PROTECTION AGAINST COVID-19

Research has already demonstrated that QUERCETIN (the most active ingredient in PICK UP STIX by BRAND X) is a powerful immune booster and broad-spectrum antiviral. QUERCETIN has been shown in previous studies to aid in the treat and prevention of SARS, EBOLA and now COVID-19 infection. QUERCETIN has been shown in multiple studies to inhibit the virus’ ability to infect cells, to inhibit the replication of already infected cells, and reducing the infected cells resistance to treatment with antiviral medication. QUERCETIN has been widely studied and known as one of the most powerful antioxidants and  broad spectrum antivirals available in plant form.  Take just 2 PICK UP STIX per day with water to give you the protection and immune boost you need to help prevent virus exposure, infection, and potential treatment needs.  DO NOT WAIT!

Can Quercetin Quell COVID-19 Infection?

As reported by Maclean's,4 Canadian researchers Michel Chrétien and Majambu Mbikay began investigating quercetin in the aftermath of the SARS epidemic that broke out across 26 countries in 2003. They discovered a derivative of quercetin provided broad-spectrum protection against a wide range of viruses, including SARS.5,6

The Ebola outbreak in 2014 offered another chance to investigate quercetin's antiviral powers and, here too, they found it effectively prevented infection in mice, "even when administered only minutes before infection."

So, when the COVID-19 outbreak was announced in Wuhan City, China, in late December 2019, Chrétien contacted colleagues in China with an offer to help. In February 2020, Chrétien and his team received an official invitation to begin clinical trials. Maclean reports:7

"The Canadian and Chinese scientists would collaborate on the trials, which would include about 1,000 test patients. Chrétien and Mbikay plan to join colleagues from the non-profit International Consortium of Antivirals — which Chrétien co-founded with Jeremy Carver in 2004 as a response to the SARS epidemic — in manning a 24/7 communications centre as soon as clinical trials go ahead.

The U.S.-based Food and Drug Administration has already approved quercetin as safe for human consumption, which means the researchers can skip testing on animals. If the treatment works, it'll be readily available … Chrétien's team says their treatment would cost only $2 a day."

Quercetin Is a Powerful Immune Booster

Research has already demonstrated that quercetin is a powerful immune booster and broad-spectrum antiviral. As such, it may be useful both for prevention and treatment of COVID-19 infection.

As noted in a 2016 study8 in the journal Nutrients, quercetin's mechanisms of action include the inhibition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) production in macrophages.

TNF-α is a cytokine involved in systemic inflammation, secreted by activated macrophages, a type of immune cell that digests foreign substances, microbes and other harmful or damaged components. Quercetin also inhibits the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and histamine by modulating calcium influx into the cell.9

According to this paper, quercetin also stabilizes mast cells and has "a direct regulatory effect on basic functional properties of immune cells," which allows it to inhibit "a huge panoply of molecular targets in the micromolar concentration range, either by down-regulating or suppressing many inflammatory pathways and functions."10

How Quercetin Inhibits Viral Infection

One of the most well-studied attributes of quercetin, however, is its antiviral capacity, which has been attributed to three main mechanisms of action:

  1. Inhibiting the virus' ability to infect cells
  2. Inhibiting replication of already infected cells
  3. Reducing infected cells' resistance to treatment with antiviral medication

Research11 funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, published in 2007, found it lowers your risk of viral illness following extreme physical stress, which might otherwise undermine your immune function and render you more susceptible to infections.

Cyclists who received a daily dose of 1,000 mg of quercetin in combination with vitamin C (which enhances plasma quercetin levels12,13) and niacin (to improve absorption) for five weeks were significantly less likely to contract a viral illness after bicycling three hours a day for three consecutive days, compared to untreated controls. While 45% of the placebo group got sick, only 5% of the treatment group did.

In another study14 funded by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), published in 2008, animals treated with quercetin were challenged with a highly pathogenic H1N1 influenza virus. Again, the treatment group had significantly lower morbidity and mortality than the placebo group.

Quercetin Effectively Treats a Broad Range of Viruses

Other studies have also confirmed quercetin's effectiveness against a broad range of viruses. Among them:

A 1985 study, which found quercetin inhibits infectivity and replication of herpes simplex virus type 1, polio-virus type 1, parainfluenza virus type 3 and respiratory syncytial virus.15

A 2010 animal study found that quercetin inhibits both influenza A and B viruses. Two other important discoveries were made. Firstly, the viruses were unable to develop resistance to quercetin and, secondly, when used concomitant with antiviral drugs (amantadine or oseltamivir), the effect was significantly amplified — and it prevented drug-resistance from developing.16

A 2004 animal study investigating quercetin's effect on influenza used a strain of the H3N2 virus. According to the authors:17

"During influenza virus infection, there is 'oxidative stress.' Because quercetin restored the concentrations of many antioxidants, it is proposed that it may be useful as a drug in protecting the lung from the deleterious effects of oxygen derived free radicals released during influenza virus infection."

Another 2016 study found quercetin offered protection against influenza A virus H1N1 by modulating protein expression. More specifically, the regulation of heat shock proteins, fibronectin 1 and prohibitin was instrumental in reducing viral replication.18

A third study published in 2016 found quercetin inhibited a wide spectrum of influenza strains, including H1N1, H3N2 and H5N1. According to the authors, "This study indicates that quercetin showing inhibitory activity in the early stage of influenza infection provides a future therapeutic option to develop effective, safe and affordable natural products for the treatment and prophylaxis of [influenza A viruses] infections."19

In 2014, researchers noted that quercetin appears to be "a promising treatment for the common cold," caused by the rhinovirus, adding that "Quercetin has been shown to reduce viral internalization and replication in vitro, and viral load, lung inflammation and airways hyper-responsiveness in vivo."20

By attenuating oxidative damage, it also lowers your risk of secondary bacterial infections, which is actually the primary cause of influenza-related deaths. Importantly, quercetin increases mitochondrial biogenesis in skeletal muscle, which suggests part of its antiviral effects are due to enhanced mitochondrial antiviral signaling.

A 2016 animal study21 found quercetin inhibited mouse dengue virus and hepatitis virus. Other studies have confirmed quercetin's power to inhibit both hepatitis B22 and C23 infection.

Most recently, a March 2020 study24 in the Microbial Pathogenesis journal found quercetin "provides comprehensive protection against Streptococcus pneumoniae infection," both in vitro and in vivo, primarily by neutralizing pneumolysin (PLY),25 one of the toxins released from pneumococci that encourages S. pneumoniae infection to blossom in the first place. As reported by the authors in Microbial Pathogenesis:

"The results indicated that quercetin significantly reduced PLY-induced hemolytic activity and cytotoxicity via repressing the formation of oligomers.

In addition, treatment with quercetin can reduce PLY-mediated cell injury, improve the survival rate of mice infected with a lethal dose of S. pneumoniae, alleviate the pathological damage of lung tissue and inhibit the release of cytokines (IL-1β and TNF-α) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid.

Considering the importance of these events in antimicrobial resistant S. pneumoniae pathogenesis, our results indicated that quercetin may be a novel potential drug candidate for the treatment of clinical pneumococcal infections."