Sanguiin H-6 (Dimeric Ellagitannin · Principal Raspberry Tannin)

Compound	Sanguiin H-6
Chemical class	Tannin — Ellagitannin (dimeric; casuarictin dimer)
CAS	82203-01-8
Primary source	Rubus idaeus (red raspberry); strawberry; cloudberry; Sanguisorba officinalis
Key applications	Principal raspberry ellagitannin; antioxidant; antimicrobial; urolithin precursor
Claim strength	Emerging
Typical form	Raspberry extract — sanguiin H-6 within the ellagitannin fraction (~360–750 mg/kg fresh fruit)
Buy from Herbuno	Red Raspberry Extract Powder → Raspberry Fruit Liquid Extract (Water Soluble) - Rubus idaeus →

Name origin: Sanguiin H-6 is named for Sanguisorba officinalis (great burnet), from which the sanguiin series of ellagitannins was characterised. Structurally it is a dimer of casuarictin, the two monomer units linked through a bond between a gallic acid residue and one of the hexahydroxydiphenoyl (HHDP) units, with sanguisorbic acid ester groups bridging the glucopyranose cores Ellagitannin review 2025. It is, in effect, two casuarictins joined — and lambertianin C, its trimeric relative, is three. Traditional use: Sanguiin H-6 has no independent traditional identity, but its source materials do. Raspberry leaf and fruit have long herbal histories in Europe, great burnet is a traditional Chinese haemostatic herb, and the astringency of all these materials — the puckering sensation that defines a tannin — is the direct sensory expression of their ellagitannin content. Research trajectory: Sanguiin H-6 is recognised as the representative and dominant ellagitannin of strawberries and raspberries, and quantitative work places it at roughly 360–750 mg/kg in fresh raspberry fruit depending on cultivar, with lambertianin C at 280–630 mg/kg Klewicka 2018. Its most consequential characterisation is pharmacokinetic: a human study using ileostomy volunteers established that the compound is largely hydrolysed before reaching the colon Gonzalez-Barrio 2010. Beyond that, purified sanguiin H-6 shows demonstrable antifungal activity in vitro and in situ Klewicka 2018, and reviews of the ellagitannins situate it among the key representatives of the class while noting how much less studied it is than punicalagin Ellagitannin review 2025. Commercial source: Sanguiin H-6 is delivered within the ellagitannin fraction of Red Raspberry Extract Powder from Herbuno.

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Evidence for Sanguiin H-6 Applications

Human bioavailability — substantially hydrolysed, not absorbed: In healthy and ileostomy volunteers consuming raspberries, only 23% of the ingested sanguiin H-6 was recovered intact in ileal fluid, while ellagic acid recovery reached 241% of intake, indicating that the ellagitannin is extensively hydrolysed in the stomach and small intestine; no intact or conjugated ellagitannins were detected in urine at all Gonzalez-Barrio 2010. This is unusually direct human evidence about the fate of an ellagitannin. Claim strength: Moderate (human pharmacokinetics).

Urolithin formation depends on the colon: In the same study, healthy subjects — but not ileostomists, who lack a colon — produced urolithin A-O-glucuronide, two of its isomers, and urolithin B-O-glucuronide in urine collected 7 to 48 hours after consumption, demonstrating unambiguously that colonic microbiota are required for the conversion Gonzalez-Barrio 2010. The active metabolites are made in the colon or not at all. Claim strength: Moderate (human).

Content in raspberry: Sanguiin H-6 is present at approximately 360–750 mg/kg in fresh raspberry fruit depending on cultivar, with the trimer lambertianin C at 280–630 mg/kg; the two dominate the raspberry ellagitannin profile Klewicka 2018. Claim strength: Emerging.

Antimicrobial activity: Purified sanguiin H-6, lambertianin C, and a complex raspberry ellagitannin preparation all inhibited the fungus Geotrichum candidum with identical MIC and MFC values, and the preparation showed fungistatic activity in situ; sanguiin H-6 fractionated from cloudberry seeds has also been examined against MRSA biofilm development Klewicka 2018. Claim strength: Emerging.

Structural position in the class: As a dimeric casuarictin derivative composed of repeating galloyl-glucose-HHDP units, sanguiin H-6 is a major macrocyclic ellagitannin of the Rosaceae and Rubus genera, and shares the class-wide profile of low solubility and poor permeability leading to hydrolysis and urolithin formation Ellagitannin review 2025. Claim strength: Emerging.

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Dosage & Formulator Specification

No isolated sanguiin H-6 human dosing standard exists, and it is not offered as a purified compound. It is delivered within the ellagitannin fraction of raspberry material, and the practical commercial specification is total ellagitannins or ellagic acid equivalents by HPLC rather than the individual dimer, which is analytically demanding to quantify and hydrolyses readily.

Red Raspberry Extract Powder is available from Herbuno and delivers sanguiin H-6 as the dominant ellagitannin alongside lambertianin C; Raspberry Fruit Liquid Extract is a water-soluble alternative. At fresh-fruit levels of roughly 360–750 mg/kg, cultivar selection materially affects the ellagitannin load of the starting material, so batch assay is worthwhile where a defined tannin content matters.

The human pharmacokinetic data are the most important thing a formulator can know about this compound, and they are unusually clear. Sanguiin H-6 is not meaningfully absorbed: most of it is hydrolysed before it even reaches the colon, releasing ellagic acid, and the compounds that actually enter the circulation are the urolithins produced by colonic bacteria from that ellagic acid. The ileostomy evidence proves the colon is essential — subjects without one produced no urolithins whatever. Any claim resting on the in vitro activity of intact sanguiin H-6 therefore describes a molecule that does not reach the tissues in question.

The practical consequence is that urolithin-producer status — which varies substantially between individuals according to their gut microbiota — is a genuine determinant of whether an ellagitannin ingredient does anything at all in a given consumer. Responsible positioning of raspberry or pomegranate ellagitannin material should reflect this rather than implying uniform effect, and this monograph documents the compound within the HerbIQ index alongside casuarictin (its monomer), punicalagin, geraniin, and ellagic acid.

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Frequently Asked Questions — Sanguiin H-6

What is sanguiin H-6?
Sanguiin H-6 is a dimeric ellagitannin and the principal ellagitannin of raspberries, strawberries, cloudberries, and great burnet (Sanguisorba officinalis, from which it is named). It is a dimer of casuarictin, linked through a bond between a gallic acid residue and a hexahydroxydiphenoyl unit.

How much sanguiin H-6 is in raspberries?
Content varies with cultivar, with reported levels of roughly 360 to 750 mg/kg in fresh raspberry fruit. The related trimer lambertianin C is present at around 280 to 630 mg/kg, and the two together dominate the raspberry ellagitannin profile.

Is sanguiin H-6 absorbed?
Largely not. In a human ileostomy study, 23% of ingested sanguiin H-6 was recovered intact in ileal fluid, while ellagic acid recovery reached 241% — indicating that the ellagitannin is substantially hydrolysed in the stomach and small intestine. No intact ellagitannins were detected in urine. In healthy subjects, colonic microbiota then convert the released ellagic acid into urolithins.

Which Herbuno product contains sanguiin H-6?
Red Raspberry Extract Powder delivers sanguiin H-6 within the raspberry ellagitannin fraction, where it is the dominant ellagitannin alongside lambertianin C. Raspberry Fruit Liquid Extract is a water-soluble alternative. Neither is standardised to sanguiin H-6 specifically.

Related compounds: Casuarictin, Ellagic Acid, Punicalagin, Geraniin

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Claim-strength scale – High = multiple human RCTs; Moderate = limited trials or strong preclinical convergence; Emerging = early-stage lab or animal data.

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