Bitter orange/synephrine Uses

Bitter orange/synephrine In Pakistan - 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.S. 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.
• The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has placed “synephrine (bitter orange)” on its current list of banned drugs, listing it as a stimulant.

Bitter orange/synephrine Product

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 multico