Quercetin: The Super Bioflavonoid for Horses

Quercetin is an immune-supportive bioflavonoid (or simply “flavonoid”) found in vegetables, fruits and nuts. It’s an antioxidant, meaning it scavenges free radicals that cause damage to cell membranes.

Quercetin is commonly included in equine supplements to address allergies, respiratory issues, and immune challenges.

Getting to know bioflavonoids

I’ve had a kind of love affair with bioflavonoids ever since 1984, when I used a product called Biorutin after getting slammed into a paddock gate by a spooked horse. My arm and hand took the brunt of the horse’s impact on me against the metal gate. First there was the swelling, then the bruising. My hand looked like a boxer’s hand after a prizefight without gloves.

A health food store owner suggested I take Biorutin, a proprietary blend containing the bioflavonoid rutin. Within a day, the swelling started going down and the bruising began to recede. From then on, my go-to for bruising and inflammation has been bioflavonoids.

Bioflavonoids like rutin, hesperidin, and citrus flavonoids have been popular in human supplements since the early 1980s.

My first in-depth exposure to the bioflavonoid quercetin was back in 2000 when I was a consultant to the whole-food human supplement company MegaFood, who was introducing a supplement with quercetin. What became apparent over time is that the benefits of quercetin were dose-dependent – because of its low bioavailability, higher doses were required to get any benefits.

A better quercetin

Fortunately, a more bioavailable quercetin was developed, called Quercetin Phytosome®. According to the research, Quercetin Phytosome facilitates the attainment of high plasma levels of quercetin—up to 20 times more than quercetin powder.¹

Bioavailability and Quercefit®

This patented extract is derived from the flower buds of Sophora japonica (the Japanese pagoda tree).

Quercefit is a patented quercetin phytosome. Recent studies have indicated Quercefit’s benefits outside of allergies and histamine control.

Quercefit can be described as a pleiotropic, meaning it has beneficial effects on diverse physiological processes. Not all forms of quercetin have the wide health benefits of Quercefit.

Sophora japonica flower

Benefits of quercetin for horses

Of course, we want the most bioavailable form of this important bioflavonoid for your horse, and that’s Quercefit.

• The quercetin is bound to lecithin, increasing the efficiency of oral absorption and bioavailability.
• It is an antioxidant, inactivating free radicals and inhibiting lipid peroxidation.
• It helps stabilize cells that release histamine, providing an anti-inflammatory and antihistamine effect that reduces runny noses, watery eyes, and hives.
• It can help maintain ocular health, particularly protecting the retina of the eye.
• It can improve airway epithelial regeneration for horses with COPD/heaves.
• In a pilot study on amateur triathletes, running performance was improved in subjects on Quercefit compared with control. Post-run muscular pain, cramps, and recovery time were improved as well.²
• Quercetin can modulate activity of the cytokine cascades, reducing NF-kB activation, controlling COX and LOX activation and cytokine production. This ability to modulate is part of Quercefit’s role in encouraging a healthy inflammatory response.
• Quercefit is an effective ionophore for zinc, an important component for the immune system. Without the right ionophore, ions such as zinc are poorly absorbed.
• A 2022 pilot study showed the positive effects of a three-month period of Quercetin Phytosome in the prevention of symptomatic COVID-19 in healthcare workers.³

Quality of ingredients matters!

BioStar is the only equine supplement company to use Quercefit. I wonder why? Why is BioStar the only equine supplement company to use so many patented, high-performance extracts like Quercefit?

It is by far the most expensive quercetin on the market, but it’s also the most bioavailable. From my perspective as a formulator, there is no point in using a generic powder form of quercetin for horses, with its low bioavailability and therefore questionable results, just so that a label can claim the product contains this bioflavonoid.

From the time I started BioStar, I have maintained the credo of using only the best raw materials available, no matter the cost. We reduce BioStar’s profitability in order to use the finest ingredients in a formula. For me it’s not about the money, it’s about achieving the best health results for your horse.

Quality matters.

FOR MORE ABOUT QUERCETIN FOR HORSES, READ OUR ARTICLE:

Down the Rabbit Hole with Quercetin

BioStar products with Quercefit

Aller-X EQ is a unique formula for horses that helps maintain healthy histamine levels and a balanced immune response. Aller-X may be helpful for horses experiencing seasonal allergies or skin and respiratory allergies. Aller-X provides unique, highly bioavailable patented extracts that are backed by published clinical studies, intended to support a healthy inflammatory response, and help support normal histamine levels.

Buckaroo’s Cool Down K9 is an Ayurvedic formula to support a normal inflammatory and histamine response and help break the heat of a naturally “hot” dog. This formula features the powerful extract Quercefit®, Shiitake mushrooms, and a range of beneficial ingredients including quinoa, goat whey protein, organic kale, celery, whole eggs, and pumpkin meal.

References

1 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6418071/
2 – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29947492/
3 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8780248/