Sophora japonica is a commonly used Chinese medicine. It is a dried flower bud of the leguminous plant Huai, tastes bitter and slightly cold, and has the effects of cooling blood to stop bleeding, clearing liver and reducing fire.

Sophora japonica Extract is extracted from dried flower buds of the legume Sophora japonica L., and the main active ingredients are rutin and quercetin. Sophora extract has the functions of anti-oxidation, inhibition of cancer cells and protection of nerve cells.

• Pharmaceutical Industry: Used for the production of dietary supplements and medicines.
• Personal Care and Cosmetics: Commonly found in skincare products such as facial cleansers, eye creams, and face creams.
• Food Industry: Utilized as a colorant, antioxidant, preservative, stabilizer, and UV absorbent.
• Animal Feed: Used as a nutritional and healthy additive.
• Other Uses: Serving as an active component in various herbal medicines, multivitamin preparations, and chemical industries.

Boosts Heart Health: Rutin can help maintain blood vessel elasticity, reduce blood vessel brittleness, lower capillary permeability and prevent complications caused by hypertension. A 2018 animal study found that it inhibits heart disease through signaling specific protein kinases called ERK1/2 and Akt. Rutin administration worked to reduce the size of dead tissue in the heart of subjects with heart disease, inhibited urine protein concentration and improved blood circulation. Another 2014 study found that treatment with rutin and quercetin reduced the cardiovascular effects of a high-salt diet in hypertensive subjects.

Anti-Inflammatory: A 2021 study explored whether rutin could protect vital organs such as the liver, kidneys, and brain from damage. The subjects who were given rutin beforehand showed fewer harmful effects. The reason for this protection is that rutin protects tissues by reversing inflammation, blocking the action of free radicals, and stopping healthy cells under attack from self-destructing prematurely.

Antibacterial Activity: Rutin is extensively studied for antimicrobial activity against various strains of bacteria. It has demonstrated a profound degree of inhibition on the growth of bacteria Escherichia coli. Rutin quantified in honey has shown inhibitory effects over Proteus vulgaris, Shigella sonnei, and Klebsiella sp. Antimicrobial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis has also been documented. Results demonstrate a promising involvement of flavonoids in the preservation of food by inhibiting DNA isomerase IV, demonstrating antibacterial activity against E. coli.

Anticancer Effects: Flavonoids are known to demonstrate an extensive assortment of biological effects, comprising antioxidant and radical-scavenging activities. Reactive oxygen species have been associated with the pathogenesis of several diseases such as atherosclerosis and certain cancers. Rutin has been extensively studied for anticancer/antineoplastic effects, demonstrating potential to reduce tumor size and inhibit cancer cell growth by cell cycle arrest and/or apoptosis, along with inhibition of proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis.

Antioxidant: Relevant studies have shown that Rutin exhibited strong DPPH radical scavenging activity. Rutin has also demonstrated effective inhibition of lipid peroxidation. These various antioxidant activities were compared to standard antioxidants such as BHT and Vc, showing promising free radical inhibition rate of up to 90.4%.

Antidiabetic Effects: Administration of rutin in diabetic subjects caused a decrement in plasma glucose, augmentation in insulin levels, and restitution of glycogen content and glycolytic enzymes. Rutin stimulated glucose uptake in muscles, mediated through extracellular calcium and calcium-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II activation. It added to glycemic control via enhancement of insulin receptor kinase activity, promoting the insulin signaling pathway.