Citrus Bergamot

Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) is a small green citrus fruit, grown almost entirely along the coast of Calabria in southern Italy. Its juice is far too sour and bitter to drink. Supplements therefore use an extract of the juice and the white inner peel. That extract is rich in flavonoids, plant compounds with names such as naringin, neohesperidin and neoeriocitrin. Two of them, brutieridin and melitidin, appear in bergamot and in almost no other citrus fruit. That is why bergamot is sold as its own ingredient and not as a general citrus extract.

The percentage on the label says more than the milligrams

Most labels show two numbers. One is the amount of extract, for example 500 mg per capsule. The other is the standardisation: the share of bergamot polyphenols in that extract, usually 38%. Standardisation means every batch is measured, so the amount of plant compounds stays the same from bottle to bottle. A big milligram number without a percentage tells you very little, and a label reading "3000 mg" often refers to a fruit equivalent, not to what is in the capsule. Some products name a branded fraction such as BPF, the bergamot polyphenolic fraction used in most published studies. Within the wider group of herbal and plant extracts, bergamot is a young ingredient with a small but growing body of research.

How we choose bergamot at BONO

We judge bergamot on three things: the form, the daily amount and the combination. We prefer extracts that state a polyphenol percentage over vague "fruit powder", because only then can you compare two products fairly. We keep the daily amount close to what has actually been studied, rather than stocking whatever number looks biggest on the shelf. We skip blends where bergamot sits somewhere in a long ingredient list at an unclear amount. Every product passes our compliance team, we test products ourselves and independent labs spot-check batches. You can read how we select brands and products.

Who it suits and what is fair to expect

Bergamot is mostly bought by adults who keep an eye on their blood fats and want a plant option alongside their diet. We will be straight with you here: there is no health claim for bergamot approved by the European food safety authority (EFSA), so we do not promise an outcome, and neither should any shop. What we can offer is a clear product choice and correct information. It is a food supplement, not a replacement for what your GP advises.

In practice, consistency matters more than strength. Most people take capsules with a meal, once or twice a day, and review the routine after two to three months rather than two weeks. If you are weighing up your options, our red yeast rice range is the botanical people most often compare bergamot with, and it works very differently.

Two practical points before you buy. Bergamot essential oil, the perfume and Earl Grey ingredient, is not the same product and is not meant to be swallowed. And if you take prescribed medicines, check with your GP or pharmacist first, because citrus flavonoids can affect how some medicines are processed. You will find bergamot alongside other options in our cholesterol collection, so you can compare before you decide.