To investigate the therapeutic potentials of na- tural sources, stepwise polarity fractions of Blu- mea balsamifera were tested for their ability to inhibit aldose reductase (AR) activity in rat len- ses. Of these, the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction exhibited a unique AR inhibitory activity (IC50 value, 0.11 μg/mL). Apigenin was identified from the active EtOAc fraction and exhibited high AR inhibitory activity (IC50 value, 4.03 μM). The con- tent of apigenin was measured in B. balsamifera (0.47 mg/g) by HPLC/UV analysis. Our result sug- gests that B. balsamifera could be a useful na- tural source for the development of a novel AR inhibitory agent against diabetic complications.