In Mexico, a common way to prepare it is to cut the orange in half, salt it, and then coat it with hot chili paste before eating it. In Spain, Bitter orange juice is used to flavour fish and meat.

On the other hand, in Yucatan, Bitter Orange is used like vinegar. Egyptians even ferment Bitter Orange to make wine. Bitter orange oil is also used all over the world to flavor liqueur, chewing gum, ice cream, gelatin, and candy.

Bitter Orange is also available in various forms of Bitter Orange Supplements, such as Bitter Orange powder. Alternatively, instead of consuming it, you can apply Bitter Orange oil on your skin topically. Bitter Orange oil can be purchased over the counter from herbal stores and Asian markets.

Do note that the medicinal actions of the herb will become mild if it is stir-baked. Bitter Orange should be used with caution by individuals experiencing pregnancy, Qi Deficiency or Cold in the Stomach. Also, Bitter Orange contains Synephrine, which raises blood pressure levels. Thus, individuals with high blood pressure should avoid consuming Bitter Orange too.

As Synephrine is a stimulant, some common side effects associated with it include jitters, headache, increased heart rate and higher sensitivity to the sun. There are also reports of Bitter Orange resulting in migraine , fainting, heart attack and stroke.

In addition, some individuals have allergies to citrus fruits like Bitter Orange, which may involve cross-reactivity with pollen and other plants. Symptoms of such allergies may include vomiting, abdominal pain or diarrhea. If you have a known allergy to citrus fruits, it is best to avoid Bitter Orange.

Karthikeyan, V. Citrus aurantium bitter orange : A review of its traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology. International journal of drug discovery and herbal research , 4 4 , Rasmussen, C.

Dietary supplements and hypertension: potential benefits and precautions. The Journal of Clinical Hypertension , 14 7 , Since ephedrine has been banned in sports, synephrine — containing citrus aurantium may be a good alternative.

The potential athletic benefits are as follows:. Non — Athletic Benefits of Citrus Aurantium:. Citrus aurantium may be beneficial in the following conditions:.

Citrus Aurantium Triple Paradox:. Depending on whether you take extracts of the leaves or peels of the immature or mature fruits, citrus aurantium shows three paradox effects:. Dosage and Interactions:. The recommended dosage is — mg of the extract.

Similar to grapefruit, citrus aurantium interacts with the medications that are metabolized by the enzyme complex called cytochrome P Citrus aurantium should be avoided in the following conditions:. Log in Register.

Don't have an account yet? Register now! An entirely separate study , meanwhile, found that subjects who supplemented with bitter orange were better able to control their calories — probably because their appetite was mildly suppressed.

And a third showed that for people exercising at low-to-moderate intensity, p-synephrine increased the rate of fat oxidation while reducing the rate of carbohydrate oxidation. Applying bitter orange oil appears to help treat fungal skin infections. Formulated to help you get an edge — both mentally and physically — Thermoblaze is all-natural and supported by many positive reviews.

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Clinical studies confirmed that inhalation or oral administration of Citrus aurantium can have beneficial effects on anxiety. More recently, bitter orange extracts are used for weight loss supplements, bodybuilding, and improving athletic performance.

Depending on the dosage form and quantity, bitter orange peel and essential oil show a range of medicinal activities such as. The fruit peel is used as a traditional digestive aid and appetite stimulant. The peel and the juice also seem to be good sources of antioxidants.

Besides, consuming bitter orange juice can benefit our vitamin C intake. Bitter orange oil is used in aromatherapy to help with nervousness and anxiety.

It is applied to the skin for fungal diseases and can also be found in many skincare products. Today, bitter orange extract and synephrine are widely used for weight loss or weight management, appetite control, and increasing energy and metabolism.

However, the US National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA lists synephrine as a banned stimulant. Questions have been raised about the safety of bitter orange supplements since the structure of synephrine is similar to ephedrine.

Back in , reports of serious adverse reactions triggered public concern also to products containing Citrus aurantium. However, subsequent investigations revealed that many reports were duplicates or very incomplete. Also, most reports involved either ephedrine-containing products without a bitter orange ingredient or products that also contained caffeine.

Only one report was about a product with bitter orange as the only active ingredient. In , scientists reviewed 30 human studies with bitter orange extract and p-synephrine.

They concluded that both are safe for use in dietary supplements and foods at the commonly used doses. However, weight-loss products often use much higher concentrations than traditional extracts. Health Canada states that doses of 1 to 50 mg p-synephrine per day are not likely to cause any adverse health consequences.

Nevertheless, a combination with caffeine - as often is the case in weight loss and bodybuilding products - is not recommended. Combined use may increase the risk of adverse effects.

Besides the volatile oil, para- or p-synephrine is the main active compound in the peel. It has thermogenic, meaning heat-producing, properties. Often referred to as simply synephrine, it is sometimes confused with meta-synephrine which has potent cardiovascular effects.

In contrast to the meta-form, p-synephrine is naturally found in juices of several popular citrus varieties. Research has shown that para-synephrine does not increase heart rate or blood pressure even at oral doses up to mg. In addition, the orange skin contains bitter-tasting substances called neohesperidin and naringin.

They are the reason for its typical bitterness and its use as a digestive aid and appetite stimulant. Our body contains receptors for bitter compounds not only in the mouth and tongue, but the stomach, gut, liver, and pancreas.

This is mostly for protective reasons, as most poisonous things taste very bitter. Still, the stimulation of these bitter receptors promotes healthy digestion by increasing digestive secretions.

Also, the bile flow is stimulated. This digestive cascade results in better digestion and relieves digestive issues. Bitter orange extract benefits digestion and appetite. However, the appetite is only stimulated if there is no healthy appetite, for instance, due to illness or a condition.

Especially in low doses, bitter substances may even slow down cravings for sweets. Taking bitter orange with monoamine oxidase inhibitors MAOIs may increase the concentration of the drug and cause serious side effects.

Taking bitter orange along with midazolam might increase the effects and side effects of the drug. Because of potentially additive effects, synephrine use should be avoided in patients with severe hypertension, tachyarrhythmia, hyperthyroidism, or narrow-angle glaucoma.

Children, as well as pregnant or breastfeeding women, should avoid bitter orange products since safety data are lacking. Applied to the skin, bitter orange oil can make the skin sensitive to UV light and sunlight. An industry-sponsored review of 20 published and unpublished studies with a combined total of approximately subjects concluded taking bitter orange or synephrine, alone or in combination with other ingredients one of which was usually caffeine , for six to twelve weeks has been associated with slight weight loss and has had no substantial adverse effects on heart rate or blood pressure.

Bitter orange is used similarly in a wide variety of traditions. In Mexico and South America the leaf is used as a tonic, as a laxative, as a sedative for insomnia, and to calm frazzled nerves.

Where the patient is weak, the milder, mature fruit is used similarly. Bitter orange has a complex chemical makeup, though it is perhaps most known for the volatile oil in the peel. The familiar oily residue that appears after peeling citrus fruit, including bitter orange, is this volatile oil.

It gives bitter orange its strong odor and flavor, and accounts for many of its medicinal effects. Besides the volatile oil, the peel contains flavones, the alkaloids synephrine, octopamine, and N-methyltyramine, and carotenoids.

Usually 1 to 2 grams of dried peel is simmered for 10 to 15 minutes in a cup of water; three cups are drunk daily. As a tincture, 2 to 3 ml with a weight-to-volume ratio ranging from to is often recommended for use three times per day. Decoctions of bitter orange substantially increased blood levels of cyclosporine in pigs, causing toxicity.

Bitter orange might, therefore, interact with drugs that are metabolized by CYP3A. To be on the safe side, bitter orange should not be combined with prescription medications, unless someone is under the care of an experienced natural medicine clinician.

Bitter orange oil may possibly cause light sensitivity photosensitivity , especially in fair-skinned individuals. The oil should not be applied topically and anyone who uses it internally should avoid bright light, including tanning booths. Internal use of the volatile oil of bitter orange is also potentially unsafe and should not be undertaken without expert guidance.

Large amounts of orange peel have caused intestinal colic, convulsions, and death in children. One text on Chinese medicine cautions against the use of bitter orange in pregnancy. Martinez M. Las Plantas Medicinales de Mexico. Mexico City: Libreria y Ediciones Botas, Gonzalez-Ferrara MM.

Plantas medicinales del noreste de Mexico. Monterey, Mexico: Grupo Vitro, Bejar E, Bussmann R, Roa C, Sharon D. Herbs of Southern Ecuador: A Field Guide to the Medicinal Plants of Vilcabamba. Spring Valley, CA: LH Press, Molina GV: Plantas Medicinales en el Pais Vasco.

San Sebastian, Spain: Editorial Txertoa, Bensky D, Gamble A, Kaptchuk T. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica , rev. Seattle: Eastland Press, Inc. Hernandez L, Munoz RA, Miro G, et al.

Use of medicinal plants by ambulatory patients in Puerto Rico. Am J Hosp Pharm ; Blumenthal M, Goldberg A, Brinckmann J, eds. Herbal Medicine: Expanded Commission E Monographs.

Newton, MA: Integrative Medicine Communications, Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. Cited Jul Available from URL: www. gov, Hou YC, Hsiu SL, Tsao CW, et al. Acute intoxication of cyclosporine caused by coadministration of decoctions of the fruits of Citrus aurantium and the pericarps of Citrus grandis.

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Home Health Information Bitter Orange. Bitter Orange. Common Names: bitter orange, Seville orange, sour orange, zhi shi. Latin Names: Citrus aurantium. Native to eastern Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Syria, and Southeast Asia, bitter orange now is grown throughout the Mediterranean region and elsewhere, including California and Florida.

Bitter orange has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for indigestion, nausea, and constipation. Today, various bitter orange products are promoted for heartburn, nasal congestion, weight loss, appetite stimulation or suppression, and athletic performance.

Bitter orange is also applied to the skin for pain, bruises, fungal infections, and bedsores. Bitter orange is used in cooking and for adding flavor to beer and spirits. The fruit of bitter orange contains p -synephrine and other naturally occurring chemicals. p -Synephrine is structurally similar to ephedrine, the main component in the herb ephedra, but p -synephrine has different pharmacologic properties how the component acts.

The U. Food and Drug Administration banned the use of ephedra in dietary supplements because it raises blood pressure and is linked to heart attack and stroke.

Bitter orange is commonly used as a substitute for ephedra in dietary supplements. How Much Do We Know? A small number of studies have investigated the usefulness of bitter orange for health purposes in people. What Have We Learned? What Do We Know About Safety?

Bitter orange is likely safe when used orally in amounts commonly found in foods. There is one case report of a woman having a faster-than-normal heart rate at rest after taking a dietary supplement that contained only bitter orange.

There are other case reports of healthy people experiencing fainting, angina, heart attack, and stroke after taking bitter orange as part of multicomponent products. However, because these products contained multiple ingredients, it is difficult to know the role that bitter orange played.

Evidence regarding the effects of bitter orange alone or combined with other substances, such as caffeine and green tea on the heart and cardiovascular system is inconclusive.

Keep in Mind. Take charge of your health—talk with your health care providers about any complementary health approaches you use. Together, you can make shared, well-informed decisions. For More Information.