A video by Medcram caught my attention last month because it describes an interesting mechanism thought to explain why hydroxychloroquinine could help individuals fight the caronavirus.

And more to the point, the power of Zinc in general to battle viruses if it gains entrance into an infected cell.

Dr. Roger Seheult does a great job of explaining the findings of this paper which details how zinc disrupts the replication of caronavirus RNA within a cell. The key to this process is materials called ionophores, which are compounds which can assist ions in transporting through cell membranes. Hydroxychloroquinine, Dr. Roger Seheult explains, is a zinc ionophore.

Here is another paper where something allowing entrance of zinc into a cell helps battle the virus, this recent paper preprint, indicates that the addition of zinc sulfate to a combination of hydroxychloroquinine and azithromycin “increased the frequency of patients being discharged home, and decreased the need for ventilation, admission to the ICU, and mortality or transfer to hospice for patients who were never admitted to the ICU.”

I am not a chemist – my best summary of this process is that its a complex buddy system that allows zinc to partner-up with certain compounds to hitchhike into our cells and fight caronavirus RNA replication – A buddy system I’m certainly going to try and facilitate within my own body with all the virus still floating around at the moment.

There has been some debate in the popular media and some reservations in the medical community about the use of hydroxychloroquinine due to heart complications.

Interestingly there is already a fairly common, safely used, and available zinc ionophore on the market to help get zinc into cells, Quercetin.

Quercetin may already be a familiar name, it is a flavinoid frequently recommended as a healthy antioxidant supplement. It has some ability to stabilize mast cells that release histamine and wreck havoc this time of year. (Some further reading on its effect on mast cells here). It is found in foods particularly in apples, berries, onions and capers.

There are many healthy reasons to take quercetin to begin with, but the one-two punch with zinc sulfate seems to be a no brainer for myself given the present circumstances.

As always, I am not a doctor, check with your healthcare provider if you are on medication or have any health conditions. Take this information – do your research – convince yourself what is best for your body!

For further reading on the many properties of quercetin, this blog post by Peter Lloyd-Thomas is a wealth of information.

I personally have switched to this zinc and am now taking this quercetin