Name: Ruta fragrant
Poisonous!
Rutaceae – Rutaceae.
Popular names: eye rue, noble rue, garden rue, wine grass, wine rue.
Parts used: grass.
Pharmacy name: Ruta herb – Rutae graveolentis herba (formerly: Herba Rutae).
Botanical description. Strong-smelling gray-green branching herbaceous perennial with rounded stiff stems. The odd-pinnate leaves have a triangular contour and reach a length of 15 cm. The leaf lobes, in turn, are single- or double-pinnate, hard, with transparent glands in the form of dots. The flowers, located in an umbrella-shaped inflorescence, have 4 or 5 greenish-yellow petals in the form of spoons. Blooms from June to August. In Germany, it occurs in cultivated plantations, from where it “runs away” and then runs wild. The homeland of rue, apparently, is the Mediterranean; it penetrated into Central Europe through the Alps with the Benedictines.
Active ingredients: essential oil, some tannins, furanocoumarins, alkaloids and flavone glycoside rutin.
Healing action and application. Rue has many good properties, but due to the poisonous nature of rue essential oil, its use requires caution. The doses indicated here should not be exceeded under any circumstances. Rue tea is used as a mild sedative and hypnotic, as an antispasmodic, as well as a diuretic. Sometimes it is used to stimulate appetite.
- Rue tea: 1 teaspoon with the top of the herb is poured into 1/4 liter of boiling water, infused for 5 minutes and filtered. Enough 2 cups every day; with all this, there are no side effects. Pregnant women should not use rue, as it increases blood flow to the abdominal organs – especially the pelvis – which can lead to miscarriage.
My special advice. It is hardly worth recommending tea from rue alone, since its action in none of the above applications is not convincing enough. But in mixtures, rue is often a valuable ingredient.
I suggest you:
- A mixture that has a good effect on the elderly as a soothing and hypnotic tea: Ruta 10.0 Valerian 10.0 Melissa 15.0 Hawthorn flowers 15.0 Mistletoe 15.0 Cumin 5.0
Pour two teaspoons with the top of the mixture into 1/4 liter of warm (not hot) water and hold it under the lid for 10 hours. Drink tea when necessary or 2-3 times every day for 1 cup.
Use in homeopathy. The homeopathic remedy Ruta graveolens is prepared from fresh plants harvested before flowering. It is used internally and externally for bruises, dislocations, tendon sprains, rheumatism and vasospasm. In case of eye inflammation, a diluted initial tincture of 20-30 drops per 200 ml of water is used for compresses. Inside, if necessary, dilutions of D 1 -Dg are used, 5-10 drops every day.
Application in folk medicine. In folk medicine, the list of diseases in which rue is used in the form of a decoction (tea) inside and as an external remedy is very extensive. A great supporter of the use of rue was Sebastian Kneipp. This plant was used (and is still used) for loss of appetite, dizziness, palpitations, flushing to the head, painful menstruation, nervous diseases, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, dislocations, sprains, swelling – as a result of bruises and injuries, frequent urge to urinate , dropsy, rheumatism, gout and skin rashes.
Side effects. If the dosage is too high, there are disturbances in the activity of the gastrointestinal tract, swelling of the tongue and salivation. In people with sensitive skin, already when picking the rue, itching and a skin rash with blisters may appear. Pregnant women do not use! Due to the presence of furanocoumarins, after taking tea from rue in fairly large quantities, an increase in photosensitivity is not excluded.