Quercetin Antioxidant

Quercetin can assist in a holistic cancer treatment. Quercetin will not cure cancer alone but in combination with other herbs, juices and therapies, quercetin will boost cancer treatment effectiveness.

Quercetin, a flavonol, is a plant-derived flavonoid found in fruits, vegetables, leaves and grains. It also may be used as an ingredient in supplements, beverages or foods.

Quercetin, an antioxidant found in many fruits and vegetables (such as grapes, strawberries, and onions), is a potent flavonoid (also called “bioflavonoid,”), a substance that helps to protect against cancer, and in the case of quercetin, also fights viruses, bacterial infections, and fungus. Quercetin absorption is maximized by combining it with bromelain, a pineapple extract proven to enhance digestion of nutrients.

Quercetin is a naturally-occurring polar auxin transport inhibitor.

A study by the University of Queensland, Australia, has also indicated the presence of quercetin in varieties of honey, including honey derived from eucalyptus and tea tree flowers.

Quercetin Medicinal Properties

Quercetin is found to be the most active of the flavonoids in studies, and many medicinal plants owe much of their activity to their high quercetin content. Quercetin has demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory activity because of direct inhibition of several initial processes of inflammation. For example, it inhibits both the manufacture and release of histamine and other allergic/inflammatory mediators. In addition, it exerts potent antioxidant activity and vitamin C-sparing action.

Quercetin also shows anti-tumour properties. A study in the British Journal of Cancer showed that, when treated with a combination of quercetin and ultrasound at 20 kHz for 1 minute duration, skin and prostate cancers show a 90% mortality within 48 hours with no visible mortality of normal cells. Note that ultrasound also promotes topical absorption by up to 1,000 times making the use of topical quercetin and ultrasound wands an interesting proposition.

Recent studies have supported that quercetin can help men with chronic prostatitis, and both men and women with interstitial cystitis, possibly because of its action as a mast cell inhibitor.

Quercetin may have positive effects in combating or helping to prevent cancer, prostatitis, heart disease, cataracts, allergies/inflammations, and respiratory diseases such as bronchitis and asthma. It also has antidepressant properties.

Quercetin Health Benefits

Quercetin acts like an antihistamine and an anti-inflammatory, and may help protect against heart disease and cancer.

• Quercetin to Cancer: Quercetin is a cytotoxin (agent that kills infection), and kills HeLa (cancerous) cells, according to this article at the National Library of Medicine. Quercetin inhibits the replication of cancer cells according an American Medical Association. Quercetin has been studied by the Cleveland Clinic and many other reputable clinics, hospitals, universities, and labs. Findings have been similar: Quercetin, a potent antioxidant, is chemically attracted to damaged cells, bonding to them and rendering them harmless, thereby inhibiting the replication of damaged, diseased cells.
• Quercetin to Infection (bacterial or viral: Quercetin kills infection (bacteria, virus, and fungus) according to The Oxford Journals.
• Quercetin to Osteoporosis: Quercetin promotes bone density, according to Wattel et al in Biochem Pharmacol.
• Quercetin to Prostate Cancer: Quercetin is used in the treatment and prevention of prostate cancer and chronic prostatitis (“The Chronic Prostatitis Clinic”). According to Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, quercetin is an effective remedy for chronic prostatitis. The study shows symptoms begin to disappear after a few months of daily use.
• Quercetin to Heart Disease: This study published by The American Society for Pharmacology based on research performed at the University of Tokushima School of Medicine in Japan shows that quercetin may be useful in treating cardiovascular diseases.
• Quercetin to Allergies: When taken in combination with Vitamin C, quercetin acts as a natural antihistamine that reduces or eliminates allergic reactions (and asthma) without the drowsiness and other side effects produced by chemical antihistamines. Antihistaminic response also inhibits fungus proliferation.
• Quercetin Helps Prevent Kidney and Bladder Disease: Quercetin successfully helped to prevent kidney damage caused by immune suppressants (necessary with organ transplants) in an article by Biochem Pharmacol: Middleton E Jr, et al. Effects of flavonoids on immune and inflammatory cell functions. Additionally, quercetin has been successfully used to treat interstitial cystitis (chronic bladder irritation), according to a UCLA Medical Center.
• Quercetin Helps Prevent Senility: According to an article called the “Wellness Report” by Russell Blaylock, MD, a neurosurgeon, quercetin helps to prevent hardening of the arteries which causes senility and other devastating physical problems. The article states that quercetin does this by preventing cholesterol from oxidizing, thereby rendering the cholesterol harmless and unable to cause arterial damage and hardening.
• Asthma, Hay Fever and Hives: In test tubes, quercetin prevents immune cells from releasing histamines, chemicals that cause allergic reactions. On that basis, researchers think that quercetin may help reduce symptoms of allergies, including runny nose, watery eyes, hives, and swelling of the face and lips. However, there is no evidence yet that it works in humans.
• Hypertension: Studies show that quercetin supplementation reduces blood pressure in people who have hypertension.

Quercetin Dietary Sources

Fruits and vegetables — particularly citrus fruits, apples, onions especially red onion (higher concentrations of quercetin occur in the outermost rings), parsley, black & green tea, and red wine — are the primary dietary sources of quercetin. Citrus fruit, tomato,olive oil, broccoli and other leafy green vegetables, and a number of berries including cherry, raspberry, bog whortleberry), lingonberry, cranberry, chokeberry , sweet rowan, rowanberry, sea buckthorn berry, crowberry and the fruit of the prickly pear cactus. A recent study found that organically grown tomatoes had 79% more quercetin than “conventionally grown”.

Quercetin Available Forms

Quercetin supplements are available as pills or capsules. They are often packaged with bromelain (an enzyme found in pineapple) because both are anti-inflammatories. Other flavonoid-rich extracts include those from grape seed, bilberry, Ginkgo biloba, and green tea.

There are also water-soluble forms of quercetin available, such as hesperidn-methyl-chalcone (HMC) or quercetin-chalcone.

Quercetin Dosage

There isn’t enough evidence to recommend quercetin for children.
Adult: Recommended adult dosages of quercetin vary depending on the condition being treated. The following are guidelines:

• General supplementation: 100 – 250 mg 3 times per day
• Allergy symptoms: 250 – 600 mg per day divided in several doses
• Chronic prostatitis: 500 mg 2 times per day
• Interstitial cystitis: 500 mg 2 times per day

Do not exceed 1 g per day without talking to your doctor first.

Quercetin Precautions

Quercetin is generally considered safe. Side effects may include headache and upset stomach. Preliminary evidence suggests that a byproduct of quercetin can lead to a loss of protein function.

Pregnant and breastfeeding women and people with kidney disease should avoid quercetin.

At high doses (greater than 1 g per day), there are some reports of damage to the kidneys.

Quercetin Possible Interactions

If you are being treated with any of the following medications, you should not use quercetin supplements without first talking to your health care provider.

• Anticoagulants (blood thinners): Quercetin may enhance the effect of these drugs, increasing your risk for bleeding:
• Warfarin (Coumadin)
• Clopidogrel (Plavix)
• Aspirin
• Chemotherapy: Test tube and animal studies suggest that quercetin may enhance the effects of doxorubicin and cisplatin, two chemotherapy medications used to treat cancer. In addition, some doctors believe taking antioxidants at the same time as chemotherapy can be harmful, while others believe it can be helpful. Talk to your oncologist before taking any supplements if you are undergoing chemotherapy.
• Corticosteroids: Quercetin may cause these drugs to stay in the body longer.
• Cyclosporine: Quercetin may interfere with the body’s absorption of this drug, which is used to suppress the immune system.

Scientists recommend eating quercetin rich foods to get the right amount of the flavonoid and to make the most of its beneficial properties.

Buy Quercetin Products Online

Quercetin supplements
http://www.aragonproducts.com/theproducts.cfm?master=2846

Search Google.com for Quercetin products.

Quercetin Research Links

Effects of low dose quercetin: cancer cell-specific inhibition of cell cycle progression.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19009557

Quercetin’s anti-tumor action appears diverse and includes inhibition of inoculated cancer cells, chemical and virally induced cancers leukaemia and ovarian cancer.
http://www.diet-and-health.net/Supplements/Quercetin.html

Quercetin, a ubiquitous bioactive flavonoid, can inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells.
http://www.jeccr.com/content/28/1/80

Comprehensive Nutrient Review: Quercetin Research Abstracts
http://www.lef.org/abstracts/codex/quercetin_abstracts.htm