What is luteolin used for?

Luteolin is positioned in formulations as an antioxidant flavone and as a reference ingredient for flavone analysis. It has been studied in published laboratory and animal research for antioxidant and related activities — provided for formulation context, not as product claims.

What foods naturally contain luteolin?

Celery, parsley, chrysanthemum flowers, perilla, thyme, basil, broccoli, carrots, oregano, and green peppers all contain measurable luteolin, mostly as the 7-O-glucoside form. Typical dietary intake from food alone is below 5 mg/day.

How much luteolin is safe to take?

Most published human studies use 100–300 mg/day of standardized luteolin (≥95% HPLC). Long-term high-dose safety data is limited, so always validate dosing against the regulatory framework of your target market.

Is luteolin water-soluble?

Free luteolin aglycone has very low water solubility. For beverage or clear-formulation use, choose luteolin-7-O-glucoside, a phospholipid complex, or a cyclodextrin-inclusion form.

How does luteolin differ from quercetin?

Both are flavonoids of similar MW (286 vs 302 g/mol). Quercetin has an extra hydroxyl at position 3, which slightly changes its antioxidant profile; in published research it has been studied more in vascular and histamine-related contexts. Luteolin has been studied for affinity toward signaling targets such as STAT3 and for mast-cell stabilization in laboratory models. Provided for formulation context, not as product claims.

Luteolin: Sources, Benefits, Dosage, and Buying Guide | GreeneryBio Proveedor de extractos vegetales

TL;DR

Luteolin is a naturally occurring flavone that has been studied across one of the broadest sets of mechanistic pathways in the flavonoid family. Published laboratory and animal research has examined it for antioxidant and related activities, with additional work on cardiovascular and uric-acid pathways — provided for formulation context, not as product claims. For formulators, the practical decisions are: (a) which source plant (we extract primarily from chrysanthemum and perilla), (b) which purity grade (95%, 98%, or 99.5% HPLC), and (c) whether to use the free aglycone or the water-soluble glucoside form. See our Luteolin product page for spec, COA, and bulk pricing.

Chemistry

Systematic name: 3',4',5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone
CAS: 491-70-3
Molecular formula: C₁₅H₁₀O₆
Molecular weight: 286.24 g/mol
Appearance: Yellow crystalline powder
Solubility: Soluble in DMSO and ethanol; very low water solubility

Luteolin is a flavone (4H-chromen-4-one backbone) bearing four hydroxyl groups. Its planar structure and hydroxyl pattern are associated in published research with free-radical scavenging in assay systems and with chelation of transition metal ions — physico-chemical properties studied in connection with antioxidant assays and with metal-dependent enzymes such as xanthine oxidase. Provided for formulation context, not as product claims.

Natural sources

Luteolin is widespread in the plant kingdom, but content varies dramatically:

Plant	Latin	Part used	Typical content
Chrysanthemum	Chrysanthemum morifolium	Flower	0.3–1.2%
Perilla	Perilla frutescens	Leaf	0.1–0.5%
Celery	Apium graveolens	Leaf	trace
Parsley	Petroselinum crispum	Leaf	0.06%
Honeysuckle	Lonicera japonica	Flower	0.1–0.3%
Japanese pagoda tree	Sophora japonica	Flower bud	<0.1%

Chrysanthemum is the practical commercial choice — high content, stable supply chain, and mature standardized extraction.

Researched activities

The following are activities reported in published laboratory and animal research — provided for formulation context, not as product claims.

Extensively studied in laboratory and animal models, with some human data

Antioxidant activity — radical-scavenging in DPPH/ABTS/hydroxyl assays; studied for modulation of the Nrf2/ARE/HO-1 pathway in cell models ¹
Inflammation-related signaling — studied for modulation of NF-κB, MAPK (JNK/p38) and STAT3 signaling, and of TNF-α, IL-6 and NO levels, in activated macrophage models ¹
Mast-cell / histamine pathways — studied for modulation of mast-cell degranulation and histamine release in cell models

Studied mainly in laboratory and animal models

Neuronal models — investigated in neuronal cell and animal models for effects on β-amyloid aggregation and tau phosphorylation ²

Emerging research interest

Xanthine oxidase — studied for inhibition of xanthine oxidase in assay systems
Skin / topical — investigated as an antioxidant ingredient in topical formulation research

Typical dosage

Published clinical work uses 100–300 mg/day of standardized luteolin (≥95% HPLC). Always validate against the regulatory framework and intended claims for your target market.

To improve oral bioavailability, formulators commonly use:

Phospholipid complexes (lecithin–luteolin) — improves absorption ~3×
Glucoside forms — luteolin-7-O-glucoside is water-soluble and absorbed differently than the aglycone

Regulatory & safety

Used at typical dietary supplement dosages with a history of food intake from common dietary sources
No US FDA GRAS letter as of 2026; EFSA has not issued a novel food authorization
Confirm permitted claims and labeling against the regulatory framework of your target market before finished-product marketing

Buying bulk luteolin

When sourcing bulk luteolin, the key qualification questions are:

Purity by HPLC — request a recent COA with HPLC chromatogram, not just a UV summary
Source plant — chrysanthemum vs perilla vs Japanese pagoda; affects flavonoid by-product profile
Solvent residues — ICH Q3C compliance, especially for ethanol/methanol
Heavy metals & pesticides — ICP-MS verification, USP <232>/<233> for pharma applications
Microbial limits — USP <61> and <62> for supplement-grade
Country of origin — for tariff/SOO documentation and audit trails
Allergen statement — Sophora japonica is a legume

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References

Aziz N, Kim MY, Cho JY (2018). Anti-inflammatory effects of luteolin: A review. J Ethnopharmacol. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2018.07.005 ↩ ↩²
Nabavi SF et al. (2015). Luteolin as an anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective agent. Brain Res Bull. doi:10.1016/j.brainresbull.2015.01.001 ↩