The ether, ethylacetate and n-butanol soluble fractions from the roots of Scutellaria baicalensis showed a significant inhibition of lens aldose reductase (AR) activity in vitro. During systematic fractionation of the active fractions, 7 flavonoids were isolated and compared their inhibitory activities against rat AR using DL-glyceraldehyde as a substrate, among which baicalin (VII) was found to exhibit the most potent inhibitory activity. Baicalin (VII) and wogonin-7-O-glucuronide (VI), with repeated treatments (30 mg/kg/day, i.p.) throughout the experimental periods caused a significant suppression of cataract formation induced by galactose (40 g/kg/day) as well as the decrease of galactitol accumulation in the rat lens. The flavonoids also exhibited a significant inhibition of sorbitol accumulation in the lenses of diabetic rats induced by streptozotocin (STZ).