I believe a lot of people have underestimated the healing effects of the dried tangerine peel (陈皮). Whenever I leave the house, I will always bring along some dried tangerine peel because it is one of the foods (snacks) that I have personally benefited a lot from it’s healing effect!
In Asia countries, most people are familiar with dried tangerine peel as a snack, and rarely will people eat it for healing effect, most people just eat it as a snack.
The first time I learned about its effect was during my class at Singapore College of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) when the professor shared that dried orange peel is excellent at harmonizing the qi flow in our stomach.
Ever since that class, I will carry some dried tangerine peel with me whenever I know that I will have my meals outside.
Providing Relief to These Three Situations
There are three situations in which you will find dried tangerine peels useful:
Motion sickness – Dried tangerine peels are very effective in relieving motion sickness when a person is traveling in a vehicle and going through windy roads towards a higher altitude.
People who are caught in motion sickness (in a vehicle or boat) will feel very bloated and some will even want to throw up. The reason is that the qi in the stomach is disturbed.
During this time, try eating some dried tangerine peel and it will provide you relief after a few burps.
Anxiety – Another usage of dried tangerine peel is when I encounter anxiety especially when I need to do some public speaking (to the extent of throwing up sometimes). Dried tangerine peels can also calm the nerves and provide relief to make you feel less anxious.
Indigestion – I am not sure if you have experienced this, but sometimes when I eat some oily food or drink some beverages that contain dairy, I feel bloatedness in my stomach. This feeling is like my stomach has stopped digesting food and causes me to have no appetite for the next meal.
This is the time when the dried tangerine peel will have a miraculous effect on me. After I eat a few pieces of it, I will later give out a few burps then I will feel better and normal again. This is the reason why I always carry dried orange peel whenever I go.
Let’s get down to its properties!
The thermal nature of dried tangerine peel is warm. So this means people who are heaty should avoid eating it.
Dried tangerine peel benefits the spleen and lungs organ and it has the following properties:
Harmonize the qi flow in the spleen and stomach (理气健脾): Whenever you feel your stomach bloated (due to oily or dairy stuff you have eaten) or feeling uncomfortable that you might vomit because of a balancing issue caused by the environment (traveling on a boat, ferry, or traveling upwards/downwards on a mountain road), dried orange peel can help to soothe the qi in your stomach and relief the discomfort feeling for you.
Dissolve phlegm in the lungs (燥湿化痰): Dried tangerine peel can also help to dissolve phlegm in your lungs especially if the phlegm is caused by the cold food (that you eat) or the surrounding sudden change of the air temperature.
The daily dosage recommendation is 3 to 10g.
People Who Should Avoid Eating Dried Tangerine Peel
Most people will have no issue eating dried tangerine peel but do make sure that you don’t eat it every day. Also, avoid eating it if you are having a sore throat or fever.
Two Types of Dried Tangerine Peel
There are two types (forms) of dried tangerine peels.
The first type is those that you need to cook it. This kind of dried tangerine peel is best for cooking desserts like red bean soup.
The second type of dried tangerine peel is those that you can buy and eat as a snack.
Normally I will choose those skins that look darker because the darker it is, the better the healing effect.
Most Convenient Way to Eat Dried tangerine Peel
The most convenient way to eat dried tangerine peel is to buy those that come as a snack. Just make sure you choose those that have skins a bit darker rather than light. Click here for an example of how it looks like on Amazon.
Hope you find this post useful!