Wild Orange for Mind-Body Connection
“Being me is enough, and I will always have enough. It is safe to play.”
Nearly everyone has experienced being surprised by the fresh, sweet, and invigorating smell of an orange being peeled. Everyone in the room smiles, and looks up for the source of the sweet smell filling the room and takes a deep breath in.
Wild Orange essential oil is cold pressed from the rind or peelings of oranges. It is this exact experience of peeling an orange you get when using the oils aromatically or topically. It’s not a far stretch to see how it inspires feelings of energy, spontaneity, and joy.
The chemistry of this essential oil is high in the constituent limonene, which is cleansing and uplifting to an anxious, depressed, or negative mood, lifts and dissipates stress, and is packed with nourishing antioxidants.
Studies have proven wild orange essential oil to reduce pulse rate and other markers of stress in children undergoing a dental procedure, reduce anxious feelings of women in labor, and may lift an overwhelmingly heavy mood based on research done in mice.
Benefits for the Body
The physical benefits and effects of the oil range from aiding in chronic sleeplessness (due to elevated cortisol), increasing digestion and relieving symptoms of indigestion, increasing energy and productivity, improving concentration, and easing a worried and upset stomach.
You can use the oil topically on skin with a carrier oil. Avoid using before prolonged sun exposure. Wild Orange is a rocks star oil for all diffuser blends. There’s hardly an oil it doesn’t blend with!
You can also infuse water with a drop of wild orange by adding one drop to a glass of water. A little goes a long way. Make sure you’re adding it to glass and not plastic or other synthetic material that will break down because oils high in limonene are great at breaking down synthetic materials, which makes them great to help the body with its natural daily detoxification process.
Benefits for the Mind
The personality of this oil is light hearted, free, creative, and playful. It stimulates the right hemisphere of the brain, or the creative, emotional, intuitive side. When the left brain is in overdrive, feeling rigid and overworked is common. Traditional Chinese Medicine describes it as the metal element. The metal element is the element of rigid structure and perfectionism. While it’s needed to pull creativity into order, when it’s out of balance, breathing becomes shallow, muscles get tense and rigid, skin gets dry and irritated, and a person may develop respiratory issues such as asthma. A related emotion to the root of excessive metal element is grief of loss. A logical reaction to loss is to hoard and hold onto everything too tightly and abandon the belief in abundance and freedom.
Wild Orange wakes us back up to the innocence of being provided for and supported like a child (in a perfect world), with less cares and worries, knowing that somehow everything you need just shows up and everything isn’t dependent on you. This is a reality that is hard to break because overly responsible people often teach others around them to be dependent on them. Practice taking a step back and asking for help.
At our very core, we were designed to live in abundance and joy. Life has a way of twisting and distorting our perspective and causing us to forget to share, play, relax, and enjoy the goodness of life.
When to use Wild Orange:
Diffuse when experiencing trouble breathing or excessive dryness and skin irritation (to balance the metal element of rigidity)
To relax and shift from overworking and overthinking, try a drop on the back of the neck.
When you’re struggling to feel supported and provided for, rub on the lower abdomen and low back.
When dealing with loss and feelings of scarcity, apply over the heart and diffuse.
Diffuse when you need more energy or creativity.
When you notice you’re carrying worry or fear in your stomach (tense, quivery, or upset stomach), apply the oil over the area.
Make chores more enjoyable by adding wild orange to your cleaning routine. Add a drop to dishwater, mop water, or into a glass spray bottle to wipe down and clean surfaces.
Add a drop to dishwater, mop water, or into a glass spray bottle to wipe down and clean surfaces.
A great affirmation to play with:
“I remember how to be playful, carefree, and full of joy like a child that is perfectly provided for.”
Do you have resistance to this statement?
What are the “buts” that come up?
Can you open up to being proven wrong if your rigid brain is arguing against it?
Can you let go of the experiences that your brain uses as evidence against this truth and be open to seeing a new way?
Maybe you don’t need them to protect you as much as you once thought.
If you enjoyed this article, learn about more oil uses on the blog…
