Capers
OTHER NAME(S): Cabra, Caper Bush, Cappero, Câprier, Câprier Épineux, Câpre, Fabagelle, Flinders Rose, Himsra, Shafallah, Capparis spinosa, Capparis rupestris, Capparidaceae., Caper, Alcaparras, Câpres
Overview
The caper bush is a plant. The fruit, unopened flower bud, other parts that grow above the ground, and the root are all used for medicine.
Capers are used for diabetes. They are also used for many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support the use of capers for any condition.
Capers are also eaten as a food and used as a flavoring.
Capers contain chemicals that might help control blood sugar. Capers might also have antioxidant activity.
Capers contain chemicals that might help control blood sugar. Capers might also have antioxidant activity.
Uses
Insufficient Evidence for
- Diabetes. Some early research shows that capers can lower blood sugar levels in some people with type 2 diabetes who are already taking diabetes medicines. But not all research agrees.
- Fungal infections.
- Chest congestion.
- Intestinal worms.
- A skin disease caused by parasites (leishmaniasis).
- Skin disorders, when applied directly.
- Improving blood flow near the skin's surface, when applied directly.
- Dry skin, when applied directly.
- Other conditions.
More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of capers for these uses.
Side Effects
When taken by mouth: Capers are LIKELY SAFE for most people when eaten as a food. Caper fruit extract is POSSIBLY SAFE when taken by mouth as a medicine, short-term.
When applied to the skin: There isn't enough reliable information to know if capers are safe. They might cause side effects such as skin rash and skin irritation in some people.
Precautions
When taken by mouth: Capers are LIKELY SAFE for most people when eaten as a food. Caper fruit extract is POSSIBLY SAFE when taken by mouth as a medicine, short-term.
When applied to the skin: There isn't enough reliable information to know if capers are safe. They might cause side effects such as skin rash and skin irritation in some people.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: There isn't enough reliable information to know if capers are safe to use when pregnant or breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and stick with the amounts found in food.
Allergy to other plants in the same family as capers: Capers contain a chemical that is also found in mustard oil. If you are allergic to mustard oil, be cautious when trying capers.
Diabetes: Use caution while taking this supplement. Capers might lower blood sugar in people with diabetes. Watch for signs of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) and monitor your blood sugar carefully if you have diabetes and use capers in medicinal amounts.
Interactions
Moderate Interaction
Be cautious with this combination
- Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs) interacts with CapersCapers might lower blood sugar in some people with diabetes. Diabetes medications are also used to lower blood sugar. Taking capers along with diabetes medications might cause your blood sugar to go too low. Monitor your blood sugar closely. The dose of your diabetes medication might need to be changed. Some medications used for diabetes include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (Diabeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), chlorpropamide (Diabinese), glipizide (Glucotrol), tolbutamide (Orinase), and others.
Dosing
The appropriate dose of capers for use as treatment 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 capers. 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.
References
- Srivastava Y, Venkatakrishna-Bhatt H, Verma Y, et al. Antidiabetic and adaptogenic properties of Momordica charantia extract: An experimental and clinical evaluation. Phytother Res 1993;7:285-9.
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. Title 21. Part 182 -- Substances Generally Recognized As Safe. Available at: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?CFRPart=182
- Eddouks M, Lemhardri A, Michel JB. Caraway and caper: potential anti-hyperglycaemic plants in diabetic rats. J Ethnopharmacol 2004;94:143-8.
- Germano MP, De Pasquale R, D'Angelo V, et al. Evaluation of extracts and isolated fraction from Capparis spinosa L. buds as an antioxidant source. J Agric Food Chem 2002;50:1168-71.
- Sharaf M, el-Ansari MA, Saleh NA. Quercetin triglycoside from Capparis spinosa. Fitoterapia 2000;71:46-9.
- Gadgoli C, Mishra SH. Antihepatotoxic activity of p-methoxy benzoic acid from Capparis spinosa. J Ethnopharmacol 1999;66:187-92.
- Mahasneh AM. Screening of some indigenous Qatari medicinal plants for antimicrobial activity. Phytother Res 2002;16:751-3.
- Angelini G, Vena GA, Filotico R, et al. Allergic contact dermatitis from Capparis spinosa L. applied as wet compresses. Contact Dermatitis 1991;24:382-3.
- Bonina, F., Puglia, C., Ventura, D., Aquino, R., Tortora, S., Sacchi, A., Saija, A., Tomaino, A., Pellegrino, M. L., and de Caprariis, P. In vitro antioxidant and in vivo photoprotective effects of a lyophilized extract of Capparis spinosa L buds. J.Cosmet.Sci. 2002;53(6):321-335.
- Panico, A. M., Cardile, V., Garufi, F., Puglia, C., Bonina, F., and Ronsisvalle, G. Protective effect of Capparis spinosa on chondrocytes. Life Sci. 9-30-2005;77(20):2479-2488.
- Huseini, H. F., Alavian, S. M., Heshmat, R., Heydari, M. R., and Abolmaali, K. The efficacy of Liv-52 on liver cirrhotic patients: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled first approach. Phytomedicine. 2005;12(9):619-624.
- Jiang, H. E., Li, X., Ferguson, D. K., Wang, Y. F., Liu, C. J., and Li, C. S. The discovery of Capparis spinosa L. (Capparidaceae) in the Yanghai Tombs (2800 years b.p.), NW China, and its medicinal implications. J Ethnopharmacol. 9-25-2007;113(3):409-420.
- Tesoriere, L., Butera, D., Gentile, C., and Livrea, M. A. Bioactive components of caper (Capparis spinosa L.) from Sicily and antioxidant effects in a red meat simulated gastric digestion. J Agric.Food Chem. 10-17-2007;55(21):8465-8471.
- Arena, A., Bisignano, G., Pavone, B., Tomaino, A., Bonina, F. P., Saija, A., Cristani, M., D'Arrigo, M., and Trombetta, D. Antiviral and immunomodulatory effect of a lyophilized extract of Capparis spinosa L. buds. Phytother.Res. 2008;22(3):313-317.
- Yaniv, Z., Dafni, A., Friedman, J., and Palevitch, D. Plants used for the treatment of diabetes in Israel. J Ethnopharmacol 1987;19(2):145-151.
- Romeo V, Ziino M Giuffrida D Condurso C Verzera A. Flavour profile of capers (Capparis spinosa L.) from the Eolian Archipelago by HS-SPME/GC-MS. Food Chemistry 2007;3:1272-1278.
- Huseini HF, Hasani-Rnjbar S, Nayebi N, et al. Capparis spinosa L. (Caper) fruit extract in treatment of type 2 diabetic patients: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Complement Ther Med. 2013;21(5):447-52.
- Wojdylo A, Nowicka P, Grimalt M, et al. Polyphenol compounds and biological activity of caper (Capparis spinosa L.) flowers buds. Plants (Basel). 2019;8(12). pii: E539.
- Vahid H, Bonakdaran S, Khorasani ZM, et al. Effect of Capparis spinosa extract on metabolic parameters in patients with type-2 diabetes: A randomized controlled trial. Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets. 2019;19(1):100-107.
- Assadi S, Shafiee SM, Erfani M, Akmali M. Antioxidative and antidiabetic effects of Capparis spinosa fruit extract on high-fat diet and low-dose streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic rats. Biomed Pharmacother. 2021 Jun;138:111391.
- Baradaran Rahimi V, Rajabian A, Rajabi H, et al. The effects of hydro-ethanolic extract of Capparis spinosa (C. spinosa) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation and cognitive impairment: Evidence from in vivo and in vitro studies. J Ethnopharmacol. 2020 Jun 28;256:112706.
- Akbari R, Yaghooti H, Jalali MT, Khorsandi LS, Mohammadtaghvaei N. Capparis spinosa improves non-alcoholic steatohepatitis through down-regulating SREBP-1c and a PPARa-independent pathway in high-fat diet-fed rats. BMC Res Notes. 2022 Oct 3;15(1):315.
- Rakhshandeh H, Rashidi R, Vahedi MM, Khorrami MB, Abbassian H, Forouzanfar F. Hypnotic Activity of Capparis spinosa Hydro-alcoholic Extract in Mice. Recent Pat Food Nutr Agric. 2021;12(1):58-62.
- Rakhshandeh H, Pourbagher-Shahri AM, Hasanpour M, Iranshahi M, Forouzanfar F. Effects of Capparis Spinosa extract on the neuropathic pain induced by chronic constriction injury in rats. Metab Brain Dis. 2022 Oct 12. doi: 10.1007/s11011-022-01094-2.