Understanding the Sources of Chrysin

November 15, 2025 •

3 min read

According to scientific reviews, chrysin is a flavonoid predominantly found in various natural products, including bee propolis and certain plants like passionflower. This natural compound is recognized for its potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, making an understanding of its sources valuable for health and wellness enthusiasts.

Quick Summary

Chrysin is a naturally occurring flavone found primarily in propolis, honey, and a variety of plants, including passionflower. Other sources include some medicinal herbs, specific fruits like bitter melon and pears, and certain edible mushrooms. It is also available in synthetic forms for large-scale use.

Key Points

Bee Products Are Prime Sources: Propolis is the most concentrated natural source of chrysin, while honey contains smaller, but still notable, amounts.
Passionflower is a Key Plant Source: Species of the Passiflora plant, such as blue and purple passionflower, are widely known to be rich in chrysin.
Diverse Food Sources Exist: Chrysin can also be found in various foods, including certain mushrooms (e.g., oyster mushrooms), fruits like bitter melon and pear, and parts of the walnut plant.
Content Varies Significantly: The concentration of chrysin differs greatly between sources, with propolis having a very high content compared to the relatively low levels in some honeys and mushrooms.
Synthetic Options are Available: Both natural extraction and chemical synthesis are used to obtain chrysin, with synthetic versions common in research and commercial supplements.
Bioavailability is a Challenge: Despite its various sources, chrysin has poor oral bioavailability in humans due to low water solubility and rapid metabolism, which affects its efficacy when consumed.

Primary Natural Sources of Chrysin

Chrysin, a type of flavonoid, exists in nature across several key sources, with the most concentrated being products from bees. In addition to bee products, it is also widely available from a variety of plants, fruits, and even some fungi.

Propolis

Propolis, a resinous mixture that honeybees collect from tree buds, sap flows, and other botanical sources, is one of the most potent natural sources of chrysin. Studies have found very high concentrations of chrysin in propolis extracts, sometimes in levels reaching up to 28 g per liter, although the amount can vary based on geographical origin and plant source.

Honey

As a direct result of the bees' collection process, honey also contains chrysin, though in much smaller quantities than propolis. The specific floral source from which the bees forage significantly influences the chrysin content. For instance, forest honeys tend to have a higher chrysin concentration (around 5.3 mg/kg) compared to honeydew honey (around 0.10 mg/kg).

Passionflower (Passiflora species)

Several species of the passionflower plant, including Passiflora caerulea (blue passionflower) and Passiflora incarnata (purple passionflower), are recognized for their chrysin content. Extracts from this plant are often used in traditional medicine and dietary supplements and serve as a significant botanical source of the flavonoid.

Other Plant and Fungal Sources

A diverse range of other plants and fungi also contribute to the natural availability of chrysin. These sources are often used in traditional medicine or are consumed as part of the normal diet.

Medicinal Herbs: Herbs like Oroxylum indicum and Scutellaria baicalensis (Baikal skullcap) are known to contain chrysin.
Fruits and Nuts: Chrysin has been identified in the peel of passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) and in parts of the common walnut (Juglans regia), including the flowers and walnut pellicle.
Mushrooms: Certain edible mushrooms, such as the oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus), also contain measurable amounts of chrysin.
Other Flora: The bitter melon (Momordica charantia), wild Himalayan pear (Pyrus pashia), and various species of the Cytisus and Alpinia genera are also noted as sources.

Natural vs. Synthetic Chrysin

While naturally derived chrysin is available from food and plant sources, a synthetic version is also produced for larger-scale applications, particularly in research and the nutraceutical industry. This synthetic form allows for standardized concentrations, but many users prefer natural extracts due to their complex phytochemical profiles. However, regardless of the source, chrysin's notoriously low oral bioavailability remains a significant challenge, driving research into novel delivery systems like nanoparticles to improve absorption.

Comparison of Chrysin Content in Natural Sources

The concentration of chrysin varies significantly across its natural sources. The following table provides an overview of typical ranges reported in scientific studies.


Source	Reported Chrysin Content (Approximate)	Relative Abundance	Reference
Propolis	Up to 28 g/L (in extract)	Very High
Forest Honey	Up to 5.3 mg/kg	Moderate to High
Honeydew Honey	Up to 0.10 mg/kg	Low
*Passionflower (Passiflora)*	Variable, significant in extracts	Variable, significant
Edible Mushrooms	0.17–0.34 mg/kg (in some species)	Low
Fruits & Nuts	Small, measurable amounts	Low

Conclusion

Chrysin is a naturally occurring flavone found in a variety of sources, most notably bee products like propolis and honey, as well as several medicinal plants, fruits, and mushrooms. While propolis provides the highest concentrations, dietary intake is possible through specific foods, albeit in lower amounts. The ongoing development of synthetic chrysin and advanced delivery methods aims to overcome its poor absorption for therapeutic applications, but the fundamental sources from which it originates remain an area of interest in both nutrition and herbal medicine.

Additional Resource

For an in-depth scientific look at chrysin's biological activities and potential applications, a comprehensive review can be found on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) website.

Frequently Asked Questions

Propolis is considered the most concentrated food-related source of chrysin. While honey also contains it, the levels are significantly lower than those found in propolis extracts.

No, the chrysin content in honey varies considerably based on the flowers the bees pollinate. Forest honey, for instance, has been found to have higher levels than honeydew honey.

Chrysin supplements can be derived from either natural plant or bee product extracts or can be produced synthetically. The sourcing typically depends on the manufacturer's methods and cost considerations.

While plants and bee products are the main sources, chrysin has also been detected in certain types of fungi, such as oyster mushrooms, expanding its natural occurrence beyond just flora.

Getting chrysin from food provides a small, natural intake, but it has very low oral bioavailability. Supplements may offer more concentrated doses, but their effectiveness can also be limited by poor absorption, which has led to research into more effective delivery methods.

Chrysin can be extracted from plant material using various solvents, such as acetone, ethanol, or water, in processes that concentrate the active flavonoid from the raw material.

Chrysin has low oral bioavailability because it is poorly soluble in water and is rapidly metabolized in the intestinal and hepatic cells through processes like glucuronidation and sulfation, which limits its absorption into the bloodstream.