Citrus aurantium | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Sapindales |
Family: | Rutaceae |
Genus: | Citrus |
Species: | C. aurantium
|
Binomial name | |
Citrus aurantium | |
Synonyms [2] | |
List
|
Bitter orange, sour orange, Seville orange, bigarade orange, or marmalade orange is in a narrow sense the citrus tree Citrus aurantium [a] and its fruit. It is native to Southeast Asia and has been spread by humans to many parts of the world. [3] It is probably a cross between the pomelo, Citrus maxima, and the mandarin orange, Citrus reticulata.
In some new systems, the species Citrus aurantium includes not only the bitter orange proper (Citrus aurantium), but also all other crosses between the pomelo (Citrus maxima) and the wild mandarin (Citrus reticulata sensu stricto, other name: Citrus daoxianensis), i.e. mainly:
The following text of this article only deals with the bitter orange proper.
The bitter orange spread from Southeast Asia via India and Iran to the Islamic world as early as 700 AD. [7]
The bitter orange was introduced to Spain in the 10th century by the Moors. [8] [9]
It was introduced to Florida and the Bahamas from Spain, [3] and wild trees are found near small streams in generally secluded and wooded areas.
Citrus aurantium can be identified through its orange fruit with a distinctly bitter or sour taste. The tree has alternate simple leaves and thorns on its petiole.
Many varieties of bitter orange are used for their essential oil, and are found in perfume, used as a flavoring or as a solvent, and also for consumption. The Seville orange variety is used in the production of marmalade and also used to make French bigarade. [10]
Bitter oranges are also employed in herbal medicine as a stimulant and appetite suppressant, due to its active ingredient, synephrine. [11] [12] Bitter orange supplements have been linked to a number of serious side effects and deaths, and consumer groups advocate that people avoid using the fruit medically. [13] [14] Whether bitter orange affects medical conditions of heart and cardiovascular organs, by itself or in formulae with other substances, is inconclusive. [15] Standard reference materials are released concerning the properties in bitter orange by the National Institute of Standards and Technology for ground fruit, extract, and solid oral dosage form, along with those packaged together into one item. [16] [17]
While the raw pulp is not edible, [20] bitter orange is widely used in cooking.
The extract of bitter orange (and bitter orange peel) has been marketed as dietary supplement purported to act as a weight-loss aid and appetite suppressant. Bitter orange contains the tyramine metabolites N-methyltyramine, octopamine, and synephrine, [27] substances similar to epinephrine, which act on the α1 adrenergic receptor to constrict blood vessels and increase blood pressure and heart rate. [28] [29] Several low-quality clinical trials have had results of p-synephrine (alone or in combination with caffeine or some other substances) increasing weight loss slightly. [30]
Following bans on the herbal stimulant ephedra in the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere, bitter orange has been substituted into "ephedra-free" herbal weight-loss products by dietary supplement manufacturers. [31] Like most dietary supplement ingredients, bitter orange has not undergone formal safety testing, but it is believed to cause the same spectrum of adverse events (harmful side effects) as ephedra. [32] The U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health found, "currently little evidence [shows] that bitter orange is safer to use than ephedra." [12]
Case reports have linked bitter orange supplements to strokes, [33] [34] angina, [27] and ischemic colitis. [35] Following an incident in which a healthy young man suffered a myocardial infarction linked to bitter orange, a case study found that dietary supplement manufacturers had replaced ephedra with its analogs from bitter orange. [36]
Bitter oranges may have serious interactions with drugs such as statin (to lower cholesterol), nifedipine (to lower blood pressure), some anti-anxiety drugs, some antihistamines, etc., in a similar way to grapefruit (see grapefruit–drug interactions). [37]
This orange is used as a rootstock in groves of sweet orange. [3] The fruit and leaves make lather and can be used as soap. [3] The hard, white or light-yellow wood is used in woodworking and made into baseball bats in Cuba. [3]
Citrus aurantium | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Sapindales |
Family: | Rutaceae |
Genus: | Citrus |
Species: | C. aurantium
|
Binomial name | |
Citrus aurantium | |
Synonyms [2] | |
List
|
Bitter orange, sour orange, Seville orange, bigarade orange, or marmalade orange is in a narrow sense the citrus tree Citrus aurantium [a] and its fruit. It is native to Southeast Asia and has been spread by humans to many parts of the world. [3] It is probably a cross between the pomelo, Citrus maxima, and the mandarin orange, Citrus reticulata.
In some new systems, the species Citrus aurantium includes not only the bitter orange proper (Citrus aurantium), but also all other crosses between the pomelo (Citrus maxima) and the wild mandarin (Citrus reticulata sensu stricto, other name: Citrus daoxianensis), i.e. mainly:
The following text of this article only deals with the bitter orange proper.
The bitter orange spread from Southeast Asia via India and Iran to the Islamic world as early as 700 AD. [7]
The bitter orange was introduced to Spain in the 10th century by the Moors. [8] [9]
It was introduced to Florida and the Bahamas from Spain, [3] and wild trees are found near small streams in generally secluded and wooded areas.
Citrus aurantium can be identified through its orange fruit with a distinctly bitter or sour taste. The tree has alternate simple leaves and thorns on its petiole.
Many varieties of bitter orange are used for their essential oil, and are found in perfume, used as a flavoring or as a solvent, and also for consumption. The Seville orange variety is used in the production of marmalade and also used to make French bigarade. [10]
Bitter oranges are also employed in herbal medicine as a stimulant and appetite suppressant, due to its active ingredient, synephrine. [11] [12] Bitter orange supplements have been linked to a number of serious side effects and deaths, and consumer groups advocate that people avoid using the fruit medically. [13] [14] Whether bitter orange affects medical conditions of heart and cardiovascular organs, by itself or in formulae with other substances, is inconclusive. [15] Standard reference materials are released concerning the properties in bitter orange by the National Institute of Standards and Technology for ground fruit, extract, and solid oral dosage form, along with those packaged together into one item. [16] [17]
While the raw pulp is not edible, [20] bitter orange is widely used in cooking.
The extract of bitter orange (and bitter orange peel) has been marketed as dietary supplement purported to act as a weight-loss aid and appetite suppressant. Bitter orange contains the tyramine metabolites N-methyltyramine, octopamine, and synephrine, [27] substances similar to epinephrine, which act on the α1 adrenergic receptor to constrict blood vessels and increase blood pressure and heart rate. [28] [29] Several low-quality clinical trials have had results of p-synephrine (alone or in combination with caffeine or some other substances) increasing weight loss slightly. [30]
Following bans on the herbal stimulant ephedra in the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere, bitter orange has been substituted into "ephedra-free" herbal weight-loss products by dietary supplement manufacturers. [31] Like most dietary supplement ingredients, bitter orange has not undergone formal safety testing, but it is believed to cause the same spectrum of adverse events (harmful side effects) as ephedra. [32] The U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health found, "currently little evidence [shows] that bitter orange is safer to use than ephedra." [12]
Case reports have linked bitter orange supplements to strokes, [33] [34] angina, [27] and ischemic colitis. [35] Following an incident in which a healthy young man suffered a myocardial infarction linked to bitter orange, a case study found that dietary supplement manufacturers had replaced ephedra with its analogs from bitter orange. [36]
Bitter oranges may have serious interactions with drugs such as statin (to lower cholesterol), nifedipine (to lower blood pressure), some anti-anxiety drugs, some antihistamines, etc., in a similar way to grapefruit (see grapefruit–drug interactions). [37]
This orange is used as a rootstock in groves of sweet orange. [3] The fruit and leaves make lather and can be used as soap. [3] The hard, white or light-yellow wood is used in woodworking and made into baseball bats in Cuba. [3]