RUTIN
Updated: 1 hour ago
Rutin is a plant flavonoid found in foods like buckwheat, apples and tea. It has been used in many countries to support blood vessels, and in the body it turns into quercetin.
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WHAT IS RUTIN?
- Rutin is a flavonoid, a natural plant pigment. It's also called rutoside, and it was once called "vitamin P."
- It's found in buckwheat, apples, citrus fruits, onions and tea.
- Rutin is quercetin with a sugar attached.
- Many rutin supplements are made from the flower buds of the Japanese sophora tree.
RUTIN OPTIONS
One I personally love: Find Relief, formulated by my doctor, Dr. Thoring.
I invested in Vital Harmony Nutritionals to help bring Find Relief to market, because I wanted a formula that saves people money.
Designs for Health Inflammatone (capsules, a blend with rutin)
HOW RUTIN WORKS IN THE BODY
- Older study (2000): when 16 healthy volunteers took rutin, no rutin showed up in their blood. It showed up as quercetin instead. The total amount of quercetin was about the same as taking quercetin, but it took longer to peak (about 6.5 to 7.5 hours, compared with about 2 to 5 hours) and varied a lot from person to person.
- A 2026 mouse study found that a gut bacterium can turn rutin into quercetin, and mice with that bacterium had more quercetin in their blood.
- Reviews from 2025 and 2026 say rutin isn't absorbed very well when taken by mouth, and that more studies in people are still needed.
- Because rutin becomes quercetin in the body, you can read more about quercetin's research in my Quercetin post (linked under Related Posts).
MAST CELLS AND HISTAMINE
- Older lab study (2008): rutin blocked histamine release from mast-type cells and lowered several inflammatory chemicals (TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-6 and IL-8) made by human mast cells.
- In a 2023 lab and mouse study, rutin calmed mast cells set off through a receptor called P2X7 and eased pain sensitivity in mice.
- Research on rutin itself and mast cells is still mostly lab and animal studies.
BLOOD VESSELS AND VEINS
- Older source (2000): researchers noted that rutin and quercetin are used in many countries to help protect blood vessels.
- A 2020 Cochrane review looked at 56 trials (7,690 people) of supplements and medicines for leg vein problems (chronic venous insufficiency). Half of the trials used rutosides, and almost all of those used modified forms of rutin rather than plain rutin. Looking at all the products in the review together (not rutin alone), they probably reduced leg swelling slightly but made little or no difference in quality of life.
INFLAMMATION AND BLOOD SUGAR
- In a 2023 trial, 50 adults with type 2 diabetes took 500 mg of rutin or a placebo every day for 3 months. Compared with placebo, the rutin group had lower blood sugar, A1C, LDL cholesterol and IL-6 (an inflammation marker), and higher HDL ("good") cholesterol.
- A 2022 review found that in lab and animal studies, rutin lowers inflammatory chemicals like TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-1 beta, but studies in people are still limited.
BRAIN AND NERVES
- A 2025 review of lab and animal studies found rutin may help protect nerve cells by calming inflammation and oxidative stress, easing pain, supporting memory and protecting the blood-brain barrier. Its low absorption is a hurdle researchers are still working on.
PARASITES
- In a 2022 lab and mouse study, rutin was active against malaria parasites, including a drug-resistant strain. In mice, it lowered parasite levels, helped them live longer and worked well together with the malaria medicine chloroquine. Malaria is not Babesia, and I couldn't find any rutin studies on Babesia yet.
A note from me: this list doesn't cover everything. Rutin may offer more benefits than I've included here. I'm sharing the uses that are best known or most studied as of today, from sources I trust. Research keeps growing, and one post can only cover so much.
BEFORE YOU START
- Read the warning on each bottle.
- A 2022 United States Pharmacopeia safety review of Japanese sophora flower (a common source of rutin) found no serious side effects reported, but noted some studies suggest rutin and quercetin may interact with certain medicines.
- Talk with your doctor first if you take blood thinners like warfarin. In an older rat study (2009), high amounts of rutin weakened warfarin's effect.
- Since rutin turns into quercetin in the body, the cautions in my Quercetin post may apply too.
- In the vein studies, upset stomach was the most common side effect.
- The 2022 safety review found no data on use during pregnancy or nursing, so ask your doctor first.
- Always ask your doctor before adding anything new.
MY EXPERIENCE
I've never taken rutin on its own, but it's been in many supplements I've taken over the years, like Inflammatone and the enzyme formula I use. Now I also get it every day in Find Relief.
FIND RELIEF HIGHLIGHT
- Rutin is in Find Relief, at 70 mg (standardized to 95%) per 3-capsule serving.
- With quercetin and grape seed extract: quercetin supports a balanced release of histamine and other chemicals at the start, while rutin and grape seed extract support the strength of the blood vessels and connective tissue those chemicals can affect.
FIND RELIEF - RUTIN, QUERCETIN, AND GRAPE SEED EXTRACT: VASCULAR AND CONNECTIVE-TISSUE PROTECTION
- Rutin is also part of this Find Relief post:
FIND RELIEF - HISTAMINE AND MAST-CELL SUPPORT
- See every Find Relief post in one place:
FIND RELIEF DIRECTORY
MORE RESEARCH WITH MIXED RESULTS
- In a 2023 trial, 87 adults with overweight (without diabetes) took 500 mg of rutin a day for 12 weeks. It didn't change how their pancreas responded to sugar or their gut bacteria.
- Older study (2017): 138 marathon runners took rutin with enzymes before and after a race. It didn't lower inflammation after the race or the number of colds.
RELATED POSTS
QUERCETIN
MAST CELL / MCAS POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
PAIN / INFLAMMATION - POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
SOURCES
Ganeshpurkar and Saluja, rutin review (2017, older source, still worth reading)
Erlund et al., how rutin is absorbed in people (2000, older source, still worth reading)
Tamura et al., gut bacteria turn rutin into quercetin, mouse study (2026)
Park et al., flavonoids and mast cells, lab study (2008, older source, still worth reading)
Ye et al., rutin and mast cells, lab and mouse study (2023)
Cochrane review, phlebotonics for leg vein problems (2020, older source, still worth reading)
Bazyar et al., type 2 diabetes trial (2023)
Muvhulawa et al., rutin and inflammation review (2022)
Chunmei and Shuai, rutin and the nervous system review (2025)
Cui et al., rutin review (2026)
Bhatt et al., rutin and malaria, lab and mouse study (2022)
United States Pharmacopeia, Japanese sophora flower safety review (2022)
Chan et al., rutin and warfarin in rats (2009, older source, still worth reading)
Mathrani et al., overweight adults trial (2023)
Grabs et al., marathon runners trial (2017, older source, still worth reading)
Disclaimer: Rise Above Lyme makes no claims about any possible benefit of using any product mentioned within this site. Always consult with your doctor before adding anything. The information shared is based on personal experience, years of accumulated researched resources from Lyme Literate doctors and polls conducted within Lyme groups from actual patient experience using these solution ideas.
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