What is hesperidin methyl chalcone and is it natural?  

If you are wondering if hesperidin methyl chalcone is natural, the quick answer is yes, however, there are some interesting details about it that are outlined below.

When we think of orange juice we often think of vitamin C, however, there are many flavonoids found in citrus fruits that have health promoting benefits.

In fact, it was early studies going back to the 1930’s that found vitamin C by itself was not nearly as effective for protecting blood vessels as a plant extract containing vitamin C along with a mixture of flavonoids.

One of the flavonoids identified in citrus fruits with health promoting properties was hesperidin.

Hesperidin is a flavonoid that is found in a variety of citrus fruits, however, many people have not even heard of it.

Here are the results of clinical trials testing berberine, bergamot and more natural products for reducing cholesterol.

Another naturally occurring flavonoid is hesperidin methyl chalcone that is also reported to have help promoting properties.

 

Is Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone found in nature, I’ve never heard of it?

Yes.  It is found in citrus fruits including the Trifoliate Orange (Poncirus trifoliate), which have been used in oriental medicine for thousands of years.

 

Why do you use Hesperidin methyl chalcone, instead of just Hesperidin?

Hesperidin methyl chalcone is very water-soluble, allowing it to be more easily absorbed in your body. Hesperidin alone is not very water-soluble.

A clinical trial also tested hesperidin for increasing HDL – read the results here.  HDL is often very difficult to raise so if you have had trouble you will want to read this article.

hesperidin methyl chalcone

 

 

What makes hesperidin methyl chalcone more water soluble than hesperidin?

If you review the chemical structure below the ‘C’ ring is opened in Hesperidin to reveal hesperidin methyl chalcone.  In addition, a methyl group has been added. The structure modifications are indicated in red.

Have there been any clinical trials with hesperidin methyl chalcone?

Yes, a current search will reveal 3 clinical trials evaluating hesperidin methyl chalcone for supporting the cardiovascular system.  More specifically, the studies were intended to evaluate the potential of hesperidin methyl chalcone for chronic venous disorders.

 

Rudofsky G.  [Improving venous tone and capillary sealing. Effect of a combination of Ruscus extract and hesperidine methyl chalcone in healthy probands in heat stress].Fortschr Med. 1989 Jun 30;107(19):52, 55-8. German.

 

Guex JJ, Enriquez Vega DM, Avril L, Boussetta S, Taïeb C. Assessment of quality of life in Mexican patients suffering from chronic venous disorder – impact of oral Ruscus aculeatus-hesperidinmethylchalcone-ascorbic acid treatment – ‘QUALITY Study’. Phlebology. 2009 Aug;24(4):157-65.

 

Guex JJ, Avril L, Enrici E, Enriquez E, Lis C, Taïeb C. Quality of life improvement in Latin American patients suffering from chronic venous disorder using a combination of Ruscus aculeatus and hesperidin methylchalcone and ascorbic acid (quality study).   Int Angiol. 2010 Dec;29(6):525-32.

Here are more articles related to antioxidants in citrus fruits.

 

Jeremy Johnson, PharmD, PhD


Categories: Antioxidant, Food