Quercetin: nature's antihistamine - Dr. Murray's Natural
Healing
Better Nutrition, April, 1998 by Michael T. Murray
Flavonoids are a group of plant pigments that are largely responsible for the colors of many fruits and flowers. Recent research suggests that flavonoids may be useful in the treatment and prevention of many health conditions. In fact, many of the medicinal actions of foods, juices, herbs, and bee pollen are now known to be directly related to their flavonoid content.
When did this flavonoid frenzy begin?
The word "bioflavonoids," or "flavonoids," was first used in 1952 by German researchers to identify a class of compounds found in most plants. All flavanol compounds include one basic molecule (flavan-3-ol). In the U.S., the general word for these compounds is "proanthocyanidins"; an alternate term, one used in France, is "oligomeric proanthocyanidins," or OPCs.
The original "flavonoid" research apparently began as early as 1936, when Hungarian scientist Albert Szent-Gyorgi was uncovering a synergy between pure vitamin C and as yet unidentified co-factors from the peels of lemons, which he first called "citrin," and, later, "vitamin P."
Advertisement
Today, there are individual OPCs, and OPC matrixes -- from grape seeds, grape skin, pine bark, and a variety of other sources -- being discovered and undergoing the rigors of pharmacological assays, basic research, and experimental studies.
Quercetin: a biological response modifier
Flavonoids, in general, are often referred to as "nature's biological response modifiers" because of their ability to modify the body's reaction to other compounds, such as allergens, viruses, and carcinogens, as evidenced by their anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, antiviral, and anti-cancer properties.
Anti-inflammatory/anti-allergy actions. Quercetin has demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory activity due to direct inhibition of several of the initial processes of inflammation. For example, it inhibits both the manufacture and release of histamine and other allergic/inflammatory compounds. Quercetin appears to be useful in virtually all inflammatory and allergic conditions, including asthma, hayfever, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus, as well as in diabetes and cancer.
Antioxidative properties. In addition, flavonoids act as powerful antioxidants in providing remarkable protection against oxidative and free-radical damage. They also exert a vitamin C-sparing action.
Contrasting quercetin with synthetic antihistamines |
