Is Bitter Orange a Safe Weight Loss Supplement?
The name “bitter orange” refers to a citrus tree (Citrus aurantium) and its fruit and is often used in herbal medicine as a stimulant and appetite suppressant, and recently it has replaced the banned stimulant ephedra in many over the counter herbal weight-loss products. Other names for this extract include sour orange, Seville orange and bigarade orange. The extract and peel of bitter orange have been used in diet pills and natural diet supplements as an aid to weight loss and as an appetite suppressant. This substance contains synephrine and octopamine, which are substances similar to ephedrine found in ephedra, and act to constrict blood vessels and increase blood pressure and heart rate. These chemicals may cause high blood pressure and heart rhythm disturbances Following bans on the herbal stimulant ephedra in the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere world-wide, bitter orange has been substituted into “ephedra-free” natural weight-loss products by diet pills and natural supplement manufact
