As many as one out of 110 children in America have autism spectrum disorders, or ASD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Parents of children with developmental disorders such as autism, which causes language, social, communication and emotional delays, are understandably anxious to try almost anything to help their children, since conventional medicine offers no cure for the lifetime disorder. Some try the herb bitter orange, although its clinical effectiveness is unproven. Do not give bitter orange to your child to treat autism without your doctor's supervision.
Ingredients
Bitter orange, also called Seville orange or zhi shi, is used in traditional Chinese medicine and by people of the Amazon rainforest region to treat various stomach ailments and for weight loss. Bitter orange contains synephrine, a chemical similar to ephedra, banned from diet pills in the United States. Ephedra raises blood pressure, increases the heart rate and can contribute to heart disease or stroke. It is not known whether bitter orange has the same effects, according to the National Institutes of Health. The ingredient in bitter orange that parents attribute to having benefit in autism is octopamine, a neurotransmitter.
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People promoting the use of bitter orange for autism claim that octopamide plays a part in memory and learning. On an alternative website devoted to autism, Holistic Approach to Autism, advocate and homeopathic practitioner Andrea Lamala states that toxins in pesticides inhibit octopamide. Replacing octopamide, found in bitter orange, helps improve speech deficits and other autistic behaviors, she believes, although she offers no supporting evidence.
Uses
The use of bitter orange to treat autism is not based on clinical proof of its effectiveness but on anecdotal information and a theory that a neurotransmitter may help regain language losses caused by toxins in genetically engineered foods. No one can say whether this theory has any validity, because it has not been tested. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved bitter orange only for use in small amounts as a flavoring agent.
Considerations
Bitter orange may have serious side effects. Fainting, heart attack and stroke have occurred with simultaneous caffeine and bitter orange use. Do not take this supplement or give it to your child without talking to your medical practitioner first. Some parents give bitter orange with licorice, another supplement that can have serious side effects. No standard doses or even standard effects have been documented with the use of bitter orange for autism, according to Holistic Approach for Autism.
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