Did you know? Capers are gifted with quercetin

Capers are ridiculously under-appreciated for their flavor (they pair perfectly with a cheese board or a salmon fillet), and many are equally unaware about their impressive health benefits. Capers are actually flower buds from the Caper bush that thrives in warm climates like the Mediterranean and Australia. They are naturally high in quercetin; a plant pigment classified in the flavonol sub-group of nutrients. Quercetin’s antioxidant properties are stronger than those of better known nutrients vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene and a study exploring the effects of quercetin found it ‘may ameliorate brain damage and provide neuroprotection’, which is science jargon for saying that there’s a possibility it can alleviate the effects of brain damage and provide brain protection. That doesn’t mean you can wear a caper as a helmet, though, fam. 

Several studies, like this one, support the anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral benefits of quercetin. These green little berries also have antihistamine properties, and therefore are worth considering as an addition to your diet if you suffer from allergies. One caveat is that you’ll have to get capers preserved in salt, not in vinegar, to reap the most potent health benefits. You can buy quercetin in capsules at Whole Foods and the like… or you can just toss some tasty capers in a stir-fry like a champ.