How much does Quercetin help against Covid-19?
Quercetin became popular due to the rising cases in Covid-19. The major concerns for people have been isolating themselves from physical interactions and boosting their immunity, if possible, naturally. It turns out that Quercetin is a great way to do that.
Quercetin is a flavonoid. Flavonoids are various compounds found naturally in fruits and vegetables.They are characterised by pharmacological properties including broad-spectrum antiviral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immune-protective effects, allowing it to potentially support patients with conditions where oxidative stress, inflammation and immunity are involved. These conditions include discomforts related to cardiovascular health, healthy ageing, bones and joint health, sport and physical activity, gut and respiratory health. Quercetin is highly effective due to the fact that it is very rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants in turn have huge benefits for your body including warding off toxins and fighting free radicals. When these free radicals go unchecked, they start to affect the protein, fatty tissue and even your DNA, eventually leading to chronic diseases Quercetin may also help to fight chronic diseases in the future.
After getting infected by the Covid-19, one gets a storm of inflammation which hits their body and eventually their lungs. This, along with prior conditions such as cardiovascular problems or auto-immune diseases can prove to be fatal. Quercetin has been found to reduce inflammation in the body.Recently, there was a study in which there were 50 women who suffered from an inflammatory condition called rheumatoid arthritis. They were given 500mgs of Quercetin over an eight-week period. These ladies noticed that their aches and pains eventually started to go away. Their aches and pains after daily activities subsided as well.
Some nutrients are better when combined, such as how the body needs vitamin D to help it better absorb calcium. Quercetin and vitamin C is another combination that provides beneficial effects.In a 2020 review published in Frontiers in Immunology, health care researchers from various parts of the world shared that vitamin C with quercetin benefits “exert a synergistic antiviral action.” This is partly due to having overlapping properties but also because ascorbate recycles quercetin, improving its efficacy.
Even people with allergies are treated using Quercetin and it’s quite effective at that. It also doesn’t give any side effects such as fatigue or drowsiness like the other medications do.
In another study it was found out that on average Quercetin helped people reduce their blood pressure by five points. Reducing high blood pressure is quite a challenge and Quercetin proves to be quite effective in this field as well. There is a major chunk of population which takes medication for blood pressure and cholesterol. Quercetin helps to mitigate these problems naturally by offering a way to the patients to get off the artificial medications.
Quercetin also shows antiviral activity in the body which hugely benefits your immune system. It acts as an ionophore to Zinc. Zinc has been shown to stop viral replications. However, it is very poor in getting into the cell. This is where Quercetin helps and acts as an ionophore and helps Zinc in getting into the cell.Quercetin also has anti-cancer effects as it is anti-inflammatory in nature. Other studies suggest that this combination has positive effects on breast cancer cells.
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should avoid taking quercetin as it is unclear whether it is safe for this demographic. It is also not recommended for patients with kidney issues and might interfere with some prescription medications, including medicines taken for diabetes and high blood pressure. So, patients should speak to their doctors before taking quercetin if they have been prescribed any other medications.
Quercetin and other topics are discussed at the Pharmacy College atAmrapali Institute, Haldwani. Amrapali Educational Institute is a top ranked institute in Nainital.