"
Is Synephrine bad for my body?
The bitter orange plant,
Citrus aurantium, is a plant found in Asia and the Mediterranean. It has a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine. Bitter orange contains both m-synephrine and p-synephrine. Synephrine is safe, while ephedrine can be dangerous. We only sell pure p-synephrine.
Synephrine is consumed by millions of people around the world, both as an extract supplement and also in citrus juices.
[caption id=""attachment_454"" align=""alignright"" width=""300""]
![]()
Bitter orange fruit.[/caption]
Millions of doses of synephrine supplements have been sold and consumed around the world. Until recently most of these were sold as ‘stacks’ containing p-synephrine, caffeine and sometimes ephedrine.
Even when used in the potentially dangerous combination with other stimulants, reported side-effects of synephrine supplements have been extremely rare. This data has led scientists to conclude that synephrine is safe.
[1]
What are the side effects of synephrine?
Synephrine supplements are often confused with bitter orange extract. There is a big difference because the bitter orange plant contains a number of chemicals, including p-synephrine, m-synephrine, and ephedrine.
There are a number of potential side effects from the bitter orange extract.
Despite the warnings of side effects of bitter orange extracts, synephrine is mostly side effect free.
Synephrine does not appear to increase blood pressure significantly, unlike ephedrine and m-synephrine. Synephrine does not cause a false positive in amphetamine tests.
[2]
Can you mix synephrine with other stimulants?
![]()
Synephrine itself appears to be safer than many of its similar compounds. Ephedrine and caffeine are both known to increase blood pressure and heart rate. Ephedrine has other potential side effects as well.
Synephrine acts as a stimulant known as an
adrenergic agonist. It works in a similar way to other brain chemicals like serotonin and norepinephrine. Synephrine is often combined with stimulants to increase its effects. However, synephrine alone has been found to be very beneficial for providing energy and as a metabolism stimulant (to help burn fat).
Using other stimulants increases the effects of synephrine and the safety of this has come under scrutiny recently. Some European authorities have banned the sale of synephrine-based supplements that combine synephrine and caffeine, or synephrine and other stimulants. However, synephrine by itself is still sold extensively.
[3] If you are on any other medication it is advisable to talk to your physician before starting a synephrine supplement regime.
[4]
Can you mix synephrine with alcohol?
![]()
There is not much information available about mixing synephrine with alcohol at the moment. However, since these two substances work in very different ways, it is unlikely that there would be an interaction between them.
Synephrine acts as a metabolic stimulant, and alcohol is a depressant of the central nervous system. They act in very different parts of the body. The only thing is that
drinking might counteract the effects of synephrine.
If you are using synephrine as a supplement to aid in a weight-loss or cutting schedule, drinking wouldn’t be wise due to the negative health effects of alcohol.
Can you overdose on synephrine?
There is not much information available about synephrine overdose.
Studies
on the effects of synephrine have used dosages between 50 – 150 mg in a single dose, daily. We would advise sticking to these dosages to avoid potential health effects.
[5]
References:
[1] The safety of Citrus aurantium (bitter orange) and its primary protoalkaloid p-synephrine, Stohs SJ, Preuss HG, Shara M, Phytother Res. 2011 Oct;25(10):1421-8. doi: 10.1002/ptr.3490. Epub 2011 Apr 8:
[2] Synephrine, Examine.com:
https://examine.com/supplements/synephrine/, retrieved 14 June 2016
[3] Food Supplments Containing Synephrine and Caffeine Withdrawn From Sale, Evira, Finish Food Safety Authority, 6.9.2013:
https://www.evira.fi/en/shared-topics/news/food-supplements-containing-synephrine-and-caffeine-withdrawn-from-sale/
[4] Bitter Orange, Drugs.com:
http://www.drugs.com/npp/bitter-orange.html, retrieved 14 June 2016
[5] The effects of supplementation with P-Synephrine alone and in combination with caffeine on resistance exercise performance, JA Bush et al., J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015 Sep 17;12:35."
