Citrus Bergamot

What Is Citrus Bergamot?

Bergamot is a knobbly green citrus grown almost entirely along a narrow strip of the Calabrian coast in southern Italy. Its peel oil is what gives Earl Gray tea its perfume. This is the fruit itself, concentrated 25:1 into an extract at 1,200 mg per serving.

How It Works in the Body

The active fraction is flavonoids. Bergamot carries naringin, neohesperidin and neoeriocitrin, the bitter polyphenols citrus is known for, plus two that are rare outside this fruit: brutieridin and melitidin.

Those last two are structurally unusual. Each is a flavanone glycoside carrying an extra hydroxymethylglutaryl (HMG) side chain, a small acid group most citrus flavonoids lack. As a group, bergamot's polyphenols are hydrogen donors, and that chemistry is what lets them act as antioxidants once they reach the bloodstream.

What It Supports

• Cholesterol: Supports cholesterol levels already within the normal range.
• Antioxidant defenses: Bergamot polyphenols contribute to the body's antioxidant defenses.
• Heart and vessels: Supports normal cardiovascular function.
• Whole-fruit polyphenols: A 25:1 concentrate carries the fruit's flavonoid profile rather than one compound pulled out of it.

Who It May Suit

Adults who already build meals around whole foods and want a single citrus extract alongside that routine. The capsule is hypromellose, a plant cellulose, so vegetarians and vegans can take it. It suits people who prefer one botanical at a time to a crowded blend.

Good To Know

A 25:1 extract means twenty-five parts of fruit condensed into one part of powder, so the flavonoids arrive concentrated. Bergamot is a citrus cousin of grapefruit and can carry furanocoumarins, which slow the gut enzyme CYP3A4 that clears many prescription drugs. Talk with your provider before use if you take a statin, a blood pressure medication, or anything labeled with a grapefruit warning.