To evaluate the potential of naturally occurring aldose reductase (AR) inhibitors from food material, MeOH extract and stepwise polarity fractions from tartary buckwheat and two common Korean buckwheat cultivars, yangjul-maemil and daesan-maemil, were tested on AR inhibition in rat lens in vitro. The EtOAc fraction from tartary buckwheat exhibited good AR inhibitory activity ($IC_{50}$ value, $8.19;{mu}g$/ml). A portion of the EtOAc fraction from tartary buckwheat led to the isolation of rutin by MeOH recrystalization. Rutin exhibited good AR inhibitory activity ($IC_{50}$ value, $9.28;{mu}M$). These results suggest that tartary buckwheat could be a useful food material in the development of a novel AR inhibitory agent against diabetic complications.