Naringin

Herb Source
Grapefruit  
Synonyms
Citrus grandis Osbeck 
Molecular Formula:C27H32O14 
Molecular Weight :80.53         
Description
 Studies have shown that naringin interferes with enzymatic activity in the intestines and, thus, with the breakdown of certain drugs, resulting in higher blood levels of the drug. A number of drugs that are known to be affected by the naringin in grapefruit include calcium channel blockers, estrogen, sedatives, medications for high blood pressure, allergies, AIDS, and cholesterol-lowering drugs. Caffeine levels and effects of caffeine may also be extended by consuming grapefruit or grapefruit juice.      While the effect of naringin on the metabolism of a drug can increase the drug's effectiveness, it can also result in dosages that are inadvertently too high. Therefore, it's best not to take any drugs with grapefruit juice unless the interaction with the drug is known. In addition, the effects of drinking grapefruit juice is cumulative, which means that if you drank a glass of grapefruit juice daily with your medication for a week, the drug interaction would be stronger at the end of the week than at the beginning     Naringin can be used as an intermediate in the synthesis of many organic chemicals.
The best example is the sweeter neohesperidine dihydrochalcone.
Naringin is related to other flavanones known to have therapeutic action in influencing capillary permeability. For those pharmaceutical uses the better solubility of naringin in water is an advantage.
Naringin is a citrus flavanoid commonly found in grapefruit, and is responsible for grapefruit's distinctive bitter taste.  Most of us have heard how it's important to be careful consuming grapefruit juice along with certain medications -- studies reveal that naringin interferes with some digestive enzymes which can affect the metabolism and breakdown of these drugs. This can in effect lead to an inadvertantly higher dose of the drug, which may pose the threat of adverse reactions in some cases.