Tangerine oil is an energizing, light, sweet, tangy citrus. The tangerine is a small evergreen tree Citrus Reticulata up to 20ft high with ovate leaves and small fragrant white flowers, and bearing fleshy fruit. The essential oil is obtained by cold compression from the outer peel.
Mandarin is native to southern China and the Far East and was brought to Europe in 1805 and to the USA forty years later, where it was renamed the tangerine. This essential oil possesses properties of antiseptic, antispasmodic, carminative, digestive, diuretic, sedative, stimulant (digestive and lymphatic), and tonic.
Historically, the tangerine essential oil is considered to be a safe children’s remedy for indigestion, hiccoughs, etc., and is also used by the elderly to help strengthen digestive function and liver.
The oil is used in soaps, cosmetics, and perfumes, especially colognes as well as a flavoring agent in confectionery, soft drinks, and liqueurs. Tangerine oil blends well with other citrus oils and spice oils such as nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove. Citrus Reticulata peel oil is nontoxic (possibly phototoxic), non-irritant, and non-sensitizing.