Rue

Parts Usually Used

The herb

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

Rue is an aromatic perennial plant; the branched, pale green, glabrous stem bears alternate pinnately decompound, somewhat fleshy leaves with oblong to spatulate leaflets. Small yellow or yellow-green flowers grow in paniculate clusters from June to August. Characterized by its pungent smell and bitter taste.

Where Found

Native to southern Europe and northern Africa and commonly cultivated in Europe and the United States, sometimes escaping to grow wild locally.

Medicinal Properties

Anthelmintic, carminative, emmenagogue, stimulant, stomachic, aromatic, tonic, antispasmodic

Biochemical Information

Essential oil, flavonoids, hyperine, rutin, hypericin, tannin, pectin, choline

Legends, Myths and Stories

Rue was well known to the ancients. Hippocrates (about 460-377 BC) commended rue for its medicinal qualities. Aristotle (384-322 BC) recorded that, because rue was considered good against evil and witches, the Greeks used it to combat the nervousness they experienced when they had to eat with foreigners, who were often suspected of having evil powers. According to the Roman writer and naturalist Pliny (23-79 AD), painters, carvers, and engravers of his day ate rue to improve their eyesight.

The bitter herb rue traces its name to the Greek word ruta, meaning “repentance”. It has long been a symbol of sorrow and repentance and was called in Christian times the “herb of grace”, after the God-given grace that usually follows true repentance. Missionaries sprinkled holy water with brushes of rue. Leonardo de Vinci and Michelangelo claimed that rue improved eyesight and helped artists find their inner vision.

The plant was also known in ancient times as an antidote against poisons. In the first century BC, the cunning and cultures King Mithridates VI of Pontus (an ancient country in northeastern Asia Minor) immunized himself against poison by taking rue over an extended time. In the Middle Ages, rue was considered a good defense against the plague and witches,, though many witches made use of it themselves in their enchantments.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, rue was scattered on the floors of law courts as a fumigant, and judges carried branches of it to guard against jail fever. Branches of Rue were kept in the house and carried around by the peasants during plagues. It was held in the front of the mouth when they spoke to one another. ” Rue was a favorite flavor of Balkan races. They used it with discretion on cottage cheese, in soups, salads, and sauces.

A small branch of Rue was put in grape spirits, a native brandy known as Grappa, and sold in the Alpine regions of Cortina d’Ampezzo, St. Moritz, Chur, etc. German sources say that if Rue is used as a head wash, it will kill lice. Rue’s gray leaves served as a model for the suit of clubs in playing cards. A favorite Balkan seasoning, rue can produce allergic reactions similar to poison ivy in some individuals, so it is best not to season dishes with rue for guests.

Its taste is very bitter.

Uses

Historically, herbalists employed rue in attempts to address rheumatic pains, gout, and nervous heart palpitations associated with menopause. In European folk medicine, preparations of the plant were traditionally administered to stimulate the appetite, aid digestion, and alleviate gas, colic, headaches, dizziness, joint pain, and sciatica. The herb was also historically believed to counteract poisons, promote menstruation, and ease menstrual cramping.

Externally, practitioners formulated rue into ointments intended for gout, rheumatism, and sciatic pain. In old English folk tradition, crushed leaves were applied topically to bee and wasp stings, while leaf-infused oil was historically dropped into the ears for earache. Traditional remedies also utilized the fresh juice, sometimes combined with honey, as an application intended to strengthen the eyes, and an infusion of the leaves was historically gargled for sore throats.

Taken internally, infusions were used as carminatives and diaphoretics for stomach complaints, colds, and flu, as well as to expel intestinal worms, reduce blood pressure, and clear pimples and warts. Topically, the herb was applied to running sores. Beyond human ailments, historical traditions utilized rue as an insect deterrent, employing dried leaves in pet bedding against fleas, using the plant against Japanese beetles, and growing it around stables and manure piles to repel flies.

How Sold

Rue’s active principle, rutin, is obtainable as rutin tea at most health food stores.

Bibliography

The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. , Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 The Herbalist Almanac , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, copyright 1988, fifth printing, 1994 Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Pantheon Books, Knopf Publishing Group, New York, 1994, first edition The Magic of Herbs , by David Conway, published by Jonathan Cape, Thirty Bedford Square, London, England.

, Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Copyright 1988, published 1992 The Complete Medicinal Herbal , by Penelope Ody, Dorling Kindersley, Inc, 232 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, First American Edition, copyright 1993 Old Ways Rediscovered , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, published from 1954, print 1988 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R.

, Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, 1973 American Folk Medicine , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1973 Culpeper’s Complete Herbal & English Physician: Updated With 117 Modern Herbs , by Nicholas Culpeper, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1990, (reprint of 1814) The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr.

David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 The Magic of Herbs in Daily Living , by Richard Lucas, Parker Publishing Co. (1988). The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974 Country Home Book of Herbs , Meredith Books, Editorial Dept.

RW240, 1716 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309-3023, copyright 1994