Most people could stand to eat more fruits and vegetables of every kind, but asthmatics may benefit from concentrating on a very specific group that includes apples, onions, blueberries and cranberries. These foods are all rich in quercetin, a flavonoid with strong antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties.

Flavonoids are the plant compounds that make lemons yellow, cherries red, and lilacs purple. They are also responsible for antioxidant activity in plants. These powerful pigments occur in highest concentration in the skins and rinds of fruits and vegetables. In the human digestive system, flavonoids can act as biological response modifiers, meaning they bolster the immune system's response to infections and disease.

Of all the flavonoids, quercetin is the most active one and the one responsible for inhibiting histamine reactions from mast cells, the mechanism responsible for allergies. Quercetin also shows the most anti-inflammatory reaction and even appears capable of destroying cancerous cells.

Quercetin-Rich Foods

1. Apples
2. Green tea
3. Onions
4. Red Grapes
5. Citrus
6. Broccoli
7. Cherries
8. Dark Berries
9. Honey
10. Parsley


The medical community does not endorse eating quercetin-rich fruits and vegetables or any other foods with medicinal properties as a stand-alone asthma treatment. Supplementing your current regimen by eating more of these foods, however, can only improve your health because they are high in vitamins as well.

There are plenty of ways to add more high-quercetin foods to your diet. Here are a few suggestions.

1. Mix berries, particularly cranberries or blueberries, into your breakfast cereal.

2. Use honey rather than sugar as your main sweetener in baking.

3. Marinate meat with citrus-based recipes, especially ones that use the zest of the fruit as well as the juice. Citrus rinds contain huge amounts of quercetin.

4. For children, mix cold, decaffeinated berry-flavored green tea into a pitcher of juice. The added tea gives your child the protection of the quercetin and cuts down on the overall sugar content. It really works, too. For years, my kids didn't drink juice any other way.

5. For adults, replace soft drinks with cold honey-sweetened green tea.

6. Add dried berries to salads.

7. Don't peel fruits and vegetables (especially apples) when you eat them. Most bioflavonoids reside in the skin.


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"Smile, breathe and go slowly." -Thich Nhat Hanh



This article is not written by a medical professional, and information on this page should never be substituted for your physcian's advice. If you have any questions about your asthma and/or allergies, you should always contact your physician first.