Fisetin
Summary
Fisetin is a flavonol that cleared senescent cells and extended lifespan in mice, so it is marketed as a senolytic. In people, a 192-patient stroke trial found benefit only in a 62-person subgroup (grade C), small trials reported marker changes, and a Gulf War illness trial found no symptom benefit. No human trial has shown a senolytic or anti-aging effect.
Key facts
- A flavonol (3,3′,4′,7-tetrahydroxyflavone) found in strawberries, apples and onions; supplements are usually extracted from Rhus succedanea (wax tree)[1][2]
- Based on mouse and cell studies; no published human trial has measured senescent-cell clearance or lifespan outcomes[1][8]
- 192 stroke patients given 100 mg/day for 7 days alongside rt-PA; benefit only in the 62 who started rt-PA 3–5 hours after onset[2]
- 21 veterans with Gulf War illness: no symptom reduction at 200 or 800 mg/day[4]
- Unformulated fisetin reached low blood levels (peak about 10 ng/mL after 1,000 mg); an encapsulated form reached about 24 times higher in a manufacturer-funded study[7]
- A 2026 review counted 34 registered fisetin trials, only 4 completed with results[8]
- 5 graded human outcomes on this page
- October 12, 2026
How it works
ProposedIn mouse and human cell studies, fisetin selectively killed senescent ("zombie") cells and, given to old mice, reduced senescence markers and extended median lifespan. Human trials have only measured inflammatory and metabolic markers (CRP, IL-6, MMPs), not senescent-cell burden.[1][8]
What the human research says
Human trials only, one row per outcome. The form column shows what each trial actually tested. Grades follow our evidence-grading policy.
At a glance: strongest evidence per outcome
| Outcome | Grade | Effect | Strongest evidence | Rows |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stroke | Grade C | Mixed | RCT · n = 192 · 2019 | 1 row |
| Weight | Grade D | Mixed | RCT · n = 60 · 2026 | 1 row |
| Metabolic markers | Grade D | Mixed | RCT · n = 44 · 2026 | 1 row |
| Inflammation | Grade D | Mixed | RCT · n = 37 · 2018 | 1 row |
| Chronic illness | Grade D | No effect | Crossover RCT · n = 21 · 2021 | 1 row |
Every graded row
| Outcome | Effect | Grade | Best evidence | PMID |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neurological deficit (NIHSS) after ischemic stroke, given with rt-PA | Mixed | Grade C | RCT · n = 192 · 2019 Adults with acute ischemic stroke receiving rt-PA (China), stratified by onset-to-treatment time Form: Fisetin from Rhus succedanea (wax tree), 100 mg capsules · Dose: 100 mg with rt-PA, then 100 mg/day · Duration: 7 days No difference from placebo in the 130 patients treated within 3 hours. In the 62 patients who started rt-PA 3–5 hours after onset, NIHSS scores were lower with fisetin at day 1 and day 7, with lower MMP-2, MMP-9 and CRP. | 31434498 (opens PubMed)Source [2] |
| Body weight and adipokines in men with obesity | Mixed | Grade D | RCT · n = 60 · 2026 Sedentary men with obesity (Iran) Form: Fisetin capsules · Dose: 200 mg/day, with or without a training program · Duration: 12 weeks The fisetin-only group lost more weight than placebo, but only training plus fisetin significantly lowered BMI versus placebo; the biggest asprosin, MCP-1 and lipid changes were with training plus fisetin. | 41683255 (opens PubMed)Source [6] |
| Inflammatory and insulin-resistance markers in men with obesity | Mixed | Grade D | RCT · n = 44 · 2026 Sedentary men with obesity (BMI over 30) (Iran) Form: Fisetin capsules · Dose: 200 mg/day, with or without a training program · Duration: 12 weeks In the fisetin-only arm, IL-6 and TNF-α fell and fasting glucose, insulin and HOMA-IR improved, but Maresin-1 did not change; the largest changes were with training plus fisetin. | 42218768 (opens PubMed)Source [5] |
| Inflammatory markers in colorectal cancer during chemotherapy | Mixed | Grade D | RCT · n = 37 · 2018 Patients with colorectal cancer starting chemotherapy (Iran) Form: Fisetin capsules · Dose: 100 mg/day · Duration: 7 weeks IL-8, hs-CRP and MMP-7 fell within the fisetin group, but only the IL-8 change differed significantly from placebo; IL-10, MMP-9 and other markers did not. | 29541713 (opens PubMed)Source [3] |
| Symptom severity in Gulf War illness | No effect | Grade D | Crossover RCT · n = 21 · 2021 Male veterans with Gulf War illness (USA) Form: Fisetin from Rhus succedanea · Dose: 200 mg/day, then 800 mg/day · Duration: 1 month per dose level (after 1 month of placebo) Fisetin did not reduce symptom severity more than placebo at either 200 mg/day (p=0.504) or 800 mg/day (p=0.616). | 33802381 (opens PubMed)Source [4] |
Forms
| Form | Elemental % | Absorption (human data) | GI tolerance | Studied for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fisetin (unformulated powder or tablet) | Varies[2][3][4][5][6][7] | After a single 1,000 mg dose, blood fisetin peaked at about 10 ng/mL, which the study authors described as poor bioavailability.[7] | The obesity trials reported no adverse events at 200 mg/day for 12 weeks, and the absorption study reported none after a single 1,000 mg dose.[5][6][7] | Stroke, colorectal cancer, obesity and Gulf War illness trials (100–800 mg/day) |
| Encapsulated fisetin (fenugreek hydrogel, FF-20) | Varies[7] | 1,000 mg of the formulation (192 mg fisetin) gave about 27 times the 12-hour blood exposure of 1,000 mg unformulated fisetin in 15 volunteers.[7] | No adverse events reported in the single-dose crossover study.[7] | Single-dose absorption study only (funded by its manufacturer) |
Studied doses
Doses studied in human trials ranged from 100 to 800 mg/day: 100 mg/day for 1 week (stroke) or 7 weeks (colorectal cancer), 200 mg/day for 12 weeks (obesity), and 200 then 800 mg/day for 1 month each (Gulf War illness). An absorption study gave a single 1,000 mg dose. Intermittent high-dose "senolytic" schedules come from mouse studies and have no published human outcome data.[2][3][4][5][6][7][1]
Interactions
Published interactions only: each row cites a source. No row means none was found in our sources, not that a combination is safe.
None found in our sources.
Who should be careful
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding
- None of the cited trials enrolled pregnant or breastfeeding women, so there are no safety data for these groups.[2][3][4][5]
- Cancer treatment
- The only cancer trial gave 100 mg/day under oncology supervision during chemotherapy and measured inflammatory markers, not tumor outcomes.[3]
Talk to your pharmacist or clinician before starting a supplement, especially if you take prescription medicines.
How to read the label
- Label dose vs studied doseMany products provide 500 mg or more per serving; the trials that reported benefits used 100–200 mg/day, and 800 mg/day showed no benefit in Gulf War illness.[2][3][4][5]
- Source plantSupplement fisetin is usually extracted from Rhus succedanea (wax tree), the same source used in the stroke and Gulf War illness trials.[2][4]
- Absorption claimsEnhanced-absorption claims trace to a single-dose study funded by the maker of the formulation; higher blood levels have not been tied to any health outcome.[7]
Cost per studied dose, without the sales pitch
Compare any product you already have by the amount it delivers, not by capsule count or front-of-pack weight.
Cost per studied dose
Enter the price, servings and the amount per serving from your label.
Where to buy Fisetin
Products from brands we partner with that contain Fisetin. Listing a product is not a claim that it works; check the amount per serving against the doses studied above, and the label for other ingredients.
- SupersmartPaid linkFisetin2 tablets: 500 mg fisetin (Rhus succedanea extract, 98% fisetin); 30 servings. That is 2.5–5 times the 100–200 mg/day used in the trials that reported benefits.Shop at Supersmart (opens in new tab)Price and label checked 2026-10-11 on the brand’s site.
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- Offer terms from Supersmart’s site and its affiliate program, checked Oct 8, 2026. Offers can change; the brand's checkout is final.
Frequently asked questions
Is fisetin a proven senolytic in humans?
No. Fisetin cleared senescent cells and extended lifespan in mice, but no published human trial has measured senescent-cell clearance or aging outcomes.[1][8]
What is the best human evidence for fisetin?
A 192-patient stroke trial in which 100 mg/day for 7 days, given with rt-PA, improved neurological scores only in the 62 patients who started rt-PA 3–5 hours after onset.[2]
Did any fisetin trial find no effect?
Yes. In 21 veterans with Gulf War illness, fisetin at 200 and 800 mg/day did not reduce symptoms compared with placebo.[4]
Does fisetin help with weight loss?
One Iranian research group reported that 200 mg/day for 12 weeks modestly lowered weight and inflammatory markers in men with obesity, with larger changes when combined with exercise. Its two papers likely describe the same 60 men.[5][6]
Is fisetin well absorbed?
Poorly as plain fisetin. An encapsulated form reached much higher blood levels in a single-dose study funded by its manufacturer.[7]
Sources
- [1]Fisetin is a senotherapeutic that extends health and lifespan.. EBioMedicine, 2018. animal-study
- [2]Fisetin Prolongs Therapy Window of Brain Ischemic Stroke Using Tissue Plasminogen Activator: A Double-Blind Randomized Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.. Clin Appl Thromb Hemost, 2019. RCT
- [3]Effect of fisetin supplementation on inflammatory factors and matrix metalloproteinase enzymes in colorectal cancer patients.. Food Funct, 2018. RCT
- [4]A Placebo-Controlled, Pseudo-Randomized, Crossover Trial of Botanical Agents for Gulf War Illness: Resveratrol (Polygonum cuspidatum), Luteolin, and Fisetin (Rhus succedanea).. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2021. crossover-RCT
- [5]12‑weeks fisetin supplementation and interval resistance with aerobic training: changes in Maresin‑1 and inflammatory markers in men with obesity: a randomized controlled trial.. J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2026. RCT
- [6]The Effects of Interval Resistance-Aerobic Training and Fisetin Supplementation on Asprosin and Selected Adipokines in Obese Men: A Double-Blind Randomized Control Trial.. Nutrients, 2026. RCT
- [7]Enhanced bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of a novel hybrid-hydrogel formulation of fisetin orally administered in healthy individuals: a randomised double-blinded comparative crossover study.. J Nutr Sci, 2022. PK-study
- [8]Clinical Translation of Fisetin for Age-Related Diseases: Current Evidence and Future Opportunities.. Nutrients, 2026. review
What changed
- First draft. Every PMID checked against NCBI E-utilities esummary (title and year taken from the record) and abstracts read for the cited rows.
- Adversarial review pass: every evidence row re-read against its PubMed abstract and, where available, the PMC full text (stroke PMC6829632; Gulf War illness doses; obesity trials PMC12899003 and PMC13224698; absorption study PMC9574875 funding). Flagged: the two 2026 obesity papers very likely share participants, and the Nutrients abstract's "BMI < 30" conflicts with its own methods. Manufacturer funding of the absorption study disclosed. No interaction data exist, so none are listed. Retraction, expression-of-concern, erratum and withdrawn checks on all 8 PMIDs: none flagged.
- Independent adversarial review (PR #201): spot-checked stroke, colorectal, Gulf War, obesity, absorption and review rows against PubMed abstracts. Summary trimmed to under 60 words; review insight reworded to the review's own conclusion (limited, heterogeneous evidence) instead of 'none showing a clear anti-aging effect'.