Aged tangerine peel / chen pi (陈皮)

Citrus reticulata

Edible plant

Chinese

Photo credit: 4028mdk09

Safety information

Toxicity: Very low — also a culinary/food item.

Contraindications: Dry cough from yin-deficiency, excess heat (TCM); generally safe.

Interactions: Citrus furanocoumarins minimal in peel flavonoids, but high citrus intake can affect CYP3A4 (theoretical).

Evidence level

Preclinical

Supported by laboratory or animal studies; not yet confirmed in humans.

Preparations

powder · fruit peel

Part used: fruit peel

Evidence:Preclinical

tea / culinary · fruit peel

Part used: fruit peel

Evidence:Traditional (systematized)

in formula (Er Chen Tang, Ping Wei San) · fruit peel

Part used: fruit peel

Evidence:Traditional (systematized)

decoction · fruit peel

Part used: fruit peel

Traditional use: regulates qi, strengthens the spleen, dries dampness, transforms phlegm; bloating, poor appetite, nausea, productive cough

Proposed mechanism: flavonoids (hesperidin) and polymethoxyflavones (nobiletin, tangeretin), limonene — digestive, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, lipid-modulating, neuroprotective

Evidence:Preclinical

General preparation guide →

Associated conditions

Cough Flatulence / bloating Nausea / vomiting Loss of appetite

Edibility

Edible parts: Culinary peel/zest, widely used in cooking and tea.

Toxic lookalike warning

Use only food-grade citrus peel; avoid peels treated with non-food waxes/pesticides; do not substitute decorative bitter-orange ornamentals of unknown treatment.

Nutritional notes

Flavonoids, vitamin C traces, fiber, aromatic oils (functional-food).

Healing traditions

Chinese

Sources (1)

[E31] Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (Chenpi) botany/ethnopharmacology/phytochemistry/pharmacology review (J. Ethnopharmacol)

All sources →