Quercetin as Anti-Flu Support

Here is a question for you. What do grapevine leaves do when they come under attack from a viral infection? Answer: make more quercetin for their natural defense. There is no question that quercetin is active against many viral infections including the flu. 

I first reported on quercetin’s flu-fighting ability in a 2008 posting, Quercetin Reduces Flu Susceptibility, which was an animal study showing that quercetin could reduce flu when animals were intentionally exposed.  I followed this with an extensive review article last year, Quercetin: A Rising Star for Nerves, Immunity, and Metabolism. In this article I detail a number of studies showing that quercetin interferes with viral replication in a number of viruses including the flu.

Another newer animal study has found that quercetin inhibits both influenza A and B viruses and viruses were not able to develop resistance to quercetin treatment. When quercetin was used with anti-viral drugs then the anti-viral effect was even stronger and the quercetin prevented the development of resistance to the drugs which otherwise occurs. Studies like this support the synergistic combination of medical care with quercetin.

If a person should get the flu the severity of any infection is based on the ability of the flu virus to overwhelm the natural defense system of the human body, causing a state of inflammatory and toxic overload concurrent with exhaustion of the antioxidant defense system. Various antioxidant nutrients are also known to have anti-viral properties, including quercetin, NAC, resveratrol Natural phenol or type of antioxidant found in red grapes, red wine. Research has shown beneficial effects as anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory agents along with supporting healthy blood sugar and cardiovasculature function., vitamin C, and green tea. Scientists reviewing the science on this topic concluded, “The combination of antioxidants with antiviral drugs synergistically reduces the lethal effects of influenza virus infections. These results suggest that an agent [nutrient] with antiviral and antioxidant activities could be a drug of choice for the treatment of patients with severe influenza-associated complications.”

The data is showing that quercetin, as well as a number of other synergistic antioxidants, make common sense during the cold and flu season and to lend a hand any time you are fighting a bug. Nutrients do not replace good medical care in case of the flu; they act synergistically to enhance it.