Orange Peel

What is an orange peel? Dried Citrus x sinensis peel has been used for thousands of years in traditional Chinese medicine. It is often incorporated into all-inclusive, multi-herbal preparations and used alone as well. Dried orange peel makes a delicious extract and adds a strong orange flavor to cooking and infusions. Sweet oranges are native to China and are currently grown in warm areas all over the world. Traditional Chinese medicine has been using peels from any member of the sweet orange family at least since the second century BC, when the Divine Husband's Classic of the Materia Medica was composed. Unbeknownst to most people, orange peels have a far higher concentration of enzymes, flavonoids, and phytonutrients than orange fruit. The peel, comprising three primary regions: the flavedo, albedo, and oil sacs, concentrates all necessary elements. The sweet orange is said to have originated in China and has since spread to almost every nation on earth. The majority of the world's current supply of sweet oranges comes from Florida, California, and various regions of the Mediterranean. The powdered peel is used to give beverages a sweet, effervescent taste; the chopped peel is…