Amidst the Covid19 shutdown

Many people with chronic pain disorders found it difficult to get in to see their doctors and get their regular treatments. I was one of those people.

Botox sessions were cancelled and pain medications were difficult to obtain. My neurologist was away for almost two months and all of his appointments were cancelled or rescheduled.

I stumbled upon a supplement while searching for natural allergy relief as this has been an unusually rough allergy season as well, and given the virus its best not to be coughing or sneezing if one can manage their symptoms. So I purchased something on Amazon that contained several ingredients that seemed very favorable to me and had really great reviews.

What I did not know at the time of purchase was how much one of the ingredients in that supplement was going to be of great benefit to my migraine headaches!

I have not needed to use any pain medications either prescription or over the counter in over three week. I have only had  a handful of mild migraines since I have been taking the supplement.

Quercetin is a powerful Antioxident

I had no knowledge of this when I purchased the Stinging Nettle and Quercetin “Allergy” remedy that had such good reviews on Amazon, but it got me searching for studies done on Quercetin.

The numerous studies that I found ranged from its benefits on allergies to its uses in destroying certain cancer cells as well as its immune boosting properties. There are even studies on a synthetic version of quercetin being tested for use with epilepsy due to the fact that natural quercetin is short acting due its water soluble nature.

I am not going to post all the many many links to the various studies, but I will quote this study here:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4808895/

“In vitro and some animal models have shown that quercetin, a polyphenol derived from plants, has a wide range of biological actions including anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory and antiviral activities”

(Do feel free to search the many studies out there, its mind blowing to be perfectly honest! Just use the search bar at the top of that study and put Quercetin in there and explore.)

Foods High in Quercetin

The following list comes from this article:

https://www.superfoodly.com/quercetin-foods/

Food	Scientific Name	Quercetin Content (mg per 100g dry or 100 mL liquid)	Source
1.	Capers, fresh	Capparis spinosa	233.84	16
2.	Capers, canned	Capparis spinosa	172.55	16
3.	Lovage leaves, raw	Levisticum officinale	170.0	16
4.	Elderberry juice concentrate	Sambucusspp.	108.16	16
5.	Dock, raw	Rumex spp.	86.2	16
6.	Radish leaves	Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus	70.37	16
7.	Wild rocket	Diplotaxis tenuifolia	66.19	16
8.	Dill weed, fresh	Anethum graveolens	55.15	16
9.	Cilantro, fresh	Coriandrum sativum	52.9	16
10.	Banana peppers, raw	Capsicum annuum	50.63	16
11.	Fennel leaves, raw	Foeniculum vulgare	48.8	16
12.	Juniper berries	Juniperus communis	46.61	16
13.	Mexican oregano	Lippia graveolens	42.0	16
14.	Yellow onion, cooked (winter harvest)	Allium cepa L.	41.9	17
15.	Red onions, raw	Allium cepa L.	39.21	16
16.	Carob flour	Ceratonia siliqua	38.78	16
17.	Radicchio	Cichorium intybus	31.51	16
18.	Red leaf lettuce	Lactuca sativa L. var. crispa	30.6	17
19.	Spring onions, red bulb portion	Allium cepa L.	30.6	16
20.	Watercress, raw	Nasturtium officinale	29.99	16
21.	Hartwort leaves	Tordylium apulum	29.3	16
22.	Ancho peppers	Capsicum annuum	27.6	16
23.	Elderberrines	Sambucus spp.	26.77	16
24.	Hawthorn leaves	Crataegus monogyna	24.1	16
25.	Asparagus, cooked	Asparagus officinalis L.	23.6	17
26.	Kale, raw	Brassica oleracea	22.58	16
27.	Okra, raw	Abelmoschus esculentus	20.97	16
28.	Bee pollen	n/a	20.95	16
29.	Cocoa powder	Theobroma cacao	20.0	18
30.	Apples (skin only)	Malus genus	19.36	16
31.	Chia seeds, raw	Salvia hispanica	18.42	16
32.	Moringa	Moringa oleifera	16.65	16
33.	Saskatoons	Amelanchier canadensis	16.64	16
34.	Annual sow thistle, leaves	Sonchus oleraceus	16.0	16
35.	Serrano peppers, raw	Capsicum anuum	15.98	16
36.	Buckwheat	Fagopyrum esculentum Moench	15.38	16
37.	Hot green chili peppers, raw	Capsicum annuum	14.7	16
38.	Cranberries	Vaccinium oxycoccos	14.0	18
39.	Goji berries, dried	Lycium barbarum	13.6	16
40.	Red spring onions, leaves	Allium cepa L.	12.6	16
41.	Black diamond plums, raw with peel	Prunus domestica	12.45	16
42.	Romaine lettuce	Lactuca sativa L. var. longifolia	12.0	17
43.	Yellow onion, cooked (summer harvest)	Allium cepa L.	11.0	17
44.	Scallions	Allium cepa or Allium fistulosum	10.68	16
45.	Red leaf lettuce, winter harvest	Lactuca sativa L. var. crispa	10.3	18
46.	Tarragon, fresh	Artemisia dracunculus	10.0	16
47.	Green chili pepper, cooked	Capscicum annuum L.	9.9	18
48.	Sweet potato leaves, cooked	Ipomoea batatas	9.84	16
49.	Mustard greens, raw	Brassica juncea	8.8	16
50.	Arugula	Eruca sativa	7.92	16
51.	Blueberries	Vaccinium spp.	7.67	16
52.	Sea buckthorn	Hippophae rhamnoides	7.58	16
53.	Red Swiss chard, raw	Beta vulgaris subsp. Vulagaris	7.5	16
54.	Lingonberries	Vaccinium vitis-idaea	7.4	18
55.	Oregano, fresh	Origanum vulgare	7.3	16
56.	Red kidney beans, boiled	Phaseolus vulgaris	6.82	16
57.	Chicory greens, raw	Cichorium intybus	6.49	16
58.	Long yellow peppers, raw	Capsicum annuum	6.45	16
59.	Figs	Ficus carica	5.47	16
60.	Yardlong bean, cooked	Vigna unguiculata ssp. sesquipedalis	5.3	16
61.	Jalepeno peppers, raw	Capsicum anuum	5.07	16
62.	Turmeric, steamed	Curcuma longa	4.92	16
63.	Chives, raw	Allium schoenoprasum	4.77	16
64.	Acerola	Malpighia emarginata	4.74	16
65.	Brussels sprouts, cooked	Brassica oleracea	4.33	16
66.	Green leaf lettuce	Lactuca sativa var. crispa	4.16	16
67.	Tomato products without added salt, canned (average)	n/a	4.12	16
68.	Apples, all varieties (fruit with skin)	Malus genus	4.01	16
69.	Spinach, raw	Spinacia oleracea	3.97	16
70.	Tart or sour cherry juice	Prunus cerasus	3.88	16
71.	Blackberries	Rubus spp.	3.58	16
72.	Cherry tomatos	Solanum lycopersicum	3.3	17
73.	Broccoli, raw	Brassica oleracea var. italica	3.26	16
74.	Bay leaves, fresh	Laurus nobilis	3.19	16
75.	Concord grapes	Vitis vinifera	3.11	16
76.	Snap green peas, raw	Pisum sativum	2.73	16
77.	Butterhead lettuce	Lactuca sativa var. capitata	2.73	16
78.	Regular green tea, brewed	Camellia sinensis	2.69	16
79.	Collard greens, raw	Brassica oleracea var. viridis	2.57	16
80.	Cayenne peppers, raw	Capsicum annuum	2.48	16
81.	Broccoli raab, raw	Brassica ruvo	2.25	16
82.	Green bell peppers	Capsicum annuum	2.21	16
83.	White Swiss chard, raw	Beta vulgaris subsp. vulagaris	2.2	16
84.	Romaine lettuce	Lactuca sativa var. logifolia	2.2	16
85.	Black tea, brewed	Camellia sinensis	2.19	16
86.	Japanese green tea, brewed	Camellia sinensis	2.1	17
87.	Applesauce, canned	Malus genus	2.0	16
88.	Garlic, raw	Allium sativum	1.74	16
89.	Apricots, raw	Prunus armeniaca	1.63	16
90.	Pistachio nuts, raw	Pistacia vera	1.46	16
91.	Red potatoes with skin, baked	Solanum tuberosum	1.43	16
92.	Iceberg lettuce	Lactuca sativa var. capitata	1.42	16
93.	Oolong tea, brewed	Camellia sinensis	1.3	16
94.	Cherries	Prunus avium L.	1.2	17
95.	Strawberries	Fragaria X ananassa	1.11	16
96.	Apples, all varieties (fruit without skin)	Malus genus	1.05	16
97.	Broccoli raab, cooked	Brassica ruvo	1.05	16
98.	Red raspberries	Rubus spp.	1.05	16
99.	Red grapes	Vitis vinifera	1.04	16
100.	Red wine	n/a	1.04	16
Sources:	USDA Special Interest Databases on Flavonoids (16) Nishimuro H, Ohnishi H, Sato M, et al. Estimated daily intake and seasonal food sources of quercetin in Japan. (17) Larson AJ, Symons JD, Jalili T. Quercetin: A Treatment for Hypertension? A Review of Efficacy and Mechanisms. (18)

I do not claim that this will help with all migraine types or all chronic pain disorders but given the many things Quercetin is being studied for it is definitely a supplement worthy of mentioning and worth adding to your diet.

Yours in Health and Wellness,

Kristeen Anne Smart  (Formerly Kristeen Anne Kish)

CAMTC Certified Massage Therapist