Bitter orange or Citrus aurantium contains synephrine and octopamine, which are chemically similar to epinephrine and norepinephrine, respectively. Smaller fruits are preferred in herbal medicine.
Bitter orange is potent stimulant of certain nerves that control the circulation of blood.
Used to flavor teas and liqueurs, the fresh and dried peel of the fruit is also medicinally useful.
Bitter orange as well as bitter orange peel is not recommended for use in isolation of for instance, in traditional Chinese medicine, it is prescribed in support with other herbs by experience herbalists.
The dried peel has long been used in European medicine as a carminative to warm and stimulate the stomach.
The flower of the bitter orange also is used for poor appetite, chest and stomach, pain and vomiting.
Bitter orange contains generous amounts of vitamin C and can be beneficial for anemia is vitamin C is needed to provide the acidic environment necessary for iron absorption.
Traditional indications are contradictorily with bitter orange today’s use for weight loss, improvement of physical fitness and increasing lean muscle mass.
Topically, bitter orange is also used for treating ringworm and athlete’s foot. The orange contains monoterpenes, such as d-limonene, which help to prevent liver tumors.
Herbal medicine of bitter orange
