Limited evidenceHeart & metabolic

Nobiletin

A polymethoxyflavone from citrus peel with striking metabolic and circadian effects in mice. The human trials that exist tested memory and nocturia, not metabolism.

Evidence last reviewed: August 2026

What the science says

Metabolic and lipid effects Limited evidence
The claims that nobiletin corrects dyslipidaemia, insulin resistance and circadian metabolic disruption come from mouse and cell studies. No randomised trial has measured lipids, glucose or body composition with nobiletin in humans.
Memory in older adults Limited evidence
A multicentre randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 108 elderly Japanese adults found a nobiletin-rich Citrus depressa peel supplement improved Wechsler Memory Scale scores over 16 weeks. The test product also contained Kaempferia parviflora and Peucedanum japonicum, so the result cannot be assigned to nobiletin.
Nocturia Limited evidence
A small randomised, placebo-controlled crossover study reported that a nobiletin and tangeretin mixture reduced night-time urination. It is a single small trial in a narrow population.

Dosage & safety

Studied doseJapanese trials used citrus peel extracts standardised to roughly 50–100 mg of nobiletin per day. Isolated nobiletin supplements have no established dose.

SafetyNo serious adverse effects were reported in the small trials, but the human safety database is very small and there is no long-term data. Like other citrus flavonoids it may affect drug-metabolising enzymes, so caution is warranted with prescription medication. Avoid in pregnancy and breastfeeding for lack of data.

Scientific references

Beneficial effects of a nobiletin-rich formulated supplement of Sikwasa (C. depressa) peel on cognitive function in elderly Japanese subjects; A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study
Yamada S, Shirai M, Ono K — Food Sci Nutr, 2021
Effectiveness and Safety of a Mixture of Nobiletin and Tangeretin in Nocturia Patients: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind, Crossover Study
Ito H, Negoro H, Kono J — J Clin Med, 2023

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