Ellagic Acid

Last Editorial Review: 6/11/2021
Other Name(s):

3,4,3',4'-hydroxyl-benzopyranol[5,4,3-c,d,e][1]benzopyrn-6-6'-dione, Acide Ellagique, Ácido Elágico.

Overview

Ellagic acid is a naturally occurring substance. The best sources of ellagic acid in the diet are strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and walnuts.

Medicinally, ellagic acid is used to prevent cancer and treat viral and bacterial infections.

How does work?

Ellagic acid may bind to chemicals that cause cancer, and it may also prevent the growth of cancer cells. However, ellagic acid is poorly absorbed and is also eliminated quickly from the body. These characteristics may limit its usefulness as a medicine.

Uses

Insufficient Evidence to Rate Effectiveness for...

More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of ellagic acid for these uses.

QUESTION

Next to red peppers, you can get the most vitamin C from ________________. See Answer

Side Effects

There isn't enough reliable information available about ellagic acid to know if it is safe.

Precautions

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Not enough is known about the use of ellagic acid during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.

Dosing

The appropriate dose of ellagic acid depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for ellagic acid. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate (detailed description of each of the ratings).

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References

Anderson KJ, Teuber SS, Gobeille A, et al. Walnut polyphenolics inhibit in vitro human plasma and LDL oxidation. J Nutr 2001;131:2837-42. View abstract.

Barch DH, Rundhaugen LM, Stoner GD, et al. Structure-function relationships of the dietary anticarcinogen ellagic acid. Carcinogenesis 1996;17:265-9.. View abstract.

Constantinou A, Stoner GD, Mehta R, et al. The dietary anticancer agent ellagic acid is a potent inhibitor of DNA topoisomerases in vitro. Nutr Cancer 1995;23:121-30.. View abstract.

Dell'Agli M, Parapini S, Basilico N, et al. In vitro studies on the mechanism of action of two compounds with antiplasmodial activity: ellagic acid and 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl(6'-O-aalloyl)-beta-D-glucopyranoside. Planta Med 2003;69:162-4. View abstract.

Mullen W, Stewart AJ, Lean ME, et al. Effect of freezing and storage on the phenolics, ellagitannins, flavonoids, and antioxidant capacity of red raspberries. J Agric Food Chem 2002;508:5197-201.. View abstract.

Priyadarsini KI, Khopde SM, Kumar SS, Mohan H. Free radical studies of ellagic acid, a natural phenolic antioxidant. J Agric Food Chem 2002;50:2200-6. View abstract.

Xu Y, Deng JZ, Ma J, et al. DNA damaging activity of ellagic acid derivatives. Bioorg Med Chem 2003;11:1593-6.. View abstract.