How Citrus Fruits Enhance Blood Flow and Brain Function

Citrus compounds may boost nitric oxide and support the growth of new nerve cells.

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What do swollen ankles, heavy legs, memory loss, and cognitive challenges have in common? Impaired circulation.

The heart pumps blood through capillaries, arteries, and veins. This flow supplies the brain with oxygen, connects with the lymphatic system to regulate fluid levels, influences the nervous system, and possibly even affects the spread of cancer.

Now, what if there were a bioflavonoid—a type of plant pigment with health benefits—that improved all conditions of poor circulation? A compound that stimulates the healthy living and dying of cells?

Well, there is one—an influential plant compound called hesperidin, found in fruit rinds and the albedo—the white, spongy material inside citrus fruits.

Circulatory Support

Hesperidin benefits the circulatory system by interacting with specialized cells called endothelial cells, which line the inside of all blood vessels and the lymphatic system.

The plant compound stimulates the production of nitric oxide, a chemical messenger in the body that improves functions such as blood pressure and blood flow by dilating blood vessels. Hesperidin also acts as an anti-inflammatory.

If vein valves are weak, the heart must work harder to pump blood throughout the body and back to itself, which can lead to fluid buildup. A blocked or damaged lymphatic system can also contribute to this accumulation.

Karlene Karst, a registered dietitian, has long known about hesperidin’s beneficial effects on the circulatory system, particularly the veins.

“Hesperidin can reduce chronic venous insufficiency and [help with] venous leg ulcers,” Karst told The Epoch Times. She added that the flavonoid can relieve symptoms of poor circulation, including cold feet, swelling, varicose veins, or legs feeling heavy.

By regulating healthy blood flow, hesperidin also affects other parts of the body, such as the nervous system and the brain, which it supplies with oxygen. This can help people with memory loss or other cognitive concerns. 

Mental and Cognitive Health

Cognitive diseases can lead to depression, memory loss, or a decrease in motor skills.

Researchers have observed that hesperidin has positive effects on the central nervous system and cognitive function. A February review published in the European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry combined outcomes of 19 preclinical studies.

Hesperidin can protect the nerves and support the creation of new nerve cells. Therefore, it may counteract Alzheimer’s disease, alleviate depression, support cognitive function, and enhance motor capabilities and memory.

Hesperidin shifts the activity of certain pathways in the brain. These pathways create or alter compounds the brain and body use to carry out perceptive functions—how people gather and process information through their senses and intuition.

A 2023 review published in Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy noted that hesperidin works through the hippocampus, the part of the brain that regulates emotions and supports memory.

These changes in brain signaling pathways can reduce anxiety and depression, as well as improve cognition and memory, key areas affected in Alzheimer’s disease.

There are three main causes of symptoms in patients with Alzheimer’s disease: nerve inflammation, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Hesperidin can address all three.

Oxidative stress occurs when the body is overwhelmed by harmful free radicals and unable to eliminate them. Free radicals are molecules without paired electrons, making them highly reactive and potentially damaging. Oxidative stress is a major contributor to Alzheimer’s disease, resulting in plaque buildup and damaged brain cells.

Mitochondrial dysfunction promotes oxidative stress by impairing the energy production within nerve cells. Think of a powerplant that is not working correctly—these malfunctioning cellular powerhouses disrupt normal processes within the cells, reducing healthy brain function.

A 2024 review published in Current Molecular Medicine identified hesperidin as a potential therapeutic compound for treating brain disorders.

In short, hesperidin promotes healthy cell life cycles, supports the growth of new nerve cells, and helps the body shed unhealthy ones.

Hesperidin Supplementation

Hesperidin is readily available in supplement form and is frequently combined with vitamin C or diosmin, both powerful antioxidants with anticancer properties.

Karst recommends a dose of 100 to 150 milligrams (mg), one to two times per day with meals, and finds it easiest to take the plant compound as a supplement.

However, simply eating or juicing fresh fruit can be equally effective.

Food and Juice

The hesperidin content in citrus fruits depends largely on the variety. All are generally considered safe and contribute important metabolites to overall health.

Hesperidin content varies by fruit. In total, 100 milliliters of orange juice contains 20 to 60 mg of hesperidin; 8 to 46 mg for tangerines; 4 to 41 mg for lemon juice; and 2 to 17 mg for grapefruit juice.

Hence, the juice of two to six freshly pressed oranges would supply the daily dose recommended by a nutritionist. In sweet oranges—sometimes called navel oranges—hesperidin is easily attainable, as it is the principal flavonoid in this species.

Eating four to 20 tangerines daily might be more of a challenge, and for lemons and grapefruit, it is almost impossible to reach the recommended value through diet alone.

Often discarded, the colored outer layer of the peel and the white middle layer contain higher concentrations of the flavonoid.

Powdered Form

The entire citrus peel can be stored as a dried health food.

Ensure good airflow during the drying process to prevent any mold from forming on the peel. Once dried properly, the peel can be stored in airtight glass containers for months.

To enjoy, grind a piece of peel into a powder and add to hot water for a delicious cup of tea, or mix into your favorite warm beverage.

As a Tincture

The peel of oranges and other citrus fruits can also be used in an alcoholic extraction, drawing out even more of the plant compound. Find instructions in Homemade Phytopharmaceuticals–How to Decoct and Extract Medicinal Plants in Your Kitchen.

A tincture of orange or lemon peels is best made with 70 percent alcohol during the maceration process. Let it steep for four weeks, then strain.

The tincture can be taken up to three times daily, in doses of five to 10 drops.

A Word of Caution

In herbal and traditional Chinese medicine, orange peels are considered a rare warming bitter (usually bitters are cooling). This means that they should be used with caution during any inflammation of the stomach or digestive tract, such as gastritis, or in the presence of ulcers.

Hesperidin belongs to a long list of extraordinary plant compounds with great value for health inside and out. However, always buy from a reputable source, as citrus fruits are often sprayed with pesticides and fungicides, and some Florida orange peels are colored with Orange B dye, which is not safe to eat. Be sure to wash the fruit thoroughly before consuming or using it.