Rue - Herb of Grace
(Ruta graveolens)
Health Benefits. Uses. Preparation. Safety.
- By Milla Ezman
- 3 Comments
- Edited by Jisselle Regis
Woody evergreen perennial native to the Mediterranean region. It is a very noticeable, attractive, blue-green, lacy, shrub-like plant, with long-lived bright yellow blooms.
It’s a very good plant to have as a first aid solution in case of sudden headaches, seizures, severe indigestion… This herb is not for a prolonged use, so it’s best to have a fresh leaf or two available at all times. It can grow in a pot indoors and outdoors. Rue is not afraid of cold weather and you can harvest it all year round.
Interestingly that although it is a powerful insect repellent, Rue is a favorite host for both the Black Swallowtail and the Giant Swallowtail butterfly caterpillars!
Common Names:
Herb of Grace. Herbygrass. Garden Rue. Herb of repentance. Fue des Jardins (Fr.), Gartenraute (Ger.), Ruta (Ital.)
Botanical Name:
Ruta graveolens
Parts used:
The leaves of both, the fresh and the dried herb. The tops of the young shoots contain the greatest virtues of any part of the plant. The shoots are gathered before the plant flowers.
Taste:
Exceedingly bitter, acrid taste and strong, distinctive and somewhat disagreeable but relaxing aroma.
Key actions:
Antispasmodic (relieves involuntary muscle spasms, asthma), Circulatory stimulant, Antiseptic, Anthelmintic, Antiparasite, Nervine, Carminative, Disinfectant, Anti-rheumatic, Tonic, Emetic, Aromatic, Antivenomous, Rubefacient, Sedative, Counter-irritant, Diuretic, Hypotensive (lowers blood pressure). Emmenagogue (promotes menstrual flow) – It is a wonderful aid for functional inactivity of both the uterus and ovaries.
Constituents: The volatile oil of the plant contains caprinic, plagonic, caprylic and oenanthic acids, rutin. Also it contains a furoquinoline alkaloid called skimmianine that has been shown to cause a direct stimulant effect to uterine tissue.
Uses:
Whooping cough, typhoid fever, Lyme, malaria fever, palpitation of the heart, sciatica, painful joints, earache ophthalmia, coughs, indigestion (dyspepsia), malabsorption, epilepsy, asthma, stress, anxiety, rheumatism, arthritis, insomnia, Insect Repellent, varicose veins.
Headache/Migraine:
Nervous headache, dizziness (vertigo), hysterical spasms, heart palpitation: Chew picked leaves and or apply the freshly-bruised leaves to the temples.
Chronic bronchitis – soak a cloth with a strong infusion of the plant, apply on the chest.
Rue for Eyes/Vision: Rue has an ancient reputation as an herb healing eyesight, and modern science confirms that the flavonoid rutin indeed strengthens the small capillaries that improve circulation to the eyes and heart.
Rue for painful, heavy, irregular or absent menstrual periods:
Small and safe doses of Rue have helped many women who were having menstrual problems, such as when bleeding for up to a week, then a short break and then bleeding again.
Rue has been helpful for women who have missed a number of periods, particularly after a long or strong use of contraceptive pills, that stops the reproductive organs from communicating. Rue helps to get the energy flowing again.
Rue can combine well with Lady’s mantle, for a weakened uterus, with Shepherd’s Purse for heavy periods and with Cramp bark for painful periods.
History and Folklore
One of the oldest of all talismanic plants, Rue was used to ward off contagion, malevolent spirits and fleas. Growing the plant in your garden is said to bring financial rewards.
It’s said that rue is much more powerful (in both the medicinal and the spiritual sense) if you collect a shoot from someone else’s garden and ensure that the person who transplants it is the one who will use it later, because that person’s energy will remain within the leaves and stem of the plant.
But If you plant rue without believing in its special qualities or simply out of curiosity, you won’t see the magic effects.
Rue is first mentioned by Turner, 1562, in his Herbal, and has since become one of the best known and most widely grown simples for medicinal and homely uses.
But the use of Rue as a medicinal herb has declined in modern times due to its toxicity and the bitterness. Rutin is responsible for the bitter taste (7 to 8% in the dried leaves).
Rue is valued for its ability to ward off pests and is one of the ingredients in the TRUE Vinegar of the Four Thieves, a formula made famous during the plague years in Europe.
The Romans claimed that eating it granted the gift of second sight or psychic vision and Pliny wrote that painters and carvers ate Rue to improve their eyesight.
Rue was used in rituals involving curses and the popular expression, but it was also said to be a protection against the evil spells of witches and Rue was once used by the Roman Catholic Church in the ritual of exorcism!
The Chinese used it to counteract negative thoughts or wishes.
Celtic magicians said that rue provided a defense against spells and could be used to promote healing.
Rue was sacred to the early Jews, Egyptians, and Caledonians, who believed that it was a gift from the gods.
Shakespeare refers to Rue in Richard III:
‘”ere in this place
I’ll set a bank of rue, sour herb of grace;
Rue, even for ruth, shall shortly here be seen,
In the remembrance of a weeping queen.’
The following is a quotation from Drayton:
‘Then sprinkles she the juice of rue,
With nine drops of the midnight dew
From lunarie distilling”
Growing:
The plant grows almost anywhere but thrives best in a partially sheltered and dry situation. Space plants 3 to 4 feet apart.
Propagation may be:
1.) by seeds, sown outside, in spring, raked in. When about 2 inches high, transplant into fresh beds, allowing about 18 inches each way, as the plants become bushy.
2.) by cuttings, taken in spring and insert into the ground, keep the area moist until they’re rooted.
3.) by rooted slips, also taken in spring. Every slip or cutting of the young wood will grow.
Rue will live much longer and is less liable to be injured by frost in winter when grown in a poor, dry, rubbishy soil than in the good ground.
Wash hands or other body parts that contact the plant with soap after handling, as the plant can cause photosensitive dermatitis if you’re predisposed to it.
Where to buy seeds: Strictly Medicinal seeds, or at Richters
Potted plant HERE and HERE (if you live in Australia).
Note: Do not confuse this with Goat’s rue (Galega officinalis) – the common names can be deceiving. but this is an entirely different plant of another family.
Harvest: Cut leaves before plant go into blooming.
How to Use Rue. Herbal preparations:
Use only very small amounts, and only on occasion.
The dried herb is used for making tea or infusions.
Fresh leaves: “in Italy very small amounts of the fresh leaf are still eaten in salads to prevent disease and parasites. The fresh leaf is also crushed and applied to the temples to relieve headaches, although most profiles will mention that it is a rubefacient and may irritate the skin. I touch my plant often to enjoy the spicy, deep aroma and haven’t had any reaction. The flowers are blooming right now, little yellow-green spots at the tips of the blue grey flat-leafed plant. The flowers have been used for eye washes, relieving eye strain or eye infection and also for fertility.
Best and safest way to take Rue is in a form of an herbal tea. Water serves to extract the virtues of the plant better than alcohol.
Rue Tincture
Internal doses are low, as more than ten drops of this emetic herb can cause vomiting, but a lower dose can kill parasites and ease one of digestive upsets due to it’s hot, bitter, and moving character.
1:5(dry leaves/water ratio);
1:2(fresh leaves/water ratio) 65% alcohol.
5-8 drops a day.
Rue Tea:
Pour 1 cup (8oz) of brought to a rolling boil water, over 1 tsp (1 gram) of dried herb, steep/infuse covered for 30 min to 5 hours. Strain. Flavor with honey to taste. Bottle and keep in fridge.
Take no more than 6 oz a day – 2 oz taken between meals but not within 1/2 hour before or following a meal; or up to 2 oz every 1-2 hours.
Children Dosage:
- 6 months old to 5 years old – not recommended.
- 5-7 years old – 1/3 adult dose
- 8-12 years old – 1/2 adult dose
How to make Rue Compress for Eyesight:
Put a generous handful or so of fresh leaves, flowers, or a few tablespoons of dry herb into a muslin bag or cheesecloth. Pour hot water(200 degrees) over the bag, enough to thoroughly wet it and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes until comfortably warm. Lean back, close your eyes and apply the moist compress to your eyelids.
Safety:
Not recommended for pregnant women. The plant was even called “Herbe à la belle fille”
“Herb of fair maidens” in French due to its abortive action.
Rue is highly toxic if taken in quantities over a safe therapeutic dose and it must be avoided by women that could become pregnant
There are reports in the medical literature of women who have taken Rue in order to induce an abortion that, as a consequence, had been poisoned.
Wash hands or other body parts that contact a fresh rue with soap after handling, as the plant can cause photosensitive dermatitis if you’re predisposed to it.
Resources:
- Blumenthal M, ed. “The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines”. Trans. S. Klein. Boston, MA: American Botanical Council, 1998.
- “School of Natural Healing” by Dr. John R. Christopher.
https://plantjourneys.blogspot.com/2007/05/forgotten-herbs-rue.html
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** Information on the traditional uses and properties of herbs that are provided on this site is for educational use only, and is not intended as medical advice. Every attempt has been made for accuracy, but none is guaranteed. Many traditional uses and properties of herbs have not been validated by the FDA. If you have any serious health concerns, you should always check with your health care practitioner before self-administering herbs. **
3 thoughts on “Rue – Herb of Grace (Ruta graveolens)”
Thank you for this information. I made a tincture with Rue leaves and have been using it as a facial toner and it is clearing up some minor skin issues; this herb is wonderful! I actually love the herbal smell!
I grew up with this plant: Ruda (in Spanish) and Rue Ruta Graveolens. My grandmother used to give me and prepare also for herself a cup of tea, aid digestion, nice aroma in the house. I seen her preparing some leaves in olive oil let it seat for a week or so and then do some rub down in an pain on her body.
I am currently learning how to make tinctures and other herbal remedies. This site was very informative and easily understood. Thank you very much.