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




