Myricetin

Secondary plant substance from the flavonoid group with a strong antioxidant effect (comparable to other flavonoids such as quercetin and rutin).

Myricetin is usually found together with other flavonoids (e.g. kaempferol, quercetin, rutin) in the following plants:

• Black tea
• Blackcurrants
• blueberries
• Myrtle berries
• grapes
• walnuts
• Sundew

In addition to its antioxidant effect, animal experiments have shown that myricetin has an insulin-like effect. It promotes the transport of glucose (sugar) into the cells and stimulates the build-up of body fat (lipogenesis). Furthermore, myricetin is said to lower the concentration of LDL cholesterol and have a positive effect on the development of prostate cancer (however, there is a lack of sufficient clinical research results on this - see below. references below).

Myricetin also inhibits the release of histamine and the formation of the enzyme lipoxygenase. These inhibitory effects are likely to play a role in inflammatory allergic and non-allergic processes. Anticarcinogenic and antimutagenic effects have been demonstrated in animal experiments.

Various companies advertise preparations containing not only myricetin but also lycopene, phytosterols from the fruit of the saw palmetto, luteolin, pollen extracts and flax lignans as effective agents against benign protatahyperplasia. There is a lack of sufficiently reliable clinical results.

1. Boam T (2015) Anti-androgenic effects of flavonols in prostate cancer. Ecancermedicalscience 9:585.
2. Devi KP et al (2015) Molecular mechanisms underlying anticancer effects of myricetin. Life Sci 142:19-25.
3. Ong KC et al. (1997) Biological effects of myricetin. Gene Pharmacol 29:121 126.