NOT add water when using a nebulizer diffuser).

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Diffusing Orange Essential Oil

The easiest and simplest way of putting essential oils into the air for inhalation is to use an aromatic diffuser. A cold air diffuser uses room-temperature air to blow the oil up against some kind of nebulizer. This breaks the oils up into a micro-fine mist that is then dispersed into the air. The oils, with their oxygenating molecules, will then remain suspended for several hours to freshen and improve the quality of the air. The anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and antiseptic properties of the oils kill bacteria and help reduce fungus and mold. Essential oils, when diffused, have been found to reduce the amount of airborne chemicals and metallic’s as well as help to create greater spiritual, physical, and emotional harmony.

Diffuse for 10 minutes every 1-3 hours. This will help you to conserve your therapeutic-grade essential oils and provide the best olfactory benefits.

Springtime Fresh Blend for Diffusing

• 12 drops orange
• 6 drops Rosewood
• 5 drops Clove
• 2 drops Jasmine

Warming Winter Blend for Diffusing

• 15 drops Clove
• 15 drops Orange

Banish Anger Blend for Diffusing

• 10 drops Orange
• 6 drops Jasmine or Ylang Ylang
• 3 drops Patchouli

Orange Essential Oil and Skin Care

Orange essential oil is an astringent, soothing agent, skin conditioner; Young Living has a lovely facial wash containing orange essential oil, Orange Blossom Facial Wash.

Caution: please keep in mnd that all citrus essential oils can be photosensitizing to skin, do not apply orange essential oil to skin that will be exposed to direct sunlight within 24 hours.

Tip: when applying orange essential oil topically use a carroier oil, such as Young Living’s V-6.

Cellulite Bath

• 3 drops orange
• 3 drops rosemary
• 3 drops cypress

Place drops in 2 tablespoons of Epsom Salts. Mix ingredients together. Pour mixture under running warm bath and soak! Young Living’s Bath & Shower Gel Base can be used instead of Epsom Salt.

After bath – dry off- massage cellulite area(s) with Young Living’s Cel-Lite Magic. Massage over callouses on the bottoms of feet for smooth and pretty feet.

Sore Feet Foot Bath Blend

• 1/2 cup Epsom Salts
• 5 drops Wintergreen
• 3 drops Peppermint
• 2 drops Chamomile
• 2 drops Orange

Add all essential oils to Epsom Salts, stir well and add to warm foot bath water. Soak feet for 15-20 minutes, pat dry and apply Young Living’s Tender Tush to feet to soften skin. Your feet will be feeling wonderful and looking pretty in no time!

Evelyn Vincent

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Article by Evelyn Vincent, Young Living Independent Distributor

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