Quercetin - possibly helpful for COVID-19?

Hi everyone! I hope you're all keeping well during this difficult time.

I'm excited to share something that I came across today which has some real evidence behind it as an antiviral, and is something that just *might* help specifically to combat COVID-19.

Quercetin is a plant flavonol (polyphenol) found in various fruits and vegetables, and has been a popular anti-aging and anti-allergy compound for a few years now (it also appears to be beneficial for high blood pressure). Importantly, I've just discovered that there is also evidence showing that it demonstrates significant activity against viruses, including Ebola, HIV, Zika and most interestingly right now, the flu and the SARS coronavirus!

There is even a clinical trial for its use against COVID-19 taking place right now.

The downside with Quercetin seems small - this is a natural compound and something people have been supplementing with for years. (That said, there are certain groups of people who might be at risk for some side effects, such as those with kidney damage or cancer - speak to your doctor). Yet the upside is potentially very large - something that may help people who contract COVID-19 to fight it off, and thus avoid needing hospitalization, which in turn could save vital hospital resources for others.

Of course, I'll leave you to make your own decisions, but I am absolutely supplementing with this right now, at a dose of 1000 mg / day. I use this powder, which is the least expensive way to take it, but you can also take it in capsules if you prefer. If you were to contract COVID-19, you could consider taking 1000 mg twice daily.

Please note that I consider this a supplement to be taken 'as needed' rather than every day, indefinitely. In other words, consider taking it if you are risk for contracting a virus or if you have already contracted a virus. High doses over long periods of time can potentially interfere with iron absorption (although the rats in this study were given much higher relative doses than we would ever take).

This is another powder option.

Worldwide or non-Amazon readers, you can get Quercetin capsules from iHerb (and they are actually cheaper than the capsules on Amazon).

Please, of course, do not think that this is a silver bullet, or a cure, or anything besides something that *might* help. And most importantly, this is absolutely no substitute for proper hygiene and strict social distancing.

To your good health!

Gavin