Rue is native to the Balkans and is essentially a garden plant. It is grown mostly for its medicinal properties. The scientific name of this plant is Ruta graveolens. This plant is also grown as a condiment and as an insect repellent. This plant has been mentioned in ‘Old English Herbals’, which is a famous book written by Eleanour Sinclair Rohde. This is a book about herbs and plants. But because of its toxicity and bitter taste, the usage of this herb declined gradually. Rue is known for its antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Rue plant occupies a special place in European folk medicine and is still used widely.
Rue Herb Uses:
According to ‘Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database’, Rue plant contains alkaloids. These have antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, anti-fertility and antihistamine properties. A plant compound called rutin is also found in rue. This is known for its antioxidant properties, which help in fighting against the free radicals and preventing the damage thus caused.
Benefits of Rue herb for Skin:
Rue oil is often used in soaps and cosmetics because of its fragrance. Rue is seldom applied on the skin directly because of its toxic nature. However, rue is known to have some benefits for the skin.
Anti-fungal:
Rue has antifungal properties. This makes it beneficial for fighting against fungal infections like dermatitis and athlete’s foot. Whether you can apply rue directly on the skin or not depends on the severity of the infection. If you are suffering from athlete’s foot, you can apply it directly on the skin. It has the ability to provide instant relief from itchy skin.
For clearer skin:
Rue has the ability to cure de-complexion of the skin, thereby revealing clearer and beautiful skin. This is because of its antifungal properties. It also has antioxidant properties. This helps in fighting against the free radicals. It allows your skin to ward of free radicals, which are responsible for the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, age spots and other symptoms of aging on your skin. So, rue is great for preventing premature aging of the skin and for keeping your skin looking young and glowing. This is the reason why rue oil is often used in spas when they give you therapeutic facial steams.
Benefits of Rue for Hair:
For lice free hair:
Rue is known to be an effective insecticide. So, rue essential oil and extracts are often used in getting rid of lice infestation. If you have lice in your hair, use rue essential oil and extracts regularly. This helps in getting rid of these parasites from your hair, and provides you an itch free scalp.
Get a spa treatment:
Most of the spas use rue oil for the treatment of hair. It helps in giving your hair a healthy shine. If you have damaged hair, rue oil is one of the best remedies.
Health and Medicinal Benefits of Rue Herb:
Anti-bacterial:
The antibacterial properties of rue help in killing the bacteria. So, it is great for protecting us from bacterial infections. Using it when you prepare tea and consuming the tea thus made helps in the treatment various infections like urinary tract infections, infections of the intestine, colon infections and so on. It also protects your body from food poisoning and salmonella.
Anti-spasmodic:
Rue is effective for getting you relief from muscle pain as well. It is used for treating muscle pain, anxiety and menstrual cramps.
Anti-inflammatory:
Rue is beneficial for reducing inflammation especially that caused due to arthritis. If you have stiff muscles and joint pain, consume 1 or 2 cups of rue tea regularly. This can provide you great relief.
Insecticide:
A number of diseases are caused by pests like cockroaches, mosquitoes and flies. Using rue can help in keeping away these insects. You can use it as vaporizers, fumigants, burners and incense sticks. This is sure to keep way the insets.
Remedy for poison:
Rue is an antidote for poison. It is very effective on neurotoxins (e.g. snake bite, insect bite which is neurotoxin). But it is not effective on haemotoxins.
Sedative:
The sedative properties of rue make it beneficial for calming hysteric and epileptic attacks. It can make the nerves relax and make it less sensitive. The neurotoxin content in it helps in numbing your senses.
Side Effects of Rue Herb:
Rue is poisonous in all of its forms. So, it should not be ingested directly. But if you are careful and take it in the proper amount, you can use it safely for curing a lot of ailments. Some of the minor side effects of rue are:
- Increased sensitivity to sun exposure
- Dizziness
- Spasms
- Rashes
- Sleeplessness
- Mood changes
- Stomach irritation
Rue also has some serious side effects:
- Rue can severely damage your kidneys and liver. So, if you are suffering from any kidney or liver problems, you should never use any medicine or food related to rue.
- Similarly people with stomach and intestinal issues like colitis or ulcers or inflammatory bowel disease also should avoid consuming rue. This can make their problems worse.
- Pregnant women are advised not to consume rue. It can cause miscarriage in them. Rue may be used for abortion, but it can have serious side effects on the health of the woman and it can even lead to death.
So, you can see why the use of rue has declined in the recent years. But if you use it carefully and follow the prescription of doctor properly, you can still use it for getting relief from various health problems. Always consult a doctor before you use this herb.
