Quercetin is a plant flavonoid found in capers and green tea and it’s now become a new hype vitamin during the fight against COVID-19.
Some proponents of the over the counter vitamin Quercetin believe it could be one part of the treatment regimen against COVID-19, along with convalescent plasma and Remdesivir.
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According to medpagetoday.com, Quercetin has long been evaluated for its potential protective effects against cancers, heart disease and cells that release histamines. Medpagetoday.com said in cell cultures, Quercetin has been shown to prevent viral entry and reduce cytopathic effects of many viruses, including rhinovirus and poliovirus.
In a 2016 animal study, rodents were administered Quercetin before being exposed to a lethal load of Ebola and survived.
A human COVID-19 trial in Turkey of 95 patients with COVID-19 received a 1,000 mg active treatment dose of Quercetin and 113 healthcare workers are receiving a 500 mg dose as a Prophylaxis. The study says that there were no recorded COVID-19 cases among healthcare workers taking the treatment and no deaths among the reserved patients.
“It’s based on good basic science, however we don’t have any clinical data,” Dr. Paul Marik, chief of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical said.
Dr. Marik told the website that despite not having enough studies on Quercetin, that if you have something that is cheap, beneficial and safe what do you have to lose.