Quercetin is an interesting supplement that is found in a variety of food and drinks that people regularly consume. However, what does it help treat, and how much should you take?
Quercetin is a natural supplement that helps reduce inflammation, lower blood pressure, reduce allergic reactions, and reduce the size of a cancerous tumor. It is found in items like fruits, berries, and tea. It is sold over-the-counter at most drug stores. Only take 500mg-1000mg per day.
Quercetin has many uses and can help many people manage symptoms of various illnesses and diseases. More information about Quercetin, how it works, how much you should take, how long you should take it, and the possible side effect are included below.
Background
Drug or Supplement: Supplement
Natural or Synthetic: Natural
Years since Discovery: 85 years (it was discovered in 1937)
Discoverer: Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, a Hungarian boichemist.
Safe for Humans: Yes
Typical Dosage: 500mg
Human Half-Life: 3.5 hours
Where Is Quercetin Found?
Quercetin is found in many spices, vegetables, fruits, grains, and a few drinks. It is found in the following items:
- Capers
- Yellow and green peppers
- Red and white onions
- Shallots
- Red wine
- Asparagus
- Cherries
- Tomatoes
- Red apples
- Red grapes
- Broccoli
- Kale
- Red leaf lettuce
- Cranberries
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Green and black tea
- Cocoa
If you want to incorporate Quercetin into your diet but don’t want to take pill supplements, eat these foods. Some contain more Quercetin than others, but each of the foods listed has at least a small amount of the flavonoid.
Mechanism of Action
After you take a Quercetin supplement, it is slowly released into your bloodstream and starts to work. After a few hours, it travels to the liver.
Quercetin is processed by the liver after it is consumed. After your liver is done processing it, clean blood is released into your body. This is one of the reasons why Quercetin has such a short half-life in humans. However, you will likely feel the effects for the entire day.
Where Can You Buy Quercetin?
You can buy Quercetin at any drug store or grocery store that sells supplements. You can also purchase it online, although most online stores that sell Quercetin also have physical locations.
You don’t need a prescription to buy Quercetin, but you should consult your doctor before you start taking it so you know that it won’t interfere with any of your medications or make any medical issues that you have worse.
Quercetin is available in pill or powder form, so you can choose what form you take it in. It can be given to you through an IV, but that should only be done at a hospital when a doctor prescribes it.
When you take Quercetin, you will take between 500mg and 1,000mg every day. Start out by taking close to 500mg. If that dosage doesn’t have any effect on you after a few days, try taking more. (Source)
What Conditions Does It Treat?
Quercetin treats a variety of illnesses, but when tested in clinical trials, it didn’t have much effect on chronic medical conditions. It actually made some medical condition symptoms worse over time. Quercetin can be used to treat hypercholesterolemia, various infections, cancer, various rheumatic diseases, and cardiovascular disease. (Source)
Quercetin can be used to treat allergies, lower inflammation, and lower blood pressure. People who suffer from Hypertension have found that their blood pressure lowered after they started taking Quercetin supplements. This reduced their risk of developing heart disease. (Source)
Quercetin can also help lower blood sugar, so some people who are diabetic take Quercetin supplements after it is prescribed by their doctor. (Source)
If you have allergies, you might want to start taking Quercetin supplements because they can reduce your symptoms. Quercetin reduces the release of histamine, which is one of the chemicals that causes you to have a negative reaction after you are exposed to an allergen. (Source)
Quercetin reduces inflammation because it has anti-inflammatory properties, which is great if you swell up when having an allergic reaction. (Source)
If you have issues with joints swelling until it becomes uncomfortable to move and function, Quercetin may help you. Because Quercetin reduces inflammation, it may reduce the swelling in your joints. If you have arthritis, this may reduce your number of symptoms.
Surprisingly, Quercetin can reduce your risk for cancer and Alzheimers. Quercetin has been shown to reduce the size of cancerous tumors, which can make it easier for surgeons to remove them so cancer treatment can begin as soon as possible. (Source)
Quercetin can also reduce the risk that you will develop an upper respiratory infection or a prostate infection. Quercetin has been used to prevent various diseases. (Source)
Quercetin is not a cure-all, but if you have severe allergies, high blood pressure, cancer, or are at risk for developing heart disease, ask your doctor at your next appointment if you should start taking Quercetin supplements.
Who May Want to Take Querce tin?
There are many people who may want to take Quercetin because it can help them. People who have cancer or inflammation of the joints, or those who need more anti-oxidants, want to boost their immunity, reduce allergy symptoms, control their blood sugar, control their blood pressure, reduce their risk of heart disease, and fight infection may want to take Quercetin.
Athletes sometimes take Quercetin because it increases endurance and can help improve their overall performance. However, Quercetin doesn’t help athletes very much, so they are basically taking a useless supplement that may not even work for what they want it to do. However, Quercetin reduces athletes’ risk of getting a cold or respiratory infection after they complete extremely intense workouts. (Source)
People who want to avoid aging may want to take Quercetin because, when tested on animals, it has sometimes helped rejuvenate cells that are aging and reduce aging markers. However, not much study of this effect has been done on humans so far, so it may not work. It may reduce lines and wrinkles, but the effect will likely only be temporary.
Overall, anyone who wants to boost their immune system, reduce their risk of cancer, or reduce their risk for heart disease or hypertension may want to consider taking Quercetin supplements. If you are currently suffering from inflammation or want to reduce the risk of infection, talk to your doctor and ask if you should start taking Quercetin supplements.
Who Shouldn’t Take It
Although many people should consider taking Quercetin, there are also many people who should not take it. Never take Quercetin for an extended period of time, as it can potentially harm you.
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should avoid taking Quercetin. Those who are pregnant or breastfeeding don’t necessarily have to avoid it, especially because it is in so many foods, but a build-up of Quercetin may harm them or the fetus.
Also, if you have kidney disease or issues with your protein intake, you should not take Quercetin. Quercetin can potentially damage your kidneys if a high enough dosage is taken. (Source)
There are byproducts of Quercetin, and one of them can make you lose protein. If you are taking protein supplements, don’t take Quercetin. Athletes who are trying to build muscle mass may want to avoid taking Quercetin. (Source)
If you are taking the following medications or take them periodically, avoid taking Quercetin supplements.
- Warfarin
- Coumadin
- Clopidogrel
- Plavix
- Aspirin
- Antibiotics
- Cyclosporine
- Digoxin
- Corticosteroids
- Fluoroguinolones
If you do take any of those medications, they may become more potent. This means that your risk of bleeding may increase, which is bad if you are taking an anticoagulant. If you are taking antibiotics, cyclosporine, or warfarin, Quercetin might change the way that they work, which may increase or reduce their effectiveness. Always tell your doctor when you start taking Quercetin supplements. (Source)
Common Side Effects
Like most medications and supplements, Quercetin can cause a variety of negative side effects, which is why many people choose not to take it, even if they aren’t taking any medications that may interfere with it or change how they work.
Quercetin often causes the following side effects:
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Numbness
- Tingling in the arms and legs
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Kidney damage
- Shortness of breath
Most side effects can be caused when Quercetin is taken orally, like in a pill or powder, but others often occur when it is administered through an IV.
The longer you take Quercetin, the more side effects can occur, and the more likely you will notice side effects. Avoid taking Quercetin for more than a month, as it can build up in your system and start to cause harm to your body. Talk to your doctor if you have noticed any side effects or want to take it for more than a month.
Try to avoid using heavy machinery until you know how Quercetin affects you.
How Much Does It Cost?
It costs between $10 and $50 to purchase Quercetin. Sometimes, it can cost more, especially if it is administered through an IV, but it definitely isn’t the most expensive supplement on the market. (Source)
The exact cost will vary depending on the form and amount of Quercetin that you purchase. Pill or capsule Quercetin supplements come in bottle containers, and you can purchase a variety of amounts of the supplement.
If you want to receive some of the effects of Quercetin, but don’t want to pay so much, you can possibly take vitamin C supplements instead. However, they are not made up of the same chemicals, so they will not affect you in the same ways.
Most Important Research Papers
- Overviews of Biological Importance of Quercetin: A Bioactive Flavonoid by Alexander Victor Anand David, Radhakrishnan Arulmoli, and Subramani Parasuraman.
- This scholarly article talks about Quercetin and how it can be used to treat people. It also goes in-depth into its chemical makeup and what illnesses and chronic diseases it can be used to treat.
- Therapeutic Potential of Quercetin: New Insights and Perspectives for Human Health by Bahare Salehi, Laura Machin, Lianet Monzote, et al.
- This scholarly article talks about the effects of Quercetin on people. It also talks about where it can be found in foods, how it can be used in the pharmaceutical world, and its chemical makeup.
Should Healthy People Take Quercetin?
People who are healthy don’t need to take Quercetin, so they shouldn’t take it. However, athletes sometimes take Quercetin because it can help them avoid developing an upper respiratory disease and slightly increase their performance during an athletic event. However, since large amounts of Quercetin can prevent their body from absorbing protein, most athletes don’t take Quercetin supplements.
If you have inflammation but are healthy otherwise, you likely should take Quercetin supplements for a short period of time. It can reduce your inflammation and help you avoid getting an infection if you have a cut or recently had surgery. However, if you are taking antibiotics, don’t take Quercetin supplements.
Does Quercetin Prevent Cancer?
Quercetin can prevent cancer. However, when it comes to cancer, Quercetin supplements are mainly used to reduce the size of cancerous tumors so they are easier to remove during surgery. Quercetin supplements are used alongside other drugs and medications to do so. (Source)
Quercetin reduces the size of cancerous tumors and prevents cancer itself because it has anti-oxidants.
Quercetin can reduce the risk of the following cancers:
- Lung cancer
- Breast cancer
- Colon cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Cervical cancer
If you develop cancer, your doctor may tell you to take Quercetin supplements so you don’t have to start chemotherapy. Quercetin can reduce the need for chemotherapy, which allows cancer patients to recover more quickly after they go into remission. Oftentimes, someone who takes Quercetin supplements and has cancer only needs to get radiation treatment, which is much easier to handle and recover from.
Overall, Quercetin is an extremely versatile supplement that can help you in many ways. If you have allergies, take Quercetin, especially if your allergic reactions are severe, like hives or swelling of the face or airways. However, you need to be careful when taking Quercetin because it can cause serious side effects and harm your body if you take it for too long.