Horseradish Allergenic Extract.
Research-backed herb with potential health benefits. Used by allergists to test for horseradish allergy. Not a supplement.
Reviewed March 2026
- Category
- Herb
What Horseradish Allergenic Extract is, and what it does.
- Does it work
- Not applicable. This is a medical testing product.
- How much to take
- There is no daily amount, because this is a diagnostic preparation applied by a clinician during testing rather than something taken by mouth. Culinary horseradish is the dietary form.
- Time to feel it
- This is a clinical diagnostic material used under supervision, not a daily supplement, so it carries no onset of its own. Culinary horseradish pungency, by contrast, is immediate.
- The first dose
- In clinical use it is applied under supervision and read within minutes to hours by whoever is performing the test. There is no day-one supplement experience to describe.
- With regular use
- It isn't taken daily, so weeks of use don't apply. Nobody has studied repeated intake of this preparation outside the clinical setting it was made for.
- How well tolerated
- Clinicians handle it precisely because a skin reaction is the endpoint being looked for, so it isn't for self-administration. Culinary horseradish is a separate product entirely.
- How it feels
- Subtle at best. Not a perceptible supplement.
- The overlooked benefit
- Horseradish only turns sharp once the tissue is crushed, because that's when the enzyme finally meets the sinigrin stored separately in the cells. Intact root is mild.
250 to 500mg a day is where Horseradish Allergenic Extract works.
Source: Horseradish glucosinolate research; allergenic extract standardization
The proof, claim by claim.
These words describe the research, not the molecule's worth. Research strength is how much work stands behind one claim, and it is never a product score.
Horseradish Allergenic Extract is documented in the library; the clinical read is in the queue. Nothing about the strength of the research prints until the read is done.
- Presentation of horseradish protein allergens for clinical assessmentNarrative review
- Myrosinase conversion of sinigrin to allyl isothiocyanate on tissue damageNarrative review
- Activation of the TRPA1 sensory channel by allyl isothiocyanateIn vitro study
- Reaction of allyl isothiocyanate with the Keap1 sensor proteinIn vitro study
Questions people ask about Horseradish Allergenic Extract.
- Should I take this?
- Only administered by medical professionals for allergy testing.
- Is it safe?
- Limited data. Generally considered well tolerated at normal doses, but consult your doctor.
- Where does it come from?
- Various sources. Check product labeling.
- Are there alternatives?
- If you want horseradish benefits, eat horseradish. This extract is for allergy testing.
- How long until it works?
- Varies. Most supplements need weeks to months.
- Can I get it from food?
- Possibly. Check dietary sources.
Why these belong in the same formula. Each row says what the basis is, from settled biochemistry through to a trial that measured the pair.
Broccoli sprout extract supplies glucoraphanin, which needs myrosinase to be converted into its isothiocyanate, and most sprout extracts are heat processed so their own myrosinase is gone. Horseradish root is one of the richest plant sources of that enzyme, so pairing them restores the conversion step.
Horseradish carries sinigrin, which its myrosinase converts to allyl isothiocyanate, the same chemical family as sulforaphane. Both act on the Nrf2 directed antioxidant response, so a formula holding both is stacking one route.
Horseradish root stores sinigrin, a glucosinolate, physically separated from myrosinase until the tissue is damaged. Myrosinase requires ascorbate as an activating cofactor to hydrolyse the glucosinolate efficiently. Without that step the pungent isothiocyanate is never released. This is enzyme chemistry inside the plant, not an interaction in the body.
Allyl isothiocyanate, the compound behind horseradish pungency, is an electrophile that reacts with the thiol of glutathione. That conjugate is then processed through the mercapturic acid pathway and excreted in urine, which is how isothiocyanate exposure is measured. Glutathione supply therefore governs the clearance rate, and the conjugation consumes glutathione in the process.
Isothiocyanates react rapidly and reversibly with free thiols. N-acetylcysteine offers a plentiful thiol, so taking the two together shifts more of the isothiocyanate into conjugate form before it can act elsewhere. The chemistry is well described; whether it changes any measured effect in a person has not been established.
Isothiocyanates are described as inducing phase-two and antioxidant enzyme expression through the Keap1-Nrf2 axis. Several of those enzymes, glutathione peroxidase among them, require selenocysteine and therefore adequate selenium. The relationship sits upstream of any effect rather than being a tested pairing.
Nothing specific on file for Horseradish Allergenic Extract. Match the label to the daily amount above, and tell your doctor what you take.
Not medical advice. Show the label to your pharmacist.What Horseradish Allergenic Extract actually does.
Horseradish root (Armoracia rusticana) stores sinigrin, a glucosinolate, in cell vacuoles kept physically apart from the enzyme myrosinase until the tissue is crushed or chewed.
When the tissue is damaged, myrosinase hydrolyses sinigrin to allyl isothiocyanate, the volatile compound responsible for the pungency and the sharp nasal sensation; intact undamaged root is not pungent.
Allyl isothiocyanate is an electrophile that reacts with protein cysteine thiols, which is the basis for both its reactivity with the Keap1 sensor protein and its irritant effect on mucous membranes at higher concentrations.
Allyl isothiocyanate is an agonist at TRPA1, the sensory ion channel that mediates the pungent burning sensation in the nose and mouth, which is a different receptor from the TRPV1 channel that capsaicin activates.
Where Horseradish Allergenic Extract comes from.
This starts as ordinary horseradish root, but the preparation goes after the plant's proteins rather than its heat. That makes it a clinical material rather than a food or supplement ingredient, and the details of how any given batch is made vary by manufacturer.
Made from a plant. What ends up in the capsule tracks the harvest, so batch testing and a stated marker matter more here than with a made molecule.
A perennial brassica grown for its thick taproot; glucosinolate content varies with cultivar, growing conditions and how long the root has been stored.
Roots are washed, peeled and ground. Grinding is the step that brings sinigrin and myrosinase together, so it determines whether the material carries intact glucosinolate or released isothiocyanate.
For an allergenic extract the target is the water-soluble protein fraction, so extraction conditions are chosen to keep proteins intact rather than to capture the volatile pungent fraction. Specific conditions vary by manufacturer and are not uniformly published.
Particulate plant material is removed; the resulting liquid is the extract proper.
Allergenic extracts are characterised on protein content and, where a reference exists, on potency against it. This is a different standardisation basis entirely from the glucosinolate or isothiocyanate assay used for a food-grade extract.
Held refrigerated with a defined shelf life, since the protein fraction loses activity over time. The legacy note for this ingredient says only that preparation varies by product, and that remains the honest position on the specifics.
Getting Horseradish Allergenic Extract from food.
The whole-food sources on file. A supplement closes the gap, it does not replace dinner.
A gram-for-gram figure (how much of each you would eat to match a dose) will appear here once it is sourced and reviewed. This page will not print a number it cannot cite.
The forms it comes in.
The essence, in one line each.
- A review of root vegetable composition that names horseradish among the crops discussed, covering its glucosinolate content alongside contaminant concerns for root crops generally; it is a compositional review, not a study of an allergenic extract.Narrative review. Knez E et al., 2022 (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health). PMID 36497603 ↗
These are the studies our verdict leans on, chosen from the 1 we read for Horseradish Allergenic Extract. The full linked list is below.
FDA Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult your healthcare provider before starting any supplement regimen.