Rutin is a glycoside of the flavonoid quercetin. Evidence suggests that it may have mood elevating effects in animals and humans. For example, in one study, researchers administered a rutin extract taken from the evergreen plant Schinus molle to mice. The results of the study showed that the rutin extract conferred significant antidepressant effects on the mice. The researchers concluded that rutin was likely responsible for the anti-depressant effects seen in the plant extract, and that its effects may be exerted on the serotonergic system. Therefore extracts of Schinus molle, if they are standardised for rutin, may be effective treatments for mood disorders. One reason that rutin may be able to affect the serotonergic system, is because this system, particularly in the hippocampus, can become dysfunctional as a result of the free radical cascades that form following exposure to stress. Rutin, being an antioxidant, may prevent these cascades and alleviate this damage, and thus allow the serotonergic neurones to function correctly.
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