Supplements
quercetin treats allergic rhinitis
In plain terms: Does quercetin relieve hay fever and allergy symptoms?
Contested Supplements 🔬 Includes disconfirming
Part of: 🧪 quercetin
RefutedContestedStrong support
consensus score 0.09
Mostly for itchy eyes, not a blocked nose. Only three small trials exist, all using absorption-enhanced forms, and two of the three found no real benefit for nasal symptoms, the thing most people actually want relieved.
📅 Last reviewed: 2026-07-26 ⓘ
Evidence ladder
How far up the ladder this claim has climbed. A high consensus on a low rung means "consistent so far," not "proven in people."
Top evidence so far: Human trials (RCT / n-of-1)
MechanismIn-vitroAnimalObservationalRCTMeta-analysis
How the studies fall
1 support 1 contradict 0 tested null 12 mixed · 14 sources, 2 independent groups
What the evidence shows
Narrow, formulation-dependent, and weakest exactly where it matters. Only three genuine human RCTs exist, all small (n=20-66), all in Japanese cedar-pollinosis cohorts, and all using ABSORPTION-ENHANCED forms — phospholipid phytosome or EMIQ. Plain quercetin has never been tested in humans for this.
The evidence (16)
| Source | Grade | Stance | Quality | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luo M, Liu X, Peng F 2026 · Biochemical and biophysical research communications | in-vitro | mixed | low | Formulation: plain quercetin (unspecified purity), tested in human nasal epithelial cells stimulated with house-dust-mite extract in vitro, plus network-pharmacology/docking (not a human trial). Quercetin reduced HDM-induced ALOX5/LTB4 expr TEMPERED: rodent OVA/TDI model or nasal-cell assay — tests the mechanism, not human symptom relief, which is what this claim asserts. |
| Cheng J, Luo XQ, Chen FS 2022 · Immunopharmacology and immunotoxicology | in-vitro | mixed | low | Formulation: plain quercetin, tested in vitro on LPS-stimulated human nasal epithelial cells (HNEpC) at 10-200 uM for 24h. Quercetin reversed LPS-induced apoptosis and inflammatory cytokine release via the miR-21/DMBT1/NF-kB axis; mechanism TEMPERED: rodent OVA/TDI model or nasal-cell assay — tests the mechanism, not human symptom relief, which is what this claim asserts. |
| Kawai M, Hirano T, Arimitsu J, Higa S, Kuwahara Y, Hagihara K, Shima Y, Narazaki M, Ogata A, Koyanagi M, Kai T, Shimizu R, Moriwaki M, Suzuki Y, Ogino S, Kawase I, Tanaka T 2009 · International archives of allergy and immunology | RCT | mixed | low | RCT (n=20 cedar-pollinosis patients) of EMIQ (enzymatically-modified isoquercitrin, a bioavailable quercetin-glycoside form; 100 mg BID = 200 mg/day) for 8 weeks found significantly lower ocular/ocular-itching scores (p<0.05) but nasal symp |
| Lv Z, Pan Z, Huang Y, Yang H, Li X 2025 · Frontiers in pharmacology | animal | mixed | moderate | Preclinical systematic review/meta-analysis of 13 murine/rat allergy-model studies (plain quercetin, doses/formulation not detailed) found quercetin significantly reduced IgE, histamine, eosinophil/macrophage infiltration and IL-4/TNF-α whi TEMPERED: rodent OVA/TDI model or nasal-cell assay — tests the mechanism, not human symptom relief, which is what this claim asserts. |
| Naso M, Trincianti C, Tosca MA, Ciprandi G 2025 · Nutrients | observational | mixed | low | Narrative review states that despite abundant in vitro/murine AR-model evidence, only TWO human trials have tested quercetin as monotherapy for allergic disease — both reported positive symptom/QoL results — and proposes a new quercetin-pho TEMPERED: narrative review whose own finding is that only TWO human trials exist — that is a statement about scarcity, not corroboration. |
| Hirano T, Kawai M, Arimitsu J, Ogawa M, Kuwahara Y, Hagihara K, Shima Y, Narazaki M, Ogata A, Koyanagi M, Kai T, Shimizu R, Moriwaki M, Suzuki Y, Ogino S, Kawase I, Tanaka T 2009 · Allergol Int | RCT | contradicts | low | Double-blind RCT, 24 Japanese cedar-pollinosis patients, EMIQ (absorption-enhanced quercetin glycoside) 100 mg/d vs placebo for 8 wk from 4 wk pre-season. On rhinitis: 'However no significant differences were found in nasal symptoms between the two groups.' A null on the claim's nasal object, so contradicts; small n. Ocular symptom+medication score was lower (p < 0.05), an off-object (conjunctival) finding. |
| Otaki A, Furuta A, Asano K 2023 · Medicines (Basel, Switzerland) | animal | mixed | low | Formulation: plain oral quercetin, >25 mg/kg/day for 5 days, in a TDI-sensitized rat allergic-rhinitis model, plus in-vitro TNF-stimulated human nasal epithelial cells (effective only at >5.0 uM; <2.5 uM inactive). Oral quercetin raised ant TEMPERED: rodent OVA/TDI model or nasal-cell assay — tests the mechanism, not human symptom relief, which is what this claim asserts. |
| Kang C, Liu J, Qiu S, Wei X 2026 · Experimental and therapeutic medicine | animal | mixed | moderate | OVA-induced allergic-rhinitis mouse model (plain quercetin by gavage, dose not stated in abstract, dexamethasone comparator) found quercetin lowered allergic symptom scores and serum OVA-IgE/IL-4/IL-13/IL-1β/IL-17 while raising IL-10, via T TEMPERED: rodent OVA/TDI model or nasal-cell assay — tests the mechanism, not human symptom relief, which is what this claim asserts. |
| Lai YR, Liao YH, Huang L, Phuong Linh HB, Utami FA, Del Giudice MM, Ciprandi G, Chen YC 2025 · The journal of allergy and clinical immunology. In practice | meta-analysis | mixed | low | Meta-analysis of 13 human RCTs (n=823) of polyphenolic compounds (catechins and/or quercetin, not isolated per-compound) found reduced total nasal symptom score, sneezing, and nasal itching in seasonal AR (SMD 0.5-0.75) but no significant Q |
| Kang C et al 2023 · Research Square | animal | mixed | low | Formulation: plain oral quercetin (dose not specified in abstract) vs. dexamethasone, gavage, in an OVA-induced mouse AR model; UNPUBLISHED PREPRINT, not peer-reviewed. Quercetin reduced OVA-induced allergic symptom scores and serum IgE/IL- TEMPERED: rodent OVA/TDI model or nasal-cell assay — tests the mechanism, not human symptom relief, which is what this claim asserts. |
| Pellow J, Nolte A, Temane A, Solomon EM 2020 · Complementary therapies in medicine | observational | supports | low | Mixed-methods systematic review of AR supplements (48 RCTs, 10 observational) lists isoquercitrin (a quercetin glycoside, not plain quercetin) as one of several single supplements with 'promising evidence,' and a vitamin-D3+quercetin+Perill |
| Deng Y, Shen L, Zhu H, Zhou Y, Hu X 2025 · Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology | animal | mixed | low | Formulation: plain isolated quercetin (QUE) vs. the Huangqi-Gancao herbal decoction (HQD); dose/route not stated in abstract; tested in an OVA-induced mouse AR model alongside network-pharmacology/docking (identified QUE as the herb pair's TEMPERED: rodent OVA/TDI model or nasal-cell assay — tests the mechanism, not human symptom relief, which is what this claim asserts. |
| Xiao Y, Xu M, Zhong L, Lin F, Yu M, Luo H, Lin C 2026 · Scientific reports | animal | mixed | moderate | OVA-induced mouse AR model plus in vitro IL-33-stimulated mast cell (RBL-2H3) assays; plain quercetin suppressed IL-33-driven degranulation/cytokine release in vitro and, in vivo, alleviated AR symptom scores, reduced Th2 cytokines/OVA-IgE/ TEMPERED: rodent OVA/TDI model or nasal-cell assay — tests the mechanism, not human symptom relief, which is what this claim asserts. |
| Yamada S, Shirai M, Inaba Y, Takara T 2022 · European review for medical and pharmacological sciences | RCT | supports | moderate | RCT (n=66 Japanese adults with pollinosis) of Quercetin phytosome® (phospholipid-complexed, bioavailability-enhanced formulation; 200 mg/day) for 4 weeks found significant improvement vs placebo in JRQLQ scores (eye itching, sneezing, nasal |
| Ke X, Chen Z, Wang X, Kang H, Hong S 2023 · Autoimmunity | animal | mixed | low | Formulation: plain oral quercetin, 20/35/50 mg/kg/day, in an ovalbumin-induced allergic rhinitis mouse model (duration not stated). Quercetin reduced nasal rubbing/sneezing (nasal symptoms), serum IgE/IgG1/histamine and Th17-skewed cytokine TEMPERED: rodent OVA/TDI model or nasal-cell assay — tests the mechanism, not human symptom relief, which is what this claim asserts. |
| Mu D, Zhou L, Shi L, Liu T, Guo Y, Chen H, Luo H, Ma J, Zhang H, Xiong P, Tian L 2024 · Sci Rep | animal | mixed | moderate | Mouse study (animal), OVA-induced allergic rhinitis in male BALB/c mice, 5 per group (histology n=3): intranasal quercetin-chitosan nanoparticles (QCS, 229 nm, 79.6% encapsulation) and intranasal free quercetin (QU) vs untreated model. QCS reduced sneezing/nasal-rubbing and IgE, IL-17, TNF-a, IL-6; nasal mucosal pathology score model 9.33 vs QU 7.96 vs QCS 5.67 (each p<0.05). Findings uniformly favour treatment - nothing points against - so 'mixed' here records the animal-on-human-claim tempering used for every preclinical row on this claim, not a two-way result. Intranasal delivery, not oral quercetin; mechanism-level evidence only, not human symptom relief. |
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