Moro Orange Extract (Morosil)

Also called Morosil, Moro blood orange extract, blood orange extract, red orange juice extract, Citrus sinensis 'Moro', Sicilian blood orange extract.

Best grade C across 2 graded outcomes Botanical Last checked Oct 21, 2026

The short answer

From 3 sources

Moro orange extract, sold mainly as Morosil, is a blood-orange juice extract marketed for weight management. A 2026 meta-analysis of three randomized trials (252 adults) found about 2 kg more weight loss than placebo. The largest trial, funded by the extract's maker, used 400 mg a day alongside a calorie-controlled diet and exercise for 6 months.

Every graded outcome on this page

2 rows · line = participants

Grade CBody weight and fat massWeightn 252
Grade CWeight, waist and body fat over 6 monthsWeightn 136

Key facts

Weight: Pooled across 3 randomized trials (252 overweight adults), body weight fell 2.08 kg more than placebo and fat mass 1.53 kg more³
Six-month trial: With 400 mg/day plus diet and exercise, weight fell 4.2% vs 2.2% on placebo over 6 months¹
Funding: The 6-month trial was funded by Bionap, the company that supplied the Morosil extract, which also paid the article's publication charge¹
What's in it: The trial extract contained about 0.6% cyanidin-3-glucoside, 2.1% hesperidin and 4.5% vitamin C by weight¹
Lean mass: No significant effect on lean mass in the pooled analysis³

What it is

Moro orange extract is a dried, standardized extract of juice from the Moro blood orange, a Sicilian cultivar rich in anthocyanins.

How it works

Proposed

The extract combines anthocyanins (mainly cyanidin-3-glucoside), flavanones such as hesperidin, hydroxycinnamic acids and vitamin C. Researchers propose that these act together on fat storage and inflammation, based mainly on cell and animal studies; how the extract works in people has not been established.^1,2

Forms

Form

The form on this page
Form	Elemental %	Absorption (human data)	GI tolerance	Studied for
Standardized Moro orange juice extract (Morosil)	Varies¹Not applicable (whole compound or extract; no elemental fraction)	No human absorption data for the extract in our sources.¹	Liver safety markers stayed in the normal range over 6 months; adverse symptoms, mostly digestive such as nausea or constipation, were reported by 2 people on the extract and 5 on placebo.¹	Weight and body fat

What the human research says

Human trials only, one row per outcome. The form line shows what each trial actually tested. Grades follow our evidence-grading policy.

Trial map

2 graded outcomes, largest study first

All 2 graded outcomes found an improvement. The largest, a 2026 meta-analysis of 252 people on body weight and fat mass, found an improvement.

By sizeTable

1Body weight and fat mass

Improved · Grade C · Meta-analysis, 252 people, 2026

Overweight and obese adults in randomized placebo-controlled trials

Dose, result and source

Every graded outcome on this page, largest study first
Outcome	Found	People	Study	Who was studied
Body weight and fat mass	Improved	252	Grade C · Meta-analysis, 2026	Overweight and obese adults in randomized placebo-controlled trials
Weight, waist and body fat over 6 months	Improved	136	Grade C · RCT, 2022	Overweight but otherwise healthy adults aged 20-65 on a calorie-controlled diet and exercise (Australia)

Every graded row

2 rows

Grade CBody weight and fat massWeight−2.08 kg vs placeboMeta-analysis · 3 studies
n 252 · 2026

Improved Body weight fell 2.08 kg more than placebo (95% CI -3.50 to -0.67; I² = 0%) and fat mass 1.53 kg more (95% CI -2.92 to -0.15); waist results were highly heterogeneous (I² = 99%); no significant effect on lean mass.

Design: Meta-analysis, 3 studies, n = 252, 2026
Population: Overweight and obese adults in randomized placebo-controlled trials
Form: Moro orange juice extract vs placebo
Dose: 400 mg/day of Morosil in two trials; the third (Kegele 2019) tested a different sweet-orange extract, CitrusiM
Duration: 3 to 6 months across the three trials
Source: Reference 3 · PubMed 40956687 (opens PubMed)

Grade CWeight, waist and body fat over 6 monthsWeight−4.2% vs −2.2% body weightRCT
n 136 · 2022

Improved Body weight fell 4.2% vs 2.2% (p = 0.015); waist fell 3.9 vs 1.7 cm (p = 0.017); fat mass and visceral fat also improved vs placebo. Liver safety markers stayed normal.

Design: RCT, n = 136, 2022
Population: Overweight but otherwise healthy adults aged 20-65 on a calorie-controlled diet and exercise (Australia)
Form: Morosil standardized Moro orange extract vs maltodextrin placebo
Dose: 400 mg/day
Duration: 6 months
Source: Reference 1 · PubMed 35276783 (opens PubMed)

What the numbers add up to

Each point is worked out from the data and the sources numbered on this page, with the arithmetic shown under it. It adds no new data and is not medical advice.

A modest add-on

The pooled effect is about 2 kg beyond placebo, measured in people who were also dieting.^3,1

One supplier's extract

Two of the three pooled trials used one branded extract, Morosil, and the largest was funded by its supplier.^1,2,3

Studied doses

Doses used in research, shown against the official limits. They describe the studies, not a recommendation for you.

Studied doses in research, not advice. These are amounts used in research, not personal advice. Your clinician or pharmacist can say what fits you.

Doses studied in human trials

Doses studied in human trials ranged from 400 mg of standardized extract per day in both Morosil trials, for 12 weeks up to 6 months, alongside diet and exercise advice in the longer trial. These are research doses, not recommendations.^1,2

Interactions and safety

Published interactions only: each row cites a source. No row means none was found in our sources, not that a combination is safe.

Interactions

0 agents

None found in our sources.

Check with what you take

Kept on this device only

Add what you take. We list every interaction our evidence profiles cite between Moro Orange Extract and your picks, and between your picks.

Add a supplement or medicine

Most cited:

Add a supplement or medicine you take to check it against Moro Orange Extract.

Starting from one medicine? The interaction checker rates how serious each pair is, on a curated list of 19 entries for 11 medicines. This cabinet has no severity rating: it lists every interaction row our supplement pages cite.

Who should be careful

4 groups

Pregnancy and breastfeeding: Pregnant and breastfeeding women were excluded from the 6-month trial, so there are no safety data for them.¹
People with medical conditions: The trials enrolled overweight but otherwise healthy adults. People with uncontrolled cardiovascular, kidney, endocrine, psychiatric and other significant conditions were excluded.¹
Drug interactions: No published human drug-interaction studies were found. The 6-month trial excluded people using prescription medicines other than the contraceptive pill, so use alongside medicines, including blood thinners, is untested.^1,3
People on blood thinners: Use with blood thinners such as warfarin is untested: the 6-month trial excluded people taking prescription medicines other than the contraceptive pill.¹

How to read the label

What to check on the Supplement Facts panel.

How to read the label

2 checks

Look for the standardized extract

Both trials used Morosil at 400 mg a day. A blood orange juice powder that is not standardized may not match what was studied.^1,2

Diet still matters

In the 6-month trial both groups lost weight on a calorie target and exercise; the extract added about 2 percentage points.¹

Have the bottle? Photograph its Supplement Facts panel and see each line, moro orange extract (morosil) included, beside the doses and forms the trials used in Label X-Ray.

Frequently asked questions

Short answers to common questions; the numbers link to the sources below.

Common questions

6 answers

Does Moro orange extract help with weight loss?

Three small trials pooled together showed about 2 kg more weight loss than placebo. The evidence is limited and mostly tied to one supplier.^3,1

Is Moro orange extract safe?

In the 6-month trial liver safety markers stayed normal and side effects were rare. Long-term data and data in pregnancy are lacking.¹

How much was studied, and how fast did it work?

Both Morosil trials used 400 mg a day, for 12 weeks and for 6 months. In the 12-week trial, BMI had fallen significantly after 4 weeks.^2,1

Does Moro orange extract interact with medicines?

No human drug-interaction studies were found. The 6-month trial excluded people taking prescription medicines other than the contraceptive pill, so use alongside medicines, including blood thinners, is untested.^1,3

Is it the same as bitter orange?

No. Moro is a blood orange cultivar of the sweet orange, Citrus sinensis; bitter orange is a different citrus species with its own page and safety profile.¹

What is Morosil?

A branded, standardized extract of juice from the Moro blood orange. It was used in two of the three trials pooled in the 2026 meta-analysis; the third, Kegele 2019, tested a different sweet-orange extract (CitrusiM).^1,2,3

Sources

3 sources: trial abstracts, NIH fact sheets and reference databases. Numbers in the text link here.

Sources cited on this page

3 sources

1Effectiveness of "Moro" Blood Orange Citrus sinensis Osbeck (Rutaceae) Standardized Extract on Weight Loss in Overweight but Otherwise Healthy Men and Women-A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study.RCT Nutrients, 2022 · PMID 35276783
2Clinical evaluation of Moro (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) orange juice supplementation for the weight management.RCT Nat Prod Res, 2015 · PMID 25588369
3Effect of Moro orange juice extract supplementation in weight management in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Meta-analysis Nutr Health, 2026 · PMID 40956687

What changed

Every dated change to this page: what changed, who made it and why.

Change log

3 entries

Dated changes to this page
Date	Change	Who and why
Oct 21, 2026FAQ	Added 2 FAQs (studied dose and timing from PMID 25588369 and 35276783; untested drug interactions). PubMed searches for newer Moro orange, Morosil or blood orange extract RCTs or meta-analyses (2023–2026) found none beyond the 2026 meta-analysis already cited; Cardile 2015 (PMID 25588369) was not given its own evidence row because its abstract does not report the number of participants. No published interactions were found, so the interactions list stays empty with the existing safety notes.	Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: A–Z page audit
Oct 14, 2026all	Initial editorial evidence review (first draft). Every PMID checked against NCBI E-utilities esummary (titles and years taken from the record, none retracted) and the abstract read for each cited row. Studied doses are reported as research doses, not dosing advice.	Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: new page
Oct 14, 2026forms, key facts, evidence, who should avoid, FAQ, insights	Review fixes: adverse symptoms corrected to 2 on extract vs 5 on placebo (results section of PMID 35276783); Bionap paid the publication charge; 98 completed against the 120 needed for power; the meta-analysis pooled 3 trials including Kegele 2019 (CitrusiM), replacing 'both published trials'; blood thinners stated as untested because the trial excluded prescription medicines.	Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: adversarial review

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