Rutin is a bioflavonoid, or plant pigment, that comes from certain vegetables and fruits. It has powerful antioxidant properties and helps your body produce collagen and use vitamin C.

You can add rutin to your diet by eating foods that contain it or taking it in supplement form. Apples are full of rutin. Buckwheat, most citrus, figs, and both black and green tea also contain rutin.

Although there are no Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines for rutin supplements, some people suggest it has certain health benefits, like helping blood circulation and lowering cholesterol.

Below, read some of rutin’s potential benefits and risks and how to add this bioflavonoid to your diet.

According to a 2023 studyTrusted Source, rutin’s therapeutic potential includes lowering blood pressure and improving blood flow. It may also help strengthen and increase the flexibility of blood vessels, such as your arteries and capillaries.

Rutin may help toTrusted Source improve blood flow to your eyes, which may offer protective effects to your retina.

A 2018 trialTrusted Source also suggests that a mixture of flavonoids, which included rutin, was a safe and effective way to manage bleeding from hemorrhoids.

According to a 2022 studyTrusted Source, research suggests rutin helps to prevent blood clotting in animals. However, there is limited research expanding on this, in part because rutin does not dissolve easily into water.

The study authors created a rutin-loaded lipid-based nano-formulation, which they suggest helped to prevent clot formation in lab tests.

Preventing blood clots can help lower your risk of developing life threatening conditions such asTrusted Source:

If you have a history of heart disease or blood clots or are on blood thinners, you can discuss using rutin supplements with your doctor. However, it’s worth remembering that further research into rutin’s ability to prevent blood clots in humans is necessary.

Animal studiesTrusted Source suggest rutin may help to decrease total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. This may help to prevent conditions such as atherosclerosis, in which plaque builds up in your arteries.

A 2022 studyTrusted Source examined rutin’s plasma cholesterol-lowering activity in hamsters with high cholesterol levels.

Rutin effectively reduced cholesterol in liver cells in a lab environment but not in the hamsters themselves after oral administration. This may be due to the intestine’s poor ability to absorb rutin.

More research is necessary to understand whether rutin can help to lower cholesterol in humans.

A 2021 animal studyTrusted Source suggests rutin helped to prevent joint spaces narrowing and cartilage tissue calcification, in which calcium builds up and causes tissues to harden. The authors conclude that rutin may have potential as a remedy for osteoarthritis.

A 2022 reviewTrusted Source also suggests that an oral enzyme combination containing rutin may be as effective as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in people with osteoarthritis.

The researchers suggest the oral enzyme combination may also have fewer adverse side effects than NSAIDs. They highlight rutin’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects as a key part of its therapeutic potential.

It’s generally safe to eat rutin-rich fruits and vegetables and research typically suggestsTrusted Source a low risk of adverse effects from rutin.

However, dietary supplements can cause side effects. The risk may be higherTrusted Source if you take a high dose of rutin or if you take a wide variety of supplements.

Consult your doctor if you experience any side effects while taking rutin supplements. Side effects may decrease as your body adjusts to the supplement, but ask your doctor about risk factors first.

If you experience any signs of an allergic reaction, stop taking the supplement immediately and seek medical attention. You should also never take rutin supplements in place of prescription medications.

People who are pregnant or breastfeeding should speak with a healthcare professional before taking rutin supplements since research into the safety of these supplements in humans is limited. However, eating natural sources of this bioflavonoid isn’t typically harmful.

The FDA doesn’t approveTrusted Source rutin supplements for safety or effectiveness.

If you want to start taking a rutin supplement, talk with your doctor first. Mixing supplements with certain medications may cause unwanted interactions or side effects. Your doctor can advise you on these.

Also, ask your doctor how much rutin you should take to reduce your risk of adverse side effects.

Rutin occurs naturally in foods like buckwheat, asparagus, unpeeled apples, figs, black tea, green tea, and elderflower tea. Eating an apple or figs or drinking a glass of green tea can automatically introduce more rutin into your diet.

You can also incorporate more rutin-dense foods into your routine with recipes like these:

Before making any wholesale changes to your diet, you may want to consult your doctor to ensure your eating plan is balanced.

Rutin naturally occurs in various foods, including fruits like apples and figs, and drinks, such as green or black tea. You can also find rutin in supplement form, although the FDA does not approve supplements for safety or effectiveness.

Some research on animals suggests rutin may have health benefits, such as improving blood flow, reducing the risk of blood clots, and relieving arthritis pain. However, further research is necessary to understand rutin’s full potential.

If you want to increase the amount of rutin in your diet, speak with a healthcare professional about the best ways. They may suggest new recipes to try or a safe supplement dosage.