The short answer: CitrusBurn is a weight-loss supplement marketed to women over 40, built around bitter orange peel (p-synephrine) with green tea extract and berberine. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says the effect of bitter orange on body weight is unclear, and that serious heart-related events have been reported in people taking bitter orange products. We don't recommend it, and we don't link to it. It's especially unsuitable if you have heart disease or high blood pressure, take heart or stimulant medicines, or are pregnant.

CitrusBurn is one of the top-selling products on ClickBank, and it's heavily advertised. Many "reviews" you'll find online are sales pages in disguise. Here's what the evidence says about what's in it.

Directions for use

  • Lead ingredient: bitter (Seville) orange peel extract, a source of p-synephrine, a stimulant-like compound.
  • Weight-loss evidence: unclear, according to NCCIH, with small, conflicting studies.
  • Safety: reports of abnormal heart rhythms, heart attacks and strokes in people taking bitter orange products; blood-pressure effects are uncertain.
  • Also contains: green tea extract (rare liver injury at high doses) and berberine (medicine interactions).
  • Better options: food-first changes, and medical treatment for obesity when appropriate.

What's in CitrusBurn

Published reviews of the CitrusBurn label list:

  • Seville orange peel extract (bitter orange, Citrus aurantium), a source of p-synephrine
  • Green tea extract
  • Berberine
  • Korean red ginseng

Formulas change, so check the current label on the official site before deciding.

What the evidence says

Bitter orange

Bitter orange became popular in weight-loss supplements after ephedra was banned in the US in 2004. Its main active compound, synephrine, is chemically related to ephedrine.

NCCIH summarises the research like this:

  • Weight loss: the effects on body weight are unclear. Studies involved small numbers of people, usually tested combination products, and had conflicting results.
  • Heart and blood pressure: some studies found bitter orange raised blood pressure and heart rate, others didn't. But cases of serious medical events, including abnormal heart rhythms, heart attacks and strokes, have been reported in people who had taken bitter orange products.
  • Product quality: the FDA found some bitter orange products adulterated with synthetic stimulants that aren't legal in supplements.
  • Pregnancy: it may not be safe during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Green tea extract

Green tea as a drink is safe for most people. Concentrated green tea extracts are different. NCCIH notes rare cases of liver injury linked to green tea extract supplements. Green tea extract also contains caffeine unless it's decaffeinated, which adds to any stimulant effect.

Berberine

Berberine can lower blood sugar and interacts with many medicines by changing how the liver processes them, according to NCCIH's page on goldenseal, a common berberine source. That matters if you take diabetes medicine, blood thinners or other regular prescriptions.

Who should avoid it

  • Anyone with heart disease, an irregular heartbeat or high blood pressure
  • People taking stimulants (including ADHD medicines), decongestants, antidepressants (especially MAOIs) or blood-pressure or heart medicines
  • People taking diabetes medicines (because of the berberine)
  • Anyone with liver disease
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding women
  • Anyone sensitive to caffeine

What works better

The honest truth about weight after 40 is less exciting than a supplement ad, and more effective:

  • Eat more vegetables, fruit and protein, which fill you up on fewer calories. Our three big salads and vegetable omelette are good places to start.
  • Cut sugary drinks and alcohol, the easiest calories to lose.
  • Move every day and add strength training, which protects muscle as hormones change.
  • Sleep 7 to 9 hours. Short sleep makes hunger and cravings worse.
  • Talk to your doctor if you have obesity or weight-related health problems. Prescription treatments are far more effective than any supplement and come with medical supervision.

If you like the idea of a structured plan without pills, we've reviewed The Smoothie Diet, a food-first 21-day program.

A note of caution

If you're taking CitrusBurn or any bitter orange product and notice a racing or irregular heartbeat, chest pain, severe headache, shortness of breath or dizziness, stop taking it and get medical help. Report serious reactions to your doctor and to the FDA's MedWatch program.

Verdict

CitrusBurn is built on an ingredient whose weight-loss benefit is unproven and whose safety record includes serious heart-related reports. The small chance of a benefit doesn't outweigh that. Put the money towards food, a walking habit, or a conversation with your doctor instead.