Dr. Axe Wire · Food, herbs & supplements · health

Unripe Citrus Peel Extract Eases Fatty Liver Signs In Mice

A traditional Chinese citrus peel ingredient reduced liver fat buildup and improved blood sugar control in a new mouse study.

By Dr. Axe Editorial Team · October 24, 2026 · 1 source · Watch

Photo: Pexels

A study published October 19, 2026 in Food & Function found that an extract from Qing Pi, the dried peel of immature citrus fruit used as a traditional Chinese food ingredient, reduced fatty liver damage in mice fed a high-fat diet.

Researchers gave mice fed a high-fat diet an oral extract of Citri reticulatae pericarpium viride, known as Qing Pi, the peel of immature citrus fruit used in traditional Chinese cooking. Made with a 75% concentrated ethanol and ethyl acetate extraction process, it decreased high-fat-diet-induced triglyceride buildup and oxidative damage in the liver, eased glucose intolerance (reduced ability to clear blood sugar) and improved insulin sensitivity. In primary mouse liver cells in a dish, the same extract blocked fat-induced cell damage and oxidative stress triggered by free fatty acids. Sample size was not reported for either experiment.

Researchers identified fifteen flavonoid compounds from the extract absorbed into the mice's bloodstream. Combining network pharmacology, molecular docking and gene-activity sequencing, the authors found the extract activated the PGC-1α-PPARα pathway, which controls fatty acid oxidation, the process cells use to burn fat as fuel. Treatment raised markers including the energy-sensing enzyme AMPK and genes that process fat for breakdown. Blocking AMPK or PPARα with drugs partly erased the benefits, which the authors say supports this pathway as the mechanism.

QP treatment increased fatty acid oxidation (FAO) and the protein expression of p-AMPK, PGC-1α and PPARα

Study authorsFood & Function, 2026

This is animal and cell-culture evidence; no human trial has tested this extract for fatty liver disease, and mouse results do not guarantee the same response in people. Sample size and extract dose were not reported in the available abstract.

Dr. Axe’s Take

The pathway here, PGC-1α-driven fat burning in liver cells, is one I consider central to reversing fatty liver buildup. Citrus peel itself belongs in the kitchen: zest from organic citrus or traditional whole-peel preparations fit naturally into a liver-supportive diet. I would pair that with what actually moves the needle in people: cutting added sugar and refined carbs, daily movement, and giving the liver a break from constant fat storage through intermittent fasting. This is mouse and cell-dish data, so I would not build a human protocol around this specific extract yet.

— Dr. Axe

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Story summary

Who: Mice fed a high-fat diet; primary mouse liver cells treated with free fatty acids. Sample size not reported.
Design: Animal study with oral extract administration plus a separate cell-culture experiment; mechanism explored via serum metabolite profiling, network pharmacology, molecular docking and transcriptomic sequencing.
Dose: Extract of Citri reticulatae pericarpium viride (Qing Pi), extracted with 75% concentrated ethanol and ethyl acetate; exact dose not reported.
Primary result: Extract decreased high-fat-diet-induced liver triglyceride accumulation and oxidative damage, eased glucose intolerance and improved insulin sensitivity in mice; absolute numbers not reported.
Secondary: Extract blocked free-fatty-acid-induced fat buildup and oxidative stress in liver cells; increased fat-burning markers p-AMPK, PGC-1α and PPARα; blocking AMPK or PPARα partly reversed benefits. Size not reported.
Funding / conflicts: Funding and conflicts not reported in the abstract.
Date: Oct 19, 2026