The orange tree grows to the height of about fifteen feet. Its stem is round, much branched and covered with a smooth, shining, greenish brown bark.
Citrus aurantium appears it have been the earliest domesticated citrus, having been cultivated more than six thousand years ago in the Indus Valley of Southwest Asia.
It is a sour orange that falls into the grouping of sour orange type of which ‘Seville Orange’ is probably the best known.
Citrus aurantium has a separate, parallel origin; sour oranges are easily distinguished from sweet varieties by many morphological and taste characteristic, such as their broadly winged petioles.
Citrus aurantium is added to various foods including beer, liquors and other beverages and cakes.
Moreover, bitter orange juice may be added in limited amounts to sweet orange juice.
It is still used in traditional culinary ways. An orange sauce complements: poultry, ham, and fish and the juice sweets marinades, grilled potatoes, breads, cake batters and frostings.
It had also been investigated for a number of other medicinal uses in addition to gastrointestinal disturbances.
Citrus aurantium is rich in flavonoids and contains an agent celled synephrine, which like ephedrine effects on the cardiovascular system.
Citrus aurantium extracts sued in food supplements, such as weight-loss pills, are possibly enriched in p-synephrine, typically amount of 6-10%.
Flavonoids are powerful antioxidants with anti-blood-clotting properties. Researchers also have found that they can counter oxygen-caused damage in the body, can help heart problems.
Fruit of citrus aurantium
