Oranges Are Happy

I recently launched a new apothecary section in the Holistic Spaces Store, and one of my first products is the HAPPY room mist.

Holistic Spaces worked with Aromatherachi to create unique blends for each of the mists for our apothecary, creating scents to support and enhance the energy in any interior environment.  Our formula no.1 HAPPY is a blend of orange essential oils and clear quartz crystals for uplifting abundance and positivity. We used oranges for this scent because they provide positive and life-affirming energy to lift your mood, and added 9 pieces of Clear quartz in each bottle to support positive transformation.

But why orange oil for a scent called "Happy?" When you peel an orange…how does the orange peel smell make you feel? Happy, bright and cheery, right? In feng shui, we use oranges in many adjustments. They’re used for space energy clearings and to uplift the qi of an environment. The yang quality of the scent of oranges invokes positivity, happiness and brightness like the brilliant sun at high noon. 

Neal’s Yard Remedies also notes that orange essential oil is beneficial if you have trouble getting things done and are lazy about making changes in your life. Orange oil can hurry the sluggishness, so the “tenor of your life will also begin to change as you become more optimistic and purposeful." There are scientific, historical and symbolic explanations for this too!

On the scientific end, oranges are a fruit high in vitamin C. One orange can provide 90% of the daily recommendation. Plus, in Alice Water’s Chez Pannise Fruit book, she tells us that oranges are seasonal year round. If they’re available year round, they can brighten up even the darkest of winter days and provide much needed immune system support no matter what the season. Not to mention they smell awesome! Actually, The Food Lover's Companion tells us that the word "orange," comes from a transliteration of the sanskrit, "naranga," which is derived from the Tamil, "naru," or "fragrant." That, they are! 

When we smell a fragrance, that olfactory information is delivered directly to our limbic systems and hypothalamus, producing deep emotional and behavioral transformations. Studies have linked the smell of oranges to improved emotional and immune responses, serving as everything from anti-depressants to energizing and revitalizing agents. In fact, a 2000 study in a dental office found patients experienced reduced anxiety during visits when orange oil was diffused. 

Oranges are significant historically and symbolically as well. Having originated in China, oranges are considered by the Chinese culture to be symbols of good luck and auspiciousness. Oranges are also associated with wealth in China, since the Chinese term for "orange" rhymes with the term for "gold." For this reason, they are very popular during the Chinese New Year and are shared freely to encourage nationwide wealth and good luck. 

Oranges are round in shape as well, so they are associated with the pure, never-ending cycle of a circle and are considered to be a symbol of completeness as well as to provide bright, positive energy to any space. Even now, oranges and other citrus fruit are used to brighten food and the visuals on a plate..

It's not difficult to see why oranges hold so much importance in some cultures. All natural, sweet, filling and an easy way to add color.  What do you think? Does this energizing citrusy aroma of sweet oranges make you happy?

by Anjie Cho