Bitter Orange: An Alternative Medicine for Anxiety

There are many alternative medicines available for anxiety and calming one’s nerves. St. John’s Wort is a widely used herb for mood swings and easing symptoms of depression. However, these days there are other alternatives available that are not as widely known as St. John’s Wort and reportedly just as, if not more, effective as their predecessor.

One of these new alternatives is called bitter orange. It is now available in a singular herb form in a capsule or as one of several herbs in an alternative medicine combo for calming the nerves.

According to Healthnotes, the dried outer peel and the white pulp layer of bitter orange are used for medicinal purposes. This herb is cultivated in Spain, Italy, and North America. The names you can often find bitter orange listed are Aurantium Peel and Citrus Aurantium L.

As stated before, this herb is typically used for calming nerves for mild issues with anxiety, chronic bronchitis, and it is a non-irritant to kidneys. Bitter Orange have also been used for insomnia, weight loss, loss of appetite, and indigestion. The studies done for the latter conditions show minimal to no evidence of effectiveness. In addition, the peel of the fruit has been used to treat stomach aches and high blood pressure.

My personal concern for this particular alternative is in the side effects, specifically the side effect of causing cardiovascular problems. So, I urge anyone considering bitter orange as an alternative medicine to their anxiety problems, please be sure you have excellent heart health prior to using it.

In addition to using bitter orange for anxiety, I would like to offer a few other things you can do along with the herbal therapy. First of all, be sure to take time every day for meditation or prayer. This helps to not only ease anxiety, but lowers blood pressure, uplifts the spirit, and energizes you to move forward each day.

Secondly, write in a journal every day or every other day for ten to fifteen minutes. Take that time to rant and rave about your day, write down the things you are grateful for, or both. Writing has been scientifically proven to improve one’s overall well being.

And last but not least, do some kind of exercise each day as well. My personal recommendation as a yogi is to practice yoga every day. Yoga isn’t a strenuous exercise like most videos would have you believe. It can be very gentle and invigorating to the body. Take time out to search for sun salutations on the Internet and begin to practice it each day for fifteen to twenty minutes. It is amazing. I felt a difference in my mind, body, and spirit within the first two weeks. I’d like to let you know as well that your body will more than likely go through a detoxification process the first two to three weeks, if you’ve never practiced yoga before. Do not be alarmed though. This is good for your body and your spirit.

I believe that no one should rely completely on the herbal therapy. Alternative health, especially where the bitter orange herb is concerned should be a combination of tools and practices to ensure the best possible results.

I wish you the best in easing your anxiety and creating sacred space and peace in your life.