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Compound Monograph

Epicatechin

Epicatechin — a flavan-3-ol polyphenol abundant in tea, cocoa and grapes, with well-documented antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity.

Work in progress

Classification

Epicatechin is a flavan-3-ol (flavanol), part of the phenolics class. Antioxidant compounds built around one or more phenol rings — the flavonoids, tannins, phenolic acids, coumarins, and pigments behind much of a plant's protective chemistry.

Phenolics Flavanols & Proanthocyanidins

Where Does It Come From? (11)

Epicatechin is a naturally occurring flavan-3-ol (flavanol), found in Tea, Cat's Claw, Sarsaparilla and 8 other sources. It is well tolerated orally (low toxicity).

Apples Cacao Theobroma cacao Cashew Anacardium occidentale Cat's Claw Uncaria tomentosa Catuaba Trichilia catigua Cocoa / chocolateGrapes Jatobá Hymenaea courbaril Kratom Mitragyna speciosa Sarsaparilla Smilax spp. Tea Camellia sinensis

Research & Evidence

Epicatechin is a flavan-3-ol — one of the individual catechins — and one of the most widespread plant polyphenols, best known for its role in the health effects of green tea, cocoa and grapes. In the source-herb monographs it appears both as a named antioxidant and as part of the broader catechin fraction:

  • Antioxidant — epicatechin is described as a potent antioxidant flavonoid. In tea it is one of the catechins ((-)-EC) responsible for the plant’s antioxidant profile 1Reference 1Moore et al. · 2009Green tea (Camellia sinensis) catechins and vascular function, and in cat’s claw it sits among the antioxidant chemicals (with tannins and procyanidins) credited for some of that herb’s anti-inflammatory action 2,3Reference 2Taylor · 2005The healing power of rainforest herbs: A guide to understanding and using herbal medicinalsReference 3Pilarski et al. · 2006Antioxidant activity of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Uncaria tomentosa (Willd.) DC. In sarsaparilla, epicatechin and catechin are noted as well-studied antioxidants that add to the net free-radical-scavenging value of the plant 4Reference 4Lu et al. · 2014Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Phenolic-Enriched Extracts of Smilax glabraView study →.
  • Anti-inflammatory — epicatechin is highlighted as having well-documented systemic anti-inflammatory effects, and is cited specifically in sarsaparilla as a constituent shared with tea and carrying those effects across to Smilax 4Reference 4Lu et al. · 2014Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Phenolic-Enriched Extracts of Smilax glabraView study →.
  • Neuroprotective — in a 6-OHDA model of Parkinson’s disease, the standardised green-tea extract and its bioactive components — epicatechin and epigallocatechin gallate — produced neuroprotective effects, attributed to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity 5Reference 5Bitu Pinto et al. · 2015Neuroprotective properties of the standardized extract from Camellia sinensis (green tea) and its main bioactive components, epicatechin and epigallocatechin gallate, in the 6-OHDA model of Parkinson’s disease.

A recurring practical point is low oral bioavailability: epicatechin is absorbed mainly in the small intestine but only a small fraction reaches the blood intact, with peak plasma levels around 1.5–2.5 hours and much of the dose transformed by gut microbes into other metabolites 1Reference 1Moore et al. · 2009Green tea (Camellia sinensis) catechins and vascular function. As with the catechins generally, this means meaningful intake usually requires concentrated or higher-dose preparations.

Epicatechin is also listed as a constituent of cashew (Anacardium occidentale) and kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) leaf, where it contributes to the antioxidant content of the plant, though the monographs do not tie a specific isolated finding to it in those species.

Toxicity & Safety

Epicatechin is well tolerated and is consumed routinely in foods such as tea, cocoa and fruit. The plants supplying it here — tea, cat’s claw, sarsaparilla and cashew — are all considered suitable for long-term use at ordinary doses. As with the other flavan-3-ols, the main consideration is that these astringent polyphenols can bind to and reduce the absorption of some medications and nutrients taken alongside them, rather than any inherent toxicity.

References

  1. Moore, R. J., Jackson, K. G., & Minihane, A. M. (2009). Green tea (Camellia sinensis) catechins and vascular function. British Journal of Nutrition, 102(12), 1790-1802.
  2. Taylor, L. (2005). The healing power of rainforest herbs: A guide to understanding and using herbal medicinals. Garden City Park, NY: Square One Publishers.
  3. Pilarski, R., Zieliński, H., Ciesiołka, D., & Gulewicz, K. (2006). Antioxidant activity of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Uncaria tomentosa (Willd.) DC. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 104(1-2), 18-23.
  4. Lu, C., Zhu, W., Wang, M., Xu, X., & Lu, C. (2014). Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Phenolic-Enriched Extracts of Smilax glabra. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Article ID 910438. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/910438
  5. Bitu Pinto, N., da Silva Alexandre, B., Neves, K. R. T., Silva, A. H., Leal, L. K. A., & Viana, G. S. (2015). Neuroprotective properties of the standardized extract from Camellia sinensis (green tea) and its main bioactive components, epicatechin and epigallocatechin gallate, in the 6-OHDA model of Parkinson’s disease. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015.