Herbs High in Rutin

As a bioflavinoid, rutin protects your small blood vessels, keeping them from rupturing, and improves your circulation. Rutin, a strong antioxidant, helps you absorb vitamin C, which can help support your immune system. Rutin may improve edema, an abnormal accumulation of fluid beneath your skin. Find rutin in foods like buckwheat–the highest source of rutin–fruits, citrus fruits, berries and fruit rinds. Certain herbs high in rutin, such as hawthorn and horsetail, have been used since ancient times for healing.

European Elder (Elderberry)

• Use both the berries and the dried flowers of European elder, which contain rutin, to treat your cold or flu symptoms. According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), dried elder flowers "can help treat sinus infections when used with antibiotics, but further research is needed to confirm any benefit."

  Consult with your doctor before taking elder flowers or berries.The elder flower has diuretic effects so use caution when taking this herb if you are also taking diuretics. If you use elderberries, cook them first. Raw berries cause toxic effects like nausea and diarrhea. Drink elderberry tea or take elder as a supplement in liquid extract or capsule form.

Hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata)

• Use hawthorn to treat cardiovascular conditions such as high or low blood pressure and heart failure, which happens when the heart muscle is weak and can no longer pump enough blood throughout your body. Hawthorn also helps to prevent high cholesterol. The rutin in hawthorn dilates the blood vessels, increasing your circulation. Different parts of the hawthorn plant contain different proportions of rutin.

  Take hawthorn as a liquid extract, in capsules or tablets. Consult your doctor before taking hawthorn in case of drug interactions or if pregnant.

Horsetail (Equisetum arvense)

• Horsetail was used in ancient Greek and Roman times for healing. Take horsetail to help treat urinary tract infections (UTI) and kidney stones. Since it contains rutin, horsetail's antioxidant properties become useful when applied externally to sprains, closed wounds, first-degree burns and fractures.

  Avoid horsetail if you have heart disease or kidney problems. Do not take horsetail if you drink alcohol on a regular basis–horsetail depletes your body of vitamin B1. The University of Maryland Medical Center recommends you "also take a quality multiple vitamin or at least a B complex supplement daily," if you take horsetail regularly.

  Forms of horsetail include teas, tinctures, capsules and compresses. Consult your health care provider before taking horsetail since it has interactions with some prescription drugs.

Bilberry (Viccinium myrtillus)

• Native to North Europe, bilberry is used as food and medicine. The rutin antioxidant properties of bilberry may help strengthen blood vessels and improve your circulation.

  Take bilberry extract, eat bilberries–which taste like blueberries–or drink bilberry tea. Since this herb can interact with other medications, consult your health care provider first before taking bilberry. Also, bilberry leaf can become highly toxic when taken over a period of time or in large amounts.