1. Centuries of Experience
People have used bitter orange for hundreds of years to treat many different kinds of ailments. While bitter orange is one name, it's also known as neroli or bigarade orange. Today, people use it for everything from stomach disorder to insomnia, but the most prominent use for bitter orange is for the treatment of obesity. Ironically, some cultures use bitter orange to increase appetite.
2. Use All the Parts
Many of the tonics and teas of bitter orange use the peel of the orange. The oil in the peel is also used as an alternative medicine, since it contains a prescription list of chemicals that range from carotenoids, flavones, synephrine and octopamine. Alternative medicine and oriental medicine use the flower as treatment for nausea, insomnia and anxiety. In Latin America, the plant's leaf is the basis for a tonic for constipation.
3. Lose Weight with Bitter Orange
The chemicals in bitter orange are similar to those in ephedra. The ephedrine contained in ephedra resemble the synephrine and octopamine in the bitter orange peel. Some believe that bitter orange combined with St. Johns wort and caffeine can aid in increasing metabolism and weight loss. The caffeine stimulates the system, and the St. John's wort creates a more optimistic mental attitude. Studies show that bitter orange does increase heart rate.
4. It's in Diet Pills
When ephedrine was removed from the market because of the adverse effect on blood pressure and heart rhythm, people looked at bitter orange as a viable substitute for the drug in diet pills. While the benefits are still unknown from studies, the likelihood of the synephrine and octopamine in bitter orange as a replacement is feasible.
5. Possible Danger
Bitter orange may have the same effect on the body as the ephedrine. The combination of the bitter orange with caffeine may also cause the heart to race and blood pressure to climb. Bitter orange may also interact with other prescriptions taken. It is always best to consult your physician first before embarking on a new regime. Pregnant women should be particularly wary as there is no evidence that it is safe for the fetus. As of yet, there is no concrete evidence for benefit or danger.
Member Comments