Bitter Orange Dosing: An Overview

It is difficult to recommend a safe and effective bitter orange dosage. Bitter orange doses in commercially available products vary widely, and some producers may actually "spike" their products with extra synephrine (one of the active components of bitter orange). For medications, the manufacturers conduct studies to carefully and systematically determine the range of doses that are safest and most effective. However, for herbs and supplements (such as bitter orange), these studies are not required, so little is known about the proper dose for such products.

 

In one small study, 975 mg of bitter orange (in combination with St. John's wort and caffeine) was used for weight loss. It is not known if this is the ideal bitter orange dosage. Many herbal products contain less bitter orange combined with a mix of other herbal ingredients.

 

For fungal infections, pure bitter orange oil is often applied once a day for one to three weeks.

 

If you decide to use a bitter orange supplement, it is important to understand that what you see on the label may not reflect what is in the bottle. For example, some herbal supplements have been found to be contaminated with heavy metals or prescription drugs, and some have been found to have much more or much less of the featured ingredient than their label states.

 

Therefore, make sure the maker of your bitter orange is a trusted and reputable manufacturer. It is a good sign if a manufacturer abides by the rules of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). It is also a good sign if a product has the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) seal, which means that the product has been independently tested and shown to contain the correct ingredients in the amounts listed on the label. Your pharmacist is a good resource for information about which manufacturers are most reputable.