Written By: GreenMedInfo Research Group

Rutin is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory powerhouse found in a variety of delicious food that may boost your health via multiple avenues, from promoting healthy circulation to providing pain relief

Rutin is one of about 4,000 types of flavonoids that are found abundantly in plants. Also known as rutoside and vitamin P, rutin is a flavonol that acts as an active constituent in tea leaves, apples, buckwheat, most citrus fruits and passion flower, for example, with nutraceutical effects that have been valued since ancient times.[i]

Medicinal plant compounds often have a range of biological activities that are both impressive and varied. Rutin is no exception, with a number of pharmacological activities that include:[ii],[iii],[iv]

Anti-inflammatory

Antioxidant

Neuroprotective

Hepatoprotective

Cytoprotective

Vasoprotective

Anticarcinogenic

Cardioprotective

Antimicrobial/antifungal

Anti-allergic

Six Top Reasons to Try Rutin

Rutin is perhaps best known for its ability to ward off oxidative stress via potent antioxidant properties. This makes it valuable in a number of disease conditions and even as a tool for healthy aging. Rutin, for instance, reduces skin aging by strengthening dermal density and elasticity,[v] and is found in more than 130 registered therapeutic medicinal preparations.[vi]

GreenMedInfo.com has additionally compiled nearly 70 pharmacological actions related to rutin, along with 136 diseases that it may be useful for. Some of its top health benefits follow.

1. Protection From Neurodegenerative Disease

Rutin has demonstrated benefits to the central nervous system, including prevention of neuroinflammation, anticonvulsant activity and antidepressant effects. Rutin may be useful for recovery after stroke and also shows promise for Alzheimer's disease.[vii]

With an ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, rutin may benefit the cognitive and behavioral symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases and helps to remove the inflammatory component of neurodegeneration.[viii]

2. Relieve Arthritis Pain

Rutin not only has analgesic and antinociceptive effects but also antiarthritic effects, making it an ideal natural option for arthritis.[ix] The plant compound has been found to suppress oxidative stress in people with rheumatoid arthritis,[x] while also inhibiting both the acute and chronic phases of inflammation in an arthritis rat model.[xi]

3. Antidiabetic Effects

Rutin has beneficial effects on the endocrine system, including antidiabetic and anti-hypercholesterolemic effects.[xii] Rutin helps fight diabetes by decreasing carbohydrates absorption from the small intestine, increasing the uptake of glucose into tissues and stimulating the secretion of insulin from beta cells, leading to antihyperglycemic effects as well as protection against the development of diabetic complications.[xiii]

Rutin is also useful for protecting against age-related metabolic dysfunction, with research suggesting it inhibits age-related mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress, as well as endoplasmic reticulum, or ER, stress, which is related to proteins that are not properly folded.[xiv]

4. Promote Healthy Circulation and Reduce Blood Clots

Consuming rutin, either from foods or supplements, may be an effective way to block the formation of blood clots. Research by Harvard Medical School researchers suggests that rutin is effective against both platelet-rich clots that form in arteries and fibrin-rich clots that form in veins.[xv]

Rutin was found to be a "champion compound"[xvi] for inhibiting protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), which plays a role in the initial stages of clot formation. A nano-formulation of rutin was also found to exert powerful antithrombotic effects by inhibiting PDI,[xvii] while rutin may also augment the production of nitric oxide in human endothelial cells, which is useful for blood pressure and cardiovascular system health.[xviii]

In terms of improved circulation, rutin is a venoactive compound, which means it may be useful for symptoms of chronic venous diseases (CVD). The compound has been demonstrated to reduce severity of lower leg pain, leg cramps, heaviness and itching, as well as edema (swelling), in people with CVD.[xix]

5. Anticancer Effects

Rutin's anticancer properties have been extensively studied. In human leukemia cells, rutin led to a significant reduction in tumor size, and it's known to inhibit cancer cell growth by cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. It also inhibits proliferation and metastasis of colorectal cancer cell lines and shows promise for use in ovarian and color cancers, as well as neuroblastoma.[xx]

6. Support Gastrointestinal Health

Rutin has antiulcer effects, as it inhibits the gastric proton pump that sends acid to your stomach.[xxi] It also has potential against inflammatory bowel disease, not only due to its antioxidant effects but also by suppressing the release of proinflammatory mediators and the expression of inflammatory proteins.[xxii]

Top Sources of Rutin

As noted in the Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal, "An ancient saying 'an apple a day, keeps doctor away' seems to be true as rutin, one of the important constituents of apples, has a wide array of biological activities."[xxiii]

If you're consuming apples for the rutin, be sure to eat the peel -- where most of the flavonoids are concentrated -- and choose organic varieties to avoid pesticide residues. So while you can find rutin in supplement form, be aware that it's also available in common -- and delicious -- foods, such as the following:

Buckwheat

Apricots

Apples

Cherries

Grapes

Capers

Black olives

Passion flower

Grapefruit

Plums

Oranges

Green tea

Figs

Onions

Ginkgo biloba

Elderflower

Asparagus

Black tea

Amaranth leaves

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