Rutin in herbs and infusions: screening of new sources and consumption estimation

Abstract Rutin has shown promising results in reducing various human diseases. However, many plants consumed in Brazil do not have their rutin content reported in the literature yet. More than eighty plants were analyzed using aqueous (popularly known as tea) and ethanolic extraction (employed in commercial rutin purification) by liquid chromatography. Rutin was found in 47 samples when ethanol extraction was used. Echinodorus grandiflorus had the highest content (14,878.7 mg 1000 g-1), followed by Sambucus nigra, Drimys winteri and Taraxacum officinale. In aqueous infusion, Echinodorus grandiflorus, Sambucus nigra, Drimys winteri and Ruta graveolens presented the highest levels of rutin, ranging from 15.5 to 29.7 mg of rutin in 300 mL of infusion from 2 g of the plant. Echinodorus grandiflorus, Sambucus nigra, Drimys winteri, Taraxacum officinale and Ruta graveolens presented a high amount of flavonoid and might be good alternatives as ingredients in food and pharmaceuticals in order to obtain health benefits.