What are the properties of Gallic Acid in supplements?

Gallic Acid

Gallic acid is a trihydroxybenzoic acid in which the hydroxy groups are at positions 3, 4, and 5. It has a role as an astringent, a cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitor, a plant metabolite, an antioxidant, an antineoplastic agent, a human xenobiotic metabolite, an EC 1.13.11.33 (arachidonate 15-lipoxygenase) inhibitor and an apoptosis inducer. It is a conjugate acid of a gallate. Read more about Gallic Acid on ChEBI: 30778.

Gallic Acid

Gallic acid, also known as gallate or gallic acid tech., belongs to the class of organic compounds known as gallic acids. These are organic compounds that contain a 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid moiety. Gallate 1-beta-glucosyltransferase is an enzyme that uses UDP-glucose and gallate, whereas its two products are UDP and 1-galloyl-beta-D-glucose. Gallic acid is an extremely weak basic (essentially neutral) compound (based on its pKa). Gallic acid exists in all living species, ranging from bacteria to humans. Outside of the human body, gallic acid is found, on average, in the highest concentration in a few different foods, such as mango, pomegranates, and cloves and in a lower concentration in garden tomato, banana, and spearmints. gallic acid has also been detected, but not quantified in, several different foods, such as carobs, tarragons, german camomiles, sweet basils, and cardamoms. This could make gallic acid a potential biomarker for the consumption of these foods. Gallic acid can also be used as a starting material in the synthesis of the psychedelic alkaloid mescaline. Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD) describes the use of gallic acid as a means of detecting an adulteration of verdigris and writes that it was used to produce dyes. Gallic acid was first studied by the Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele in 1786. Read more about Gallic Acid on HMDB: HMDB0005807.