I am in the middle of a mild cold, mostly sniffles. But I am eating a lot of mandarin oranges — locally grown in Placer county (CA – north of Sacramento), in fact; we buy them by the box directly from the grower.

Mandarin oranges are good for the sniffles, since they contain a higher concentration of synephrine:

“A recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirms that Placer’s popular Owari Satsuma mandarins pack a big jolt of synephrine, a natural antihistamine that relieves cold and allergy symptoms. Scientists have known since the 1960s that citrus fruit, such as oranges, contain synephrine, but the health experts overlooked the mandarin. ” (news article; the study was funded by the local mandarin orange growers).

This variety of mandarins contains up to 6 times the synephrine as orange juice. Since I am on blood thinner medication (Warfarin, for an atrial fibrillation condition), I can’t use over the counter decongestants. A couple of mandarins seems to relieve my congestion a bit.

They are quite tasty.

And I am at work today.