Have you ever heard of capers? Capers are food originating from the Mediterranean. Basically, capers are the flower buds of the Capparis spinosa plant. With its soft texture, capers are often usedas side dishes or to add flavour in dishes. Although not very well known in Asia, capers are often used in various Western dishes.

Not only as a cooking ingredient, capers have also been used as herbal medicines for treating several types of diseases such as diabetes, fungal infections, and intestinal helminth infections. This is inseparable from the role of antioxidants contained in capers. In addition, capers are also good for maintaining the health of our brain and heart. According to the results of a study conducted by the University of California, quercetin compounds in capers are known to help maintain the performance of the brain and heart to keep functioning normally.

Quercetin is an antioxidant compound that plays a role in giving pigments in vegetables and fruits. Besides being able to help fight free radicals in the body, quercetin also can improve processes in the body such as heart rate, mind, muscle contraction, and thyroid, pancreas, and digestive functions. Quercetin is known to activate the proteins needed to maintain the continuity of the process. Researchers found that, even in small amounts, quercetin extract was able to help maintain brain and heart performance.

In addition, this compound is also known to affect the performance of potassium channels in the body associated with several types of diseases such as diabetes, cardiac arrhythmias, and epilepsy. Studies reveal that quercetin can directly modulate the potassium channel to function properly. Researchers say that these benefits can be used as therapy in treating the risk of the disease. The results of this study have been published in the Communications Biology journal.

Text by Anggie Triana
Stock photos from Google Search Images

Source(s):

• Redford, K.E., and Abbott, G.W. (2020). The ubiquitous flavonoid quercetin is a typical KCNQ potassium channel activator. Communication Biology, DOI: 10.1038 / s42003-020-1089-8.
• Science Daily - Pickled capers activate proteins important for human brain and heart health (2020). https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200713144415.htm, 14 July 2020.