What is Citrus Aurantium?

Citrus aurantium (also known as bitter orange, Seville orange and bigarade orange) is a tree that belongs to the Rutaceae family. Different parts of the tree, such as its flowers, fruits, leaves and peels, have been utilized medicinally for thousands of years. Citrus aurantium is now primarily employed as an appetite suppressant and acts as a key ingredient in various weight loss pills and supplements. In addition, various forms of the tree's oil are used for flavoring and fragrance purposes.

History

• The earliest use of Citrus aurantium dates back to the natives of the Amazon rainforest, and it has been part of traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. They referred to it as "Zhi Shi" and found it effective in the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders (like abdominal and stomach discomfort, diarrhea, constipation, heartburn, indigestion, nausea and vomiting).

Features

• Many modern health practitioners use Citrus aurantium for the health conditions above and, additionally, utilize it to treat skin inflammations, muscle pains, bruising and various fungal infections, such as athlete's foot, jock itch and ringworm. Citrus aurantium comes in a number of forms, including capsules, juices and extracts, oils, peels, powders and tablets.

Function

• Citrus aurantium is regularly used by dietary supplement manufacturers because of its weight loss properties. It contains the chemical compounds tyramine, synephrine and octopamine, which promote the breakdown of fats, oils and lipids. The compounds in Citrus aurantium trigger the body to discharge the stress hormone, norepinephrine (or noradrenaline) throughout receptor sites, generating chemical reactions that boost the breakdown of fats and enhance the body's metabolic resting rate.

Effects

• Citrus aurantium gained additional popularity in April of 2004, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the use of ephedra in dietary supplements. The FDA banned ephedra because of its usage was linked to numerous adverse effects and even deaths. The synephrine (oxedrine) in Citrus aurantium is a formation that's similar to ephedra; however there are few (if any) validated reports that link Citrus aurantium to the adverse effects attributed with ephedra. Moreover, since it's a member of the citrus family, Citrus aurantium holds vitamin C properties which can help cleanse the blood and assist in the body's absorption of iron.

Considerations

• Although Citrus aurantium is widely used in dietary supplements because of its alleged weight loss properties, there are many doctors who feel that there's no concrete evidence that proves it's effective for that purpose. The authors of an article on Citrus aurantium published April 23, 2007 in the "Encyclopedia of Dietary Supplements," state "While some evidence is promising, larger and more rigorous clinical trials are necessary to draw adequate conclusions about the safety and efficacy of these supplements for promoting weight loss." Additionally, author Katherine Zeratsky responds to the question "Bitter orange weight-loss supplements: Do they work?" in an editorial on the Mayo Clinic's website, stating "There's no definitive evidence that bitter orange (Citrus aurantium) is effective for weight loss." She attributes a lot of its usage in dietary supplements to the fact that after the banning of ephedra, manufacturers began searching for a quick substitute, and took note of the similarities between Citrus aurantium and ephedra.

Warning

• The majority of the safety concerns regarding Citrus aurantium and its workings have to do with its stimulation properties. That being said, the synephrine in Citrus aurantium can increase a person's blood and his potential for cardiovascular complications such as palpitations, and decreased blood circulation to the heart and body extremities. Children, women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, individuals with cardiovascular, kidney or liver disease, glaucoma or high blood pressure are advised against taking Citrus aurantium, as sufficient amounts of studies have not been conducted on its effect with such populations. Additionally, Citrus aurantium can adversely affect other medications and supplements, including calcium channel blockers, MAO inhibitors, stimulants and sulfa antibiotics.