Issue: 89 Page: 34-39 The Safety of Bitter Orange (Citrus
aurantium) and p-Synephrine by Sidney J. Stohs, Harry G. Preuss
2010; American Botanical Council The Safety of Bitter Orange
(Citrus aurantium) and p-Synephrine by Sidney J. Stohs, PhD,
FACN, CNS, ATS, FASAHP and Harry G. Preuss, MD, FACN, CNS, MACN
The extract of the fruit or peel of bitter orange (Citrus
aurantium, Rutaceae) and its primary protoalkaloidal
constituent, p-synephrine, are widely used in weight management
as well as sports performance products, with many millions of
doses having been consumed by possibly millions of individuals.1
However, bitter orange has been listed by Consumer Reports2 as
being possibly unsafe and a dietary supplement “to avoid.” The
editors of Consumer Reports note that bitter orange has been
“linked by clinical research or case reports to serious side
effects,” having arrived at this verdict based on conclusions
found in the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. The
article further states that bitter orange “co