Quercetin

Uses

It has been found that quercetin has the potential to become an effective remedy for prevention and treatment of several disorders. Moreover, it has been observed that quercetin is most effective to treat allergies and inflammations when it is used with a digestive enzyme found in pineapples - bromelain. Listed below are a few health conditions quercetin is used for.

Heart disease

Several researches conducted on quercetin in the laboratories as well as on animals and people have shown that bio-flavonoids like quercetin, resveratrol and catechins - which are all present in substantial proportions in red wine - have the potential to help in lessening the hazard of atherosclerosis, accumulation of cholesterol in arteries that may lead to heart attacks or strokes. It may be mentioned here that quercetin also functions like antioxidants and helps in preventing as well as protecting the body from damages caused by LDL or 'bad cholesterol'. This way, quercetin helps in thwarting death from heart ailments. However, studies conducted on quercetin so far are inadequate and more researches are required to understand the therapeutic properties of the nutrient better and utilize them in a proper manner for good health.

Arthritis

Laboratory as well as animal tests with quercetin have shown that this plant pigment possesses anti-inflammatory properties. Test tube studies conducted with quercetin have established that the nutrient has the ability to restrict the kind of swelling and pain in the joints associated with arthritis. Moreover, there have been reports that when people suffering from rheumatic arthritis changes their diet from the normal Western foodstuff to vegetarian foods like plenty of raw berries, fruits, vegetables, nuts, roots, seeds as wells as sprouts enclosing several antioxidants, including quercetin, their conditions improved significantly.

Eye disorders

It is believed that the free radicals or reactive molecules present in the body lead to most eye problems, including cataracts and macular degeneration - a common old age eye disorder in which the lens are damaged often resulting to loss of vision. Since flavonoids like quercetin help in counteracting the free radicals, they are helpful in preventing as well as treating such eye problems. A study conducted with 3,072 adults suffering from macular degeneration showed that administering red wine - a rich source of quercetin - helped in curing them of the disorder. As most dark colored berries like blueberries, blackberries and dark cherries also enclose rich proportions of flavonoids, many physicians recommend eating them frequently to thwart the risk of macular degeneration as well as treating the disorder. At the same time, studies on animals have shown that quercetin possesses certain compounds that restrict the progress of cataracts.

Allergies, asthma, hay fever and hives

According to researchers, quercetin restricts the secretion as well as discharge of histamine and other substances that cause allergies and inflammations in the body. It may be noted here that histamine is a material that gives rise to allergic indications like running nose, hives, watery eyes and puffiness of the tender tissues, including the facial and lips.

Fibromyalgia

Like in the instance of arthritis, people suffering from fibromyalgia, a physical disorder that causes aches and exhaustion, who changed their diet from the conventional Western food to vegetarian habits with intake of high levels of flavonoids like quercetin found improvements in their condition.

Canker sores

Quercetin also has the potential to lessen the rate of recurrence of mouth sores and yield gentle indications of respite.

High cholesterol

Studies have shown that flavonoids such as quercetin present in red wine or orange juice have the potential to lower cholesterol levels in the body.

Cancer

Since long scientists have been of the opinion that flavonoids obtained from fruits and vegetables, including quercetin, may be used to thwart the hazard of developing cancer and recent laboratory tests have only confirmed this view. In fact, during laboratory tests as well as experiments on animals, quercetin and other flavonoids have been effective in restricting the growth of cancer cells, including those of the colon, prostate, breast and lung tumors.
During one study conducted on humans, eleven people suffering from various kinds of cancer were subjected to quercetin. The study noted that the use of quercetin had helped in diminishing the tumor size in two people, while the nutrient had actually restricted the functioning of a particular protein that is said to play an important part in the development of tumors in the remaining nine persons. This study has shown the need for more such researches on quercetin vis-�-vis prevention and cure of cancer.
In fact, the success of several studies have made the researchers optimist about the possibility of manufacturing anti-cancer drugs with quercetin and other flavonoids to prevent as well as treat this fatal disease. While the scientists are hopeful of flavonoids improving the action of anti-cancer drugs, there is a dispute on whether antioxidants like quercetin and other flavonoids should be carried simultaneously with chemotherapy to treat cancer patients.

Prostate health

A number of studies conducted with quercetin have shown that the nutrient helps in alleviating pain as well as other indication of prostatitis or inflammation of the prostate among men. On the other hand, initial laboratory tests have displayed that quercetin has the potential to restrict the development of prostate cancer cells in test tubes. However, scientists and researchers are still undecided how the results of the laboratory tests would actually help in preventing and treating prostate cancer in men.

Other medical uses

Edema, Gout, Peptic ulcer, Retinopathy.

Deficiencies and susceptibility

No research conducted on quercetin so far has been able to establish any clear sign of deficit of the substance in any person.

Side effects and cautions

None of the studies conducted on quercetin have found any toxic element in this water soluble plant pigment. Incidentally, early researchers were of the opinion that administering heavy doses of quercetin could lead to cancer among animals. However, modern day researches have proved this wrong and established that quercetin was safe for use. In fact, the recent researches on quercetin have even found the substance to be helpful in providing protection from cancer. Quercetin is normally taken with vitamin C in view of the fact that flavonoids aid in protecting as well as enhancing the efficacy of vitamin C.