Orange Flower

Orange Tree is an evergreen plant, a tree up to 5 meters high. The fragrant flower of the orange tree (Citrus sinensis) is well-known as Orange Flower or Orange Blossom. While fresh, orange flower has a pleasant aroma and taste. The orange flower’s petals are white and it has five sepals, five fleshy petals, and twenty flags.

Its fragrance is used in perfume making, is famous as an aphrodisiac, and abundant in two states of Iran, Mazandaran in the north and Shiraz in the south. The essence of Orange blossom is a significant component in perfume manufacturing or is used as an ingredient in ground form or orange flower water in culinary preparations. The Orange Flower’s petals can also be made into the fantastic aromatic orange flower water which is common in Middle Eastern cuisine and some European countries’ cuisine. As a result, it is considerably used as an ingredient in confectionary for making a long list of desserts and sweets.

In mid-May, orange flowers bloom. Orange flowers are usually harvested early in the morning. The harvest of the orange flowers is mainly carried out in a traditional way. In fact, a large piece of cloth is spread under each tree in order to collect the petals as clean as possible. Afterward, fallen blossoms are taken to the factory in order to be double-sorted and finally wrapped into special packages. Orange flowers are usually dried in the dark and then used to make orange flower tea, essential oil, water, or jam. Moreover, Orange flower water is the result of the distillation of scented by-product of fresh bitter-orange blossoms for their essential oil.

Orange blossom is a plant that has a lot of useful benefits for our health and is full of different vitamins such as vitamins C and D. This plant is rich in magnesium, manganese, boron, calcium, zinc, selenium, sodium, copper, potassium, and vitamins B, C, and D, as well as active compounds including flavonoids and furanocoumarins. It also strengthens the nervous system of the body (having a relaxing effect) and the stomach, regulates heart rate, and prevents seizures and heart attacks. Additionally, it also quickly reduces nervous headaches and migraines. So, try to enjoy your evenings with a cup of orange flower tea.