Naringenin

Naringin · Grapefruit flavanone

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Hepatic steatosis^{1, 2} Dyslipidemia in fatty liver¹ Metabolic syndrome³	Pregnancy or nursing⁴ Under age 18⁴ Within 2 weeks of surgery⁴

Naringenin is the aglycone of naringin, a flavanone found in citrus fruits such as grapefruit and oranges⁵. It acts largely through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory signaling^{6, 7}. Supplementation is used for metabolic and liver health, including lipid handling in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)^{1, 2}. It is also used for bone, neuroprotective, and cancer-preventive roles that rest mostly on preclinical work. The typical patient is an overweight or obese adult with metabolic risk factors.

A trial of pure naringin found no effect on cholesterol in adults with moderate hypercholesterolemia. Reviewers call for further human trials and dosing studies. A 2021 randomized trial in children with bronchial pneumonia, comparing naringenin with azithromycin, reported shorter symptom duration; no trial has replicated it. Products listing naringenin are mostly multi-ingredient powders, tablets, and capsules. Low oral bioavailability has driven nanodelivery formulations; see Form comparison⁸.

In a crossover study, grapefruit juice raised nisoldipine exposure while encapsulated naringin did not, so that interaction is not attributable to naringin alone⁹. United States product labels warn against use in pregnancy or nursing, on 13 of 30 labels⁴.

Last updated October 17, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

47 sources, 35 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources