Quercetin vs. DAO- have you tried either?

[carolm]

Hi All,
I've been reading Dr. Andrew Weil's 'Spontaneous Healing". I was reading the section on immunity disorders and mast cell problems. He mentions that quercetin is a supplement that will strengthen the mast cell's lining and prevent/inhibit the release of mediators (histamine, etc). I did a search and saw some posts here with a few members saying they were going to try Quercertin. I found a post from Sara saying she found it helpful. Did any of the rest of you find it helpful?

DAO is also covered in his book and it stands to reason that MC could make it difficult for us to process DAO so it may not be able to do it's job of breaking up histamine. again I searched the old posts here but didn't find a specific answer to my question. Has anyone supplemented with DAO and if so, what were your results?

I think some of my lingering symptoms, which seem to hit at random, may be the result of mast cell issues, especially histamine.

Any feedback would be appreciated. I'm already taking Claritin and Benadryl for my seasonal allergies, which are really a 'bear' this year. Apparently these 2 meds alone are not addressing the issue.
Carol

[mzh]

Carol, have you tried Histame? It's actually DAO. Some of us have tried it, including me. I seem a bit better on it; maybe I should take two instead of one. There are other forms of DAO you'll find if you search DAO.

I took Zyrtec for two years for a blocked nose and it did nothing for my bowels. Then on to PPIs; those made it worse, not better. All I can figure is that I'm already low acid and that the PPIs made it much worse. I never tried any H2s but I'm guessing I'll be like you - that they won't help much.

I'm interested in the Quercertin possibility too.

[carolm]

Hi Marcia,
I just ordered Histame and I will try it. My only reservation is that it's derived from porcine (pig) and according to Enterolab I should be avoiding pork. I haven't eaten pork for at least a year. We'll see if the origin makes that much difference. I've been looking for another DAO source but haven't found a source other than pig.

I'm going to look for Quercetin today after work, at my local health food store and our GNC store. I'll try these supplement one at a time and am cautiously optimistic since it seems others have had some good results with them, from the looks of the reviews.

Thanks for chiming in.
Carol

[mbeezie]

Quercetin has been studied by Dr. Theo Theoharides from Tufts - he is a mast cell researcher. Apparently it prevents mast cell degranulation. I thought about using it but never did - I tried to eat natural sources instead, like grapefruit (even though some low histamine diet lists say to avoid grapefruit). I bought Histame and tried it a few times but truthfully I would forget to take it before meals. When I retested with MRT I was red reactive for pork so I won't take it now. There is also another DAO supplement called HistoXym, but it is also pork derived. If you are ever in Europe you could get your DAO levels checked. Apparently they are far ahead of the US in recognizing and treating histamine intilerance.

Mary Beth

[brandy]

Hi Carol,

This doesn't really directly tie out to your question but thought I would report on my experience with quercetin in food. (I havn't tried the supplement.)

Re: Quercetin--saw your post this weekend. I also saw Sara's prior discussion thread about supplements and MaryBeth's discussion (prior) about possibly getting quercetin in a food source. Then I wikipediad quercetin to see what kind of foods have quercetin. Interestingly black tea was one of the foods. Now looking back I"m thinking the high dose of black tea I was drinking was probably giving me some mast cell protection when I got off of Entocort. Prior to MC I maybe had 2 cups black tea a day. During months of big flare and throughout my Entocort taper I think I was averaging 6-8 cups per day. An average day for me would be either about 4 cups black tea in morning, 1 glass iced tea lunch and 1 glass iced tea around 3:30 pm. It seems like a lot but I had to replace my diet coke habit with something plus I was only eating about 8 foods for months and it was my only luxury. I just thought I'd mention this as it might be an option for those who are going thru 2nd or 3rd attempts to get off Entocort or might not be tolerating the OTC anti histamines.

This is from wikipedia which I know we shouldn't really trust but for what it's worth.

"Foods rich in quercetin include black and green tea (Camellia sinensis; 2000–2500 mg/kg), capers (1800 mg/kg),[5] lovage (1700 mg/kg), apples (440 mg/kg), onion, especially red onion (191 mg/kg) (higher concentrations of quercetin occur in the outermost rings[6]), red grapes, citrus fruit, tomato, broccoli and other leafy green vegetables, and a number of berries, including raspberry, bog whortleberry (158 mg/kg, fresh weight), lingonberry (cultivated 74 mg/kg, wild 146 mg/kg), cranberry (cultivated 83 mg/kg, wild 121 mg/kg), chokeberry (89 mg/kg), sweet rowan (85 mg/kg), rowanberry (63 mg/kg), sea buckthorn berry (62 mg/kg), crowberry (cultivated 53 mg/kg, wild 56 mg/kg),[7] and the fruit of the prickly pear cactus. A recent study found that organically grown tomatoes had 79% more quercetin than "conventionally grown".[8]"

When you look at the numbers I was ingesting a lot of quercetin.

Keep us posted on how your tests go! Brandy

[carolm]

Hi everyone, Thanks for the input.

I found Quercetin at my local GNC store so I'll start with it. I know it's a preventative so I won't see quick results. Dr. Weil recommends 400mg 2x a day. Here's hoping something helps with my last remaining symptoms that show up about once a week. I 'm so close to being symptom free-- or having minimal symptoms-- I really want to turn the corner.

The food challenges continue. I did have one that went astray. Last evening I sauted some fresh spinach with olive oil and a few seasonings. By 9:00 am today I learned that spinach is not going to be my friend. I'm also eliminating some foods that MRT said should be okay and when I challenged them they were okay, but are high histamine. At least until I have a better handle on things.

thanks again for your feedback.
Carol

[mzh]

Brandy, your food list from Wikipedia was very helpful. Thank you,

[Leah]

Brandy, interesting about black tea. I use to drink it twice a day, but found that I had to give it up because it was bothering my intestines I may look into the Quercetin since I , like Carol, am so close to being symptom free ( well, I still get occasional gas and bloating... and my BMs are not quite norman). Maybe I will look today :)

Leah

[Zizzle]

I took Quercetin for a while, not sure why, and not sure I noticed any results. Helpful, I know!

I find the only supplement that gives me noticeable results is L-glutamine. I've been ignoring the connection for a while, and I've stopped taking it for long periods, but I notice every time I go back on it (usually a teaspoon in water at bedtime), the D consistency is much firmer the next day. My nutritionist just confirmed there is no harm in taking substantial doses, so I may try to take it twice a day...

[JFR]

I just recently ordered some l glutamine powder online. It hasn't arrived yet. It is supposed to help heal leaky gut. I figured Id try it and see if it helps. I'll report back.

Jean

[carolm]

Hi all,
at this point I'm operating off the theory that my remaining LC issues are mast cell related. Like Leah said, 'symptom free' is a relative term but it basically means I have no symptoms that are so awful they keep me from going to work, or going to events, etc. Not that I always feel 100%, but I'm often 85-90% good.

I started Quercetin today, just 500mg. So weird reactions yet.

In researching Dr. Theo Theoharides work, I found an article that discussed that mast cell reactions in pregnant mothers can pass the gut-blood-brain barriers and could potentially contribute to autism in their children. Whoa. I need to go back and re-read. That is one of more plausible theories I heard but I need time to digest the scope of what they are saying.

Carol

[Leah]

I take L-Glutamine also. Carol, let us know if you see a difference. Leah

[wmonique2]

Carol,


Good luck with these 2 supplements. I am eager to hear how they work for you. The link you posted about mast cells is enlightening...I sent it to a friend who suffers from multiple symptoms, all of which were listed in that article.


Regards,



Monique

[CathyMe.]

I just recently ordered some l glutamine powder online. It hasn't arrived yet. It is supposed to help heal leaky gut. I figured Id try it and see if it helps. I'll report back.

Jean

Jean,
I too use the glutamine powder in my smoothies and have read several articles about the benefits of it to the gut. Carol, definitely let us know how you do on the Quercetin.

[wmonique2]

Hi Carol, Cathy, Leah, Jean, Z., Brandy--


Jean, you mentioned taking the glutamine in a powder form---I buy the pills, 500mg each and was told by a doctor to take at least 2 a day, even 3.

Is powder better? more economical? any difference?

Thank you friends.


Monique