Benefits of Rutin

Rutin, a type of bioflavonoid, is found in black tea, buckwheat bran, many citrus fruits and even apple skins, and is also available as a supplement in capsule or tablet form. Rutin helps the body utilize vitamin C and produce collagen (skin's main building blocks), can be used to treat conditions such as hemorrhoids and high blood pressure (hypertension), and can also reduce cholesterol levels. The recommended daily dose of rutin supplements, according to Nutritional-Supplements-Health-Guide.com, is two 500-mg capsules/tablets per day.

Apple peels contain rutin. (Image: seszka/iStock/Getty Images)

Strong Blood Vessels

Dr. Andrew Weil, a nationally recognized leader in integrative medicine, points out that rutin can be very helpful in treating strained blood vessels in such conditions as hemorrhoids due to rutin's ability to maintain capillary flexibility and strength. The capillaries are the smallest blood vessels in the body, and when they get strained in the anal region due to overweight or pregnancy, having chronic diarrhea or constipation, or other reasons, the results are swollen blood vessels, or hemorrhoids. Nutritional-Supplements-Health-Guide.com claims that rutin is "used widely" for this purpose.

Antioxidant

Rutin is considered to be an antioxidant, meaning that it binds to damaging free radicals in the body and neutralizes them. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), free radicals turn LDL cholesterol into plaques, which in turn can block arteries and prevent normal blood flow (a condition known as atherosclerosis). Blocked arteries can lead to such cardiovascular conditions as hearth disease and stroke.

However, the AHA cautions that rutin supplements-or any antioxidant supplements-have not (as of 2010) been clinically proven to reduce atherosclerosis, but that eating a diet high in rutin and other antioxidants from fruits and vegetables has been shown to be effective in reducing cholesterol, and therefore atherosclerosis, in numerous scientific studies.

Meniere's Disease

According to the Physicians' Desktop Reference (PDR), rutin can also be used to treat Meniere's disease, a condition that causes ringing in the ears (tinnitus), dizziness and intermittent hearing loss.