Rutin
Summary
Rutin is quercetin bound to the sugar rutinose. Trials of plain rutin capsules are few and small: a 12-week trial in type 2 diabetes reported better glucose and lipid markers (grade D), while a 6-week antioxidant trial found no change. Vein-swelling evidence comes from rutoside drugs pooled with other phlebotonics, not from rutin supplements.
Key facts
- Quercetin from rutin peaked about 6 hours after intake and reached about 20% of the bioavailability of quercetin glucoside[2]
- Cochrane reviews pooled rutoside drugs with other phlebotonics; there is no rutin-supplement estimate[5][6]
- 500 mg/day for 6 weeks caused no adverse changes in blood chemistry or liver tests in 18 women[1]
- 6 graded human outcomes on this page
- October 13, 2026
How it works
ProposedRutin is poorly absorbed in the small intestine. Study authors propose that colonic bacteria remove the rutinose sugar so quercetin can be absorbed, which fits the slow, low blood peak seen in people. Six weeks of rutin raised plasma quercetin, kaempferol and isorhamnetin, but plasma antioxidant capacity did not change.[2][1]
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vein swelling | Grade C | Improved | Meta-analysis of 13 trials · n = 1,245 · 2020 | 2 rows |
| Blood sugar | Grade D | No effect | RCT · n = 53 · 2020 | 2 rows |
| Skin | Grade D | Improved | RCT · n = 40 · 2016 | 1 row |
| Antioxidant markers | Grade D | No effect | RCT · n = 18 · 2000 | 1 row |
Every graded row
| Outcome | Effect | Grade | Best evidence | PMID |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leg swelling in chronic venous insufficiency (phlebotonic drugs, including rutosides) | Improved | Grade C | Meta-analysis · n = 1,245 · 2020 Adults with chronic venous insufficiency (Cochrane review: 69 RCTs; 28 of the 56 analysable studies tested rutosides) Form: Oral phlebotonics as a class: rutosides, diosmin/hidrosmine, calcium dobesilate and others · Dose: Varied by drug · Duration: Short-term trials Phlebotonics as a group probably reduced lower-leg oedema slightly (RR 0.70; 13 studies, 1,245 participants) and ankle circumference, with little or no difference in quality of life and slightly more adverse events, mostly gastrointestinal, than placebo. | 33141449 (opens PubMed)Source [5] |
| Post-thrombotic syndrome symptoms (rutosides) | No effect | Grade C | Systematic review · n = 233 · 2018 People with post-thrombotic syndrome after deep vein thrombosis (Cochrane review, 3 studies) Form: Rutosides · Dose: Varied by study · Duration: Varied by study No clear difference in improvement of post-thrombotic syndrome versus placebo or no treatment (OR 1.29; 2 studies, 164 participants) or versus compression stockings; evidence quality was low. | 30406640 (opens PubMed)Source [6] |
| Glycemic control with rutin plus vitamin C in type 2 diabetes | No effect | Grade D | RCT · n = 53 · 2020 Adults with type 2 diabetes (registered trial NCT03437902) Form: Rutin with vitamin C, versus vitamin C alone, versus usual treatment · Dose: Not stated in the abstract · Duration: 8 weeks The percentage fall in fasting glucose was larger with vitamin C, with or without rutin, than with usual treatment alone; HbA1c, insulin, HOMA-IR, total cholesterol and oxidative-stress markers did not change. The abstract reports no advantage of the rutin combination over vitamin C alone. | 31987106 (opens PubMed)Source [4] |
| Blood sugar, insulin resistance and lipids in type 2 diabetes | Improved | Grade D | RCT · n = 50 · 2023 Adults with type 2 diabetes Form: Rutin capsules · Dose: 500 mg/day · Duration: 3 months In the adjusted analysis, fasting glucose, insulin, HbA1c, HOMA-IR, LDL and total cholesterol, IL-6 and malondialdehyde fell more, and HDL, QUICKI and total antioxidant capacity rose more, than with placebo. | 36101997 (opens PubMed)Source [3] |
| Skin wrinkles and elasticity (rutin cream applied to the skin) | Improved | Grade D | RCT · n = 40 · 2016 Adults aged 30–50 Form: Rutin-containing cream (concentration not stated in the abstract) · Dose: Applied to the skin · Duration: 4 weeks Versus a control cream, skin elasticity increased and the length, area and number of wrinkles decreased. | 27220601 (opens PubMed)Source [7] |
| Plasma antioxidant status and oxidative-damage markers | No effect | Grade D | RCT · n = 18 · 2000 Healthy, non-obese women aged 18–48 (UK) Form: Rutin · Dose: 500 mg/day · Duration: 6 weeks Plasma quercetin, kaempferol and isorhamnetin rose, but plasma antioxidant capacity, urinary 8-OHdG and urinary malondialdehyde did not change versus a glucose placebo. Lymphocyte DNA oxidation fell in both groups. | 11083486 (opens PubMed)Source [1] |
Forms
| Form | Elemental % | Absorption (human data) | GI tolerance | Studied for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutin (quercetin rutinoside) capsules | Varies[8] | Quercetin from rutin peaked at about 6 hours (Cmax about 0.18 µM) versus under 30 minutes for quercetin glucoside; overall bioavailability was about 20% of the glucoside.[2] | 500 mg/day for 6 weeks produced no adverse changes in blood chemistry, haematology or liver tests in 18 women.[1] | Antioxidant and blood-sugar trials (500 mg/day) |
| Rutosides (phlebotonic drugs) | Varies[5] | No head-to-head human data against plain rutin.[5] | Phlebotonics as a class slightly increased adverse events versus placebo (RR 1.14; 37 studies), mostly gastrointestinal.[5] | Vein swelling and post-thrombotic syndrome trials |
| Rutin-containing skin cream | Varies[7] | Applied to the skin, not swallowed.[7] | The cosmetic study abstract does not report adverse effects.[7] | Skin aging (cosmetic use) |
Studied doses
Doses studied in human trials ranged from 500 mg/day of plain rutin for 6 weeks up to 3 months. Vein-swelling trials tested rutoside drugs and other phlebotonics at their own doses, so they are not a guide to rutin capsules.[1][3][5]
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
- The plain-rutin trials cited here enrolled non-pregnant adults only, so they give no safety data for these groups.[1][3]
- Diabetes medicines
- The 2023 diabetes trial reported lower glucose and insulin with rutin; it gives no data on combining rutin with specific glucose-lowering drugs, so blood-sugar monitoring questions belong with the prescriber.[3]
Talk to your pharmacist or clinician before starting a supplement, especially if you take prescription medicines.
How to read the label
- Rutin is not the same as quercetinRutin is quercetin plus a sugar. It is absorbed later and less completely than quercetin glucoside, so equal milligrams do not mean equal blood levels.[2][8][9]
- Rutin is not the same as rutosidesCochrane vein reviews pooled rutoside drugs with other phlebotonics. Their results do not transfer to a rutin capsule.[5][6]
- Label dose vs studied doseBoth plain-rutin trials used 500 mg/day, so a 500 mg capsule matches what was tested; higher amounts have no trial data here.[1][3]
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.
Frequently asked questions
What is rutin?
A flavonoid glycoside: quercetin attached to the sugar rutinose. It occurs in buckwheat, citrus and tea and is sold as capsules.[2][8]
Is rutin better than quercetin?
Not for absorption. In a human study, quercetin from rutin reached blood far more slowly and at about one-fifth the bioavailability of quercetin glucoside.[2]
Does rutin lower blood sugar?
One 12-week trial of 500 mg/day in 50 adults with type 2 diabetes reported lower fasting glucose, HbA1c and insulin resistance than placebo. A second trial found rutin added nothing over vitamin C.[3][4]
Does rutin help varicose veins or leg swelling?
Trials used rutoside drugs, not plain rutin. Phlebotonics as a group probably reduced leg oedema slightly; rutosides did not clearly help post-thrombotic syndrome.[5][6]
Is rutin an antioxidant in the body?
Six weeks of 500 mg/day raised plasma flavonoids but did not change plasma antioxidant capacity or urinary oxidative-damage markers.[1]
Is rutin safe?
In 18 women, 500 mg/day for 6 weeks caused no adverse changes in blood chemistry or liver tests. Longer-term and pregnancy data are lacking.[1]
Sources
- [1]Bioavailability and efficiency of rutin as an antioxidant: a human supplementation study.. Eur J Clin Nutr, 2000. RCT
- [2]The sugar moiety is a major determinant of the absorption of dietary flavonoid glycosides in man.. Free Radic Res, 1999. PK-study
- [3]The effects of rutin flavonoid supplement on glycemic status, lipid profile, atherogenic index of plasma, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), some serum inflammatory, and oxidative stress factors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.. Phytother Res, 2023. RCT
- [4]Impact of Rutin and Vitamin C combination on oxidative stress and glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes.. Clin Nutr ESPEN, 2020. RCT
- [5]Phlebotonics for venous insufficiency.. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2020. meta-analysis
- [6]Rutosides for treatment of post-thrombotic syndrome.. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2018. systematic-review
- [7]Biological effects of rutin on skin aging.. Int J Mol Med, 2016. RCT
- [8]Rutin (CID 5280805): compound summary. PubChem, NCBI, 2026. database
- [9]Quercetin (CID 5280343): compound summary. PubChem, NCBI, 2026. database
What changed
- Strict second-pass self-review (no separate reviewer could be dispatched for this batch): all 7 PMIDs re-verified by NCBI esummary (titles and years match the record) and efetch checked for retraction, expression-of-concern and erratum flags (none flagged); every evidence row, key fact, form, dose, label line, FAQ and insight re-read against its abstract, and against PMC full text where the dose or count lives. Fixes: removed an unverified trial country; restated the rutin-plus-vitamin C result as "no advantage reported over vitamin C alone". Page set indexable.
- First draft. Every PMID checked against NCBI E-utilities esummary (title and year taken from the record) and abstracts read for each cited row. Molecular formulas and weights from PubChem. No NIH ODS or NCCIH fact sheet covers rutin.