Article Summary:
- Quercetin and curcumin are potent antioxidants that help maintain the body’s natural inflammatory responses.*
- Co-supplementation of quercetin and curcumin have been found to exert beneficial effects on health and wellness.*
- Tesseract’s innovative nutrient delivery technology achieves optimal bioavailability of these two nutrients.
“Can I take quercetin and curcumin supplements together?”
If you are considering co-supplementation, then you should want to know about any potential contraindications and side effects.
Interestingly, your regular diet might already contain these two phytocompounds. You could be taking quercetin and curcumin together by eating an apple or drinking a turmeric latte or having a curry with onion and turmeric (as a flavoring agent). But what about taking them together as nutritional supplements?
Quercetin and curcumin are natural ingredients in human nutrition and exhibit immunomodulatory and antioxidant properties. The health-promoting benefits of these two natural polyphenols are well established with a relatively favorable safety profile. In this post, we discuss the potential benefits of taking quercetin and curcumin together and why you should consider advanced supplement formulations that optimize the absorption and bioavailability of these nutrients.
Studies Supporting the Potential Benefits of Taking Quercetin and Curcumin Together
Quercetin is a flavonoid polyphenol found in the highest concentrations in red onions, apples, grapes, green tea, parsley, dark cherries, and dark berries. It is an antioxidant that promotes immune functions, helps maintain the body’s normal inflammatory response, and supports a healthy heart.*
Curcumin is the primary bioactive constituent of turmeric root. Its antioxidant properties address exercise-induced muscle soreness, promote immune health, and provide cardiovascular, hepatic, metabolic, and gastrointestinal support.*
Several studies highlight the potential benefits of taking quercetin and curcumin together to promote the immune and antioxidant defense systems.* The following table highlights studies that describe the benefits of co-supplementation of quercetin and curcumin.
Studies Suggesting Benefits of Co-Supplementation of Quercetin and Curcumin |
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Combined effects of quercetin and curcumin on wound healing: The mixture of quercetin and curcumin can inhibit the activities of harmful bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, that may be responsible for certain skin infections.* Additionally, quercetin and curcumin synergistically induce cell migration, which is critical in wound healing.*1 |
Combined effects of quercetin and curcumin on respiratory system: Daily co-supplementation of curcumin and quercetin downregulates hyper-inflammatory responses in the respiratory system, offering the potential to address specific respiratory conditions.*2 |
Combined effects of quercetin and curcumin on abnormal cell growth: Quercetin and curcumin synergistically influence cell signaling pathways to downregulate adverse inflammatory responses by cells and inhibit their abnormal growth.*3 |
Can I take Quercetin and Curcumin Together? It Depends.
Now that you know the potential benefits of taking quercetin and curcumin together, two key factors determine if you should consider co-supplementing them.
Safety
Although the positive safety profiles of quercetin and curcumin are well-established, there have been reports about side effects of these two compounds.
Side effects of quercetin: Based on animal studies involving oral intake of quercetin, some potential safety aspects include possible nephrotoxic effects of quercetin in pre-damaged kidneys. Also, there is no adequate scientific data on the long-term use (longer than 12 weeks) of high supplemental quercetin doses (greater than 1,000 mg daily). Animal and human studies with short-term supplemental quercetin intake revealed potential interactions between quercetin and certain medications, resulting in altered drug bioavailability.
Side effects of curcumin: The Allowable Daily Intake (ADI) value of curcumin is 0-3 mg/kg body weight. In a dose-response study, seven subjects receiving 500 – 12,000 mg daily experienced diarrhea, rash, and headache.4 In another study, some subjects receiving 0.45 – 3.6 g/day curcumin for 1-4 months reported nausea and diarrhea.5
Efficacy
The efficacy of taking quercetin and curcumin supplements together depends to a great degree on how they are formulated. Both antioxidants have poor natural absorption and bioavailability, which can make conventional formulations ineffective. Advanced nutrient delivery nanotechnology, such as using cyclodextrins, has been shown to enhance the absorption and solubility of these compounds.
Tesseract Medical Research has developed innovative quercetin and curcumin supplement formulations that optimize their bioavailability, thus tapping their significant health-promoting properties. Tesseract’s proprietary CyLoc® – DexKey® nutrient delivery nanotechnology enables unprecedented absorption of quercetin and curcumin while protecting them from being degraded during their transit through the stomach. The optimal bioavailability of these two nutrients helps in micro-dosing — using them in lesser amounts than previously required to achieve their health benefits.
So, coming back to the original question, “Can I take quercetin and curcumin supplements together?” The answer is, yes! However, always consult with your healthcare provider to understand potential contraindications, if any, with your prescription medications.
The power of Tesseract supplements lies in enhancing palatability, maximizing solubility, bioavailability and absorption, and micro-dosing multiple nutrients in a single, highly effective capsule. Shop products on our website and learn more about how they can support your gastrointestinal health.*
1Chittasupho C, et al. Effects of quercetin and curcumin combination on . . . antioxidant, in vitro wound healing and migration of human dermal fibroblast cells. International Journal of Molecular Sciences vol. 23,1 142. 23 Dec. 2021, doi:10.3390/ijms23010142
2Ujjan ID, et al. The possible therapeutic role of curcumin and quercetin in the early-stage of COVID-19. Results from a pragmatic randomized clinical trial. Frontiers in Nutrition vol. 9 1023997. 18 Jan. 2023, doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.1023997
3Srivastava NS, Srivastava RAK. Curcumin and quercetin synergistically . . . modulate Wnt/β-catenin signaling and apoptotic pathways in A375 cells. Phytomedicine: International Journal of Phytotherapy and Phytopharmacology vol. 52 (2019): 117-128. doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2018.09.224
4Lao CD, et al. Dose escalation of a curcuminoid formulation. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine vol. 6 10. 17 Mar. 2006, doi:10.1186/1472-6882-6-10
5Sharma RA, et al. Phase I clinical trial of oral curcumin: biomarkers of systemic activity and compliance. Clinical Cancer Research: an Official Journal of the American Association for Cancer Research vol. 10,20 (2004): 6847-54. doi:10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-04-0744