Natural Treatment: What's Hidden in the Orange?

The orange consists of a peel divided into the outer orange layer and the inner white layer. Inside the peel, you find the sweet and tangy orange fruit that is so delicious.

When asking someone on the street: What characterizes the orange? They would likely answer 'a large amount of Vitamin C.' While this myth is true, it is worth noting that less famous fruits and vegetables contain more of the vitamin, including: mango, guava, papaya, strawberries, broccoli, peppers, cauliflower, green peas, green beans, leafy greens, and more.

What is the importance of Vitamin C for health? First, it is a particularly strong antioxidant that also strengthens the immune system. It plays an important role in the creation of the body's supporting tissues such as: cartilage, bones, teeth, and more. It helps maintain the flexibility of blood vessels, aids in wound healing and post-surgery recovery, assists in iron absorption in the blood, and is essential for allergy treatment. Deficiency in vitamin C causes damage to blood vessels, leading to joint pain, weak cartilage, increased sensitivity to bruises, low natural resistance to infections, slow fracture healing, shortness of breath, and more.

Poor diet in fresh fruits and vegetables, smoking, mental stress, the use of certain medications such as antibiotics or birth control pills, air pollution, alcohol consumption, and more, all contribute to vitamin C deficiency.

Vitamin C is one of the most delicate and sensitive vitamins because it dissolves in water, breaks down during cooking, peeling, exposure to light, presence of metals, and prolonged storage. Therefore, to preserve it, fruits and vegetables should be eaten as fresh as possible, without peeling, cutting, or cooking. Thus, if you squeeze orange juice, you should drink it immediately after squeezing.

Despite all of the above, it is less known that the orange is a significant cause of phlegm and allergies. Therefore, those suffering from various allergies, winter inflammations, runny nose, phlegm, digestive problems, joint inflammations, and various health disorders would be better off avoiding oranges or at least consulting a practitioner.

In any case, it should be noted that oranges appearing in the market at the beginning of the season and appearing green are not suitable for consumption as they are still immature and contain a very high concentration of acid. Oranges should be consumed only from mid-winter onwards, and mainly towards the end of the season.

Eliahu Schechter is an iridologist and natural therapist