Salt-Steamed Orange

Why people make this

Here is a curious fact that many people do not know: raw orange can actually make coughs worse by increasing respiratory secretions and stimulating more phlegm production. Yet a steamed orange does the opposite — it helps dissolve phlegm and soothes the throat. The transformation happens because heat activates the bioflavonoids in the orange peel, particularly a compound called hesperidin (cheng pi su), which has documented anti-inflammatory, expectorant, and cough-suppressant properties. Adding a pinch of salt enhances the anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effect. This remedy is particularly effective for heat-related coughs — the kind that follows eating fried or rich food, comes with yellow or thick phlegm, and produces a dry, irritated throat sensation.

Method

1. Scrub the orange thoroughly with sea salt to remove surface residues (pesticides); rinse well and pat dry.
2. Cut off the top of the orange (about 1–1.5 cm from the top) to create a lid.
3. Place the orange in a bowl. Sprinkle a small pinch of salt over the exposed orange flesh.
4. Use chopsticks to poke a few holes into the flesh to help the salt penetrate.
5. Steam over high heat for 20 minutes.
6. Allow to cool until warm but comfortable to handle.
7. Use a spoon to press and squeeze the orange flesh, extracting all the juice — including the slightly bitter juice from the peel.
8. Eat the orange flesh and drink all the liquid, including the steamed peel juice. The slight bitterness is where much of the therapeutic effect lies.

Nourilo’s Tips

The instinct to avoid the slightly bitter peel juice is understandable, but resist it — that slightly bitter, slightly salty liquid from the steamed peel is the most effective part of the remedy. For heat coughs with sore throat, this is particularly soothing. The method is especially useful when you have over-indulged in sweet, fried, or rich food and notice that telltale tickle in the throat signalling incoming phlegm. However, if your cough is the cold type — white, thin, watery phlegm, feeling cold, mostly coughing at night — this remedy is not the right one. In that case, a warm ginger-based preparation would be more appropriate.