Citrus aurantiumis the Latin name for a fruit called Seville orange, or bitter orange. The juice, peel, and essential oil have all been used medicinally. Traditionally uses include digestive problems, epilepsy, fatigue, insomnia, infections, respiratory problems, skin problems, and many other uses. As a flavoring, essence of bitter orange is found in the drinks Triple Sec and Cointreau.
Most of the safety concerns regarding citrus aurantium relate to its stimulant constituents.
The drug synephrine is known to produce many unpleasant and possibly dangerous side effects, including headache, agitation, rapid heart rate, and heart palpitations. In some people, it can cause angina pectoris , kidney damage, increased pressure in the eye, and reduced blood circulation to the heart and the extremities. The other stimulant amines in Citrus aurantiummay increase such effects. There is one case report of a heart attack that appears possibly related to use of a citrus aurantium supplement, 9 1 and another that links the herb to stroke. 14 2 Citrus aurantiumjuice or concentrated extracts can raise blood pressure and increase heart rate 15 3 and therefore should not be used by individuals with cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure . The herb should also be avoided by people with glaucoma .
Synephrine can also interact with numerous medications and other drugs, including stimulants (e.g., ephedrine , pseudoephedrine (Sudafed), Ritalin, and even caffeine) and anesthetics. The tyramine constituent of Citrus aurantiumcan cause deadly side effects when combined with drugs in the MAO inhibitor family.
The peel and essential oil of Citrus aurantiummay cause photosensitivity (increased tendency to react to sun exposure). For this reason, combination treatment with drugs that cause the same side effect (such as sulfa antibiotics ) is not recommended.
Finally, Citrus aurantiumjuice can alter the way that the liver processes various medications, potentially raising or lowering their levels. 10-13 4 5 6 In particular, the drugs cyclosporine and felodipine (a calcium channel blocker ) are thought to be affected by Citrus aurantiumjuice, but numerous other drugs may interact with it as well. For this reason, we recommend that if you are taking any medication that is critical to your health, you should not take Citrus aurantiumjuice.
Safety in young children, pregnant or nursing women, or people with severe liver or kidney disease has not been established.
If you are taking
Citrus aurantiumjuice and peel contain the stimulant chemical synephrine as well as related stimulants such as octopamine, tyramine, N-methyltyramine, and hordeline. On this basis, Citrus aurantiumhas been widely marketed as a weight-loss product . However, there is no reliable evidence that Citrus aurantiumis effective, and considerable reason to worry that it may cause harm (see Safety Issues ). The reassuring statement made by some manufacturers that Citrus aurantiumoffers the “benefits of ephedra without the risks” is not supported by scientific evidence.
The only published double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on Citrus aurantiumjuice did not test the herb alone, but rather evaluated a combination product that also contained caffeine and St. John's wort . 1 While the results were somewhat positive, overall the study was too preliminary to reach reliable conclusions. An even less reliable study evaluated the synephrine constituent of Citrus aurantiumand found possible “fat burning” actions. 2 In view of the weakness of the evidence in favor of Citrus aurantium, and the considerable evidence that it presents health risks, we recommend against using it for weight loss.
Other evidence, far too weak to rely upon at all, hints that synephrine-rich Citrus aurantiumextracts might have antidepressant effects . 3,4 Besides synephrine and other stimulants, whole Citrus aurantiumpeel contains including citral, limonene, and several citrus bioflavonoids , including hesperidin, neohesperidin, naringin, and rutin. Weak evidence hints that these substances might have cancer-preventive 5,6 4 and antiviral actions. 7 5 The essential oil of Citrus aurantiumcontains linalool and the fragrant substance limonene and might have antianxiety and sedative effects. 8 6 However, neither of these proposed uses has more than extremely preliminary supporting evidence.
References
Citrus aurantiumjuice and peel contain the stimulant chemical synephrine as well as related stimulants such as octopamine, tyramine, N-methyltyramine, and hordeline. On this basis, Citrus aurantiumhas been widely marketed as a weight-loss product . However, there is no reliable evidence that Citrus aurantiumis effective, and considerable reason to worry that it may cause harm (see Safety Issues ). The reassuring statement made by some manufacturers that Citrus aurantiumoffers the “benefits of ephedra without the risks” is not supported by scientific evidence.
The only published double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on Citrus aurantiumjuice did not test the herb alone, but rather evaluated a combination product that also contained caffeine and St. John's wort . 1 While the results were somewhat positive, overall the study was too preliminary to reach reliable conclusions. An even less reliable study evaluated the synephrine constituent of Citrus aurantiumand found possible “fat burning” actions. 2 In view of the weakness of the evidence in favor of Citrus aurantium, and the considerable evidence that it presents health risks, we recommend against using it for weight loss.
Other evidence, far too weak to rely upon at all, hints that synephrine-rich Citrus aurantiumextracts might have antidepressant effects . 3 Besides synephrine and other stimulants, whole Citrus aurantiumpeel contains including citral, limonene, and several citrus bioflavonoids , including hesperidin, neohesperidin, naringin, and rutin. Weak evidence hints that these substances might have cancer-preventive 4 and antiviral actions. 5 The essential oil of Citrus aurantiumcontains linalool and the fragrant substance limonene and might have antianxiety and sedative effects. 6 However, neither of these proposed uses has more than extremely preliminary supporting evidence.
Most of the safety concerns regarding citrus aurantium relate to its stimulant constituents.
The drug synephrine is known to produce many unpleasant and possibly dangerous side effects, including headache, agitation, rapid heart rate, and heart palpitations. In some people, it can cause angina pectoris , kidney damage, increased pressure in the eye, and reduced blood circulation to the heart and the extremities. The other stimulant amines in Citrus aurantiummay increase such effects. There is one case report of a heart attack that appears possibly related to use of a citrus aurantium supplement, 1 and another that links the herb to stroke. 2 Citrus aurantiumjuice or concentrated extracts can raise blood pressure and increase heart rate 3 and therefore should not be used by individuals with cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure . The herb should also be avoided by people with glaucoma .
Synephrine can also interact with numerous medications and other drugs, including stimulants (e.g., ephedrine , pseudoephedrine (Sudafed), Ritalin, and even caffeine) and anesthetics. The tyramine constituent of Citrus aurantiumcan cause deadly side effects when combined with drugs in the MAO inhibitor family.
The peel and essential oil of Citrus aurantiummay cause photosensitivity (increased tendency to react to sun exposure). For this reason, combination treatment with drugs that cause the same side effect (such as sulfa antibiotics ) is not recommended.
Finally, Citrus aurantiumjuice can alter the way that the liver processes various medications, potentially raising or lowering their levels. 4 5 6 In particular, the drugs cyclosporine and felodipine (a calcium channel blocker ) are thought to be affected by Citrus aurantiumjuice, but numerous other drugs may interact with it as well. For this reason, we recommend that if you are taking any medication that is critical to your health, you should not take Citrus aurantiumjuice.
Safety in young children, pregnant or nursing women, or people with severe liver or kidney disease has not been established.
If you are taking
Citrus aurantiumis the Latin name for a fruit called Seville orange, or bitter orange. The juice, peel, and essential oil have all been used medicinally. Traditionally uses include digestive problems, epilepsy, fatigue, insomnia, infections, respiratory problems, skin problems, and many other uses. As a flavoring, essence of bitter orange is found in the drinks Triple Sec and Cointreau.
Many Citrus aurantiumproducts are made from the juice and/or concentrated extracts of the peel and are said to contain a fixed percentage of synephrine or total amines. A typical recommended dosage of such products ranges from 100–150 mg two to three times daily. However, these doses may be unsafe.
Citrus aurantiumjuice and peel contain the stimulant chemical synephrine as well as related stimulants such as octopamine, tyramine, N-methyltyramine, and hordeline. On this basis, Citrus aurantiumhas been widely marketed as a weight-loss product . However, there is no reliable evidence that Citrus aurantiumis effective, and considerable reason to worry that it may cause harm (see Safety Issues ). The reassuring statement made by some manufacturers that Citrus aurantiumoffers the “benefits of ephedra without the risks” is not supported by scientific evidence.
The only published double-blind, placebo-controlled trial on Citrus aurantiumjuice did not test the herb alone, but rather evaluated a combination product that also contained caffeine and St. John's wort . 1 While the results were somewhat positive, overall the study was too preliminary to reach reliable conclusions. An even less reliable study evaluated the synephrine constituent of Citrus aurantiumand found possible “fat burning” actions. 2 In view of the weakness of the evidence in favor of Citrus aurantium, and the considerable evidence that it presents health risks, we recommend against using it for weight loss.
Other evidence, far too weak to rely upon at all, hints that synephrine-rich Citrus aurantiumextracts might have antidepressant effects . 3 Besides synephrine and other stimulants, whole Citrus aurantiumpeel contains including citral, limonene, and several citrus bioflavonoids , including hesperidin, neohesperidin, naringin, and rutin. Weak evidence hints that these substances might have cancer-preventive 4 and antiviral actions. 5 The essential oil of Citrus aurantiumcontains linalool and the fragrant substance limonene and might have antianxiety and sedative effects. 6 However, neither of these proposed uses has more than extremely preliminary supporting evidence.
Most of the safety concerns regarding citrus aurantium relate to its stimulant constituents.
The drug synephrine is known to produce many unpleasant and possibly dangerous side effects, including headache, agitation, rapid heart rate, and heart palpitations. In some people, it can cause angina pectoris , kidney damage, increased pressure in the eye, and reduced blood circulation to the heart and the extremities. The other stimulant amines in Citrus aurantiummay increase such effects. There is one case report of a heart attack that appears possibly related to use of a citrus aurantium supplement, 1 and another that links the herb to stroke. 2 Citrus aurantiumjuice or concentrated extracts can raise blood pressure and increase heart rate 3 and therefore should not be used by individuals with cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure . The herb should also be avoided by people with glaucoma .
Synephrine can also interact with numerous medications and other drugs, including stimulants (e.g., ephedrine , pseudoephedrine (Sudafed), Ritalin, and even caffeine) and anesthetics. The tyramine constituent of Citrus aurantiumcan cause deadly side effects when combined with drugs in the MAO inhibitor family.
The peel and essential oil of Citrus aurantiummay cause photosensitivity (increased tendency to react to sun exposure). For this reason, combination treatment with drugs that cause the same side effect (such as sulfa antibiotics ) is not recommended.
Finally, Citrus aurantiumjuice can alter the way that the liver processes various medications, potentially raising or lowering their levels. 4 5 6 In particular, the drugs cyclosporine and felodipine (a calcium channel blocker ) are thought to be affected by Citrus aurantiumjuice, but numerous other drugs may interact with it as well. For this reason, we recommend that if you are taking any medication that is critical to your health, you should not take Citrus aurantiumjuice.
Safety in young children, pregnant or nursing women, or people with severe liver or kidney disease has not been established.
If you are taking
