Orange Peel (Extract)

Alternative names: Extract of Bitter Orange, Seville Orange, Sour Orange, Bigarade Orange, Marmalade Orange

The extract of bitter orange peel (and bitter orange) has been used in dietary supplements to alleviate heartburn, aid fat loss, and suppress appetite.

Source

Most orange peel extract is sold over the counter in tablet form, and most of it is sold with one purpose in mind, relief from heartburn, a symptom of acid reflux disease.

Why it is Recommended

Orange peel extract has been found to be very effective in giving relief to heartburn sufferers, though physicians and scientists have not really been able to put their finger on why this is so.  It appears however, that an ingredient in orange peel extract known as d-limonene plays a key role.  D-limonene apparently aids in making food pass through the stomach more quickly, thus lessening the production of stomach acid.  This ingredient also seems to prevent, at least to some degree, the backup of stomach acid into the esophagus, the principal cause of heartburn pain.

Orange peel extract is found in many facial and skin cleansing products.  The extract oil works to dry out oily skin, which might prevent acne breakouts and problems.  Orange extract typically blends well with other cleanser ingredients and oils such as lavender, clary sage and clove.

Bitter Orange extract is also used in herbal medicine as a stimulant and appetite suppressant.  After the U.S. FDA banned the herbal stimulant ephedra, manufacturers substituted bitter orange in many herbal weight-loss products.

Counter-Indicators and Warnings

Do not use if you have, or suspect you have an ulcer; or if pregnant or nursing.  The active ingredient, d-limonene, is thought to be responsible for causing birth defects in laboratory animals.  Whether this could be the case with humans has not been firmly established.

Heartburn is a symptom of acid-reflux disease, which, in its most severe form is known as gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD.  Orange peel extract treats the symptoms, and not the disease.  In other words it provides relief, which may be all that is needed in milder cases of acid reflux disease.  However, it does not treat the disease, and is not a cure.  Severe or chronic cases of acid reflux disease or GERD should be professionally treated.

In a 2010 article by the publication Consumer Reports, it was reported that use of bitter orange may be associated with "fainting, heart-rhythm disorders, heart attack, stroke, death."