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Forget the fancy name: The bio- in the bioflavonoids tells you that these plant chemicals- found in the rind of green citrus fruits and in rose hips, tomatoes, red peppers, lettuce, kale, apples, onions, carrots, broccoli, walnuts, grapes and even red wine- are all about life. Bioflavonoids have been used in alternative medicine as powerful antioxidants, meaning that they prevent oxygen-like molecules in the body from causing cell damage that can trigger some of our most serious threats. They have been used to treat osteoarthritis and other inflammatory conditions, to support blood circulation and a healthy heart, and enhance the action of vitamin C.
Let’s see what else bioflavonoids can do for you:
Ulcers– most ulcers are caused by Helicobacter pylori, an unfriendly bacterium that essentially drills holes in the stomach and intestinal walls and allows powerful acids to damage tender tissues. You can fight back by eating fruits and vegetables. Their bioflavonoids content squelches the growth of bacteria.
Macular degeneration: Bilberry has a long history of use for eye complaints. High in bioflavonoids, it helps improve circulation to the eyes and protect against macular degeneration. If you can lay your hands on the whole herb powder, make a tea using 1 teaspoon per 1 cup of hot water. Steep for 10-15 minutes, strain, and drink 2 X daily.
Heart problems: Colorful fruits and vegetables are rich sources of bioflavonoids, which strengthen your cardiovascular system. Mothers have known for ages that plant-based foods with a lot of colors tend to be healthier. Go for red, orange, yellow, green, white, blue and purple foods. Kale, spinach, beetroot, carrots, green peppers, oranges, and cabbages, eggplant all sound very healthy. Eat a “rainbow of colors” to keep your heart strong. And not just your heart, when you add raw colour to your diet daily, you keep diseases and premature aging at bay.
Hemorrhoids: If hemorrhoids are cramping your style, load up on crunchy vegetables, hearty whole grains and legumes, and oranges and pineapple, all of which are brimming with vein-strengthening bioflavonoids. These foods are also high in fiber, which softens stools and reduces the bathroom straining that can cause hemorrhoids.
Leg pain: If your daily walks are curtailed by intermittent claudication, in which insufficient blood flow during activity causes leg pain, make your tea the green kind. It’s a great source of bioflavonoids, which make blood vessels stronger and less vulnerable to blockages.
Bruises and skin injuries: Bruises to the body occur when blood vessels break, due to some kind of force, and leak blood into areas under the skin. The main symptoms of a bruise are skin pain, skin discoloration and swelling. Bioflavonoids are often recommended along with vitamin C for people who bruise easily. Bioflavonoids help strengthen the capillaries, which makes them helpful for healing bruises. Take grape seed extract for scrapes, cuts, or other skin injuries. The bioflavonoids it contains will help your skin put itself back together. Follow the label directions. You may also want to add citrus flavonoids, to increase the effectiveness of vitamin C.
Stubbed toe. Since bioflavonoids help your body repair and replenish damaged tissues, they’re a smart choice when you’ve stubbed a toe. Treat yourself to a bowl of bioflavonoids everyday for fast recovery.
Surgical trauma: Take advantage of the healing power of bromelain after surgery. This natural chemical enzyme aids in healing tissues and they reduce inflammation and strengthen tiny blood vessels that were traumatized by the operation. Bromelain is found in the fruit, skin and juice of the pineapple plant. They also come as supplements. However, if you want to take a supplement of it just ask your surgeon first.
Headaches: The next time you have a headache caused by allergies, a cold or the flu, put some bioflavonoids on your plate. The bioflavonoids in fruits and vegetables fight off viruses and reduce allergic reactions that can trigger headaches. Additionally, fruits and many leafy greens contain magnesium that contributes to headache relief. Research has shown taking magnesium can reduce migraine headache because many migraine sufferers have low magnesium levels. Combination of avocados, bananas, melon, golden melon, watermelon, kale, spinach, broccoli may help reduce your headaches and their frequency of occurrence.
Sore throat. Have you tried many sore throat treatments that didn’t work very well? Bioflavonoids can make a real difference because of their anti-inflammatory properties. Two of the best bioflavonoids supplements for sore throat are quercetin and rutin. They are richly found in red apple, red onion, cabbage, kale, Amaranthus spp., yellow bell peppers, buckwheat, grapes, grapefruit, plums, and oranges. For a day or two, you’ll want to consider taking supplements of quercetin and rutin, between 1000 and 3000 of one or the other.
Congestion protection: The bioflavonoids in apples, tangerines, tomatoes, onions, kale, pears, grapes, and green teas are good for controlling allergies because they keep the cells from releasing “trouble making” histamines, the chemicals that cause stiffness and other symptoms. A dosage of 400-500 mg of quercetin three times a day can be very effective in treating sinusitis. This flavonoid can alleviate various symptoms of allergy by inhibiting histamine production.
Asthma: You can fight asthma by eating an apple a day. Apples contain quercetin, a potent bioflavonoid that may help keep your airways clear. When you hear the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away“, it is the bioflavonoid that does the job!
