Isolation of chromatographically pure rutin from flowers of elder

RUTIN (3-rhamnoglucoside of 5,7,3′,4′-tetrahydroxyflavanol) (I), one of the most widespread flavonoids, has been found in numerous plant materials1,2. On the commercial scale for pharmaceutical purposes it is usually manufactured by isolation from stalk and leaves of buck-wheat (Fagopyrum sagittatum)3,4 and from the Japanese pagoda tree (Sophora japonica)5. A chemically pure preparation is then obtained by repeated recrystallization of the crude product.