Rue

Scientific Name(s): Ruta bracteosa L., Ruta chalepensis L., Ruta graveolens L., Ruta montana L.
Common Name(s): Common rue, Fringed rue, Garden rue, German rue, Herb of Grace, Meadow rue, Rue

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Jul 5, 2021.

Clinical Overview

Use

Rue extract is potentially useful as a potassium channel blocker. It has been used to treat many neuromuscular problems and to stimulate the onset of menstruation. Because rue has an antispasmodic effect at relatively low doses, it should be taken with caution. However, considering rue's potential for severe adverse effects, clinical trials are limited.

Dosing

There is no recent clinical evidence to support dosing recommendations for rue. Traditional use calls for 0.5 to 1 g of the herb daily or 65 mg of the essential oil. In larger doses, rue is an emmenagogue, an aphrodisiac, and an abortifacient, and should be considered dangerous.

Contraindications

Contraindications have not yet been identified.

Pregnancy/Lactation

Documented adverse effects, including emmenagogue and abortifacient effects. Avoid use.

Interactions

None well documented.

Adverse Reactions

Rue extracts are mutagenic and furocoumarins have been associated with photosensitization. If ingested, rue oil may result in kidney damage and hepatic degeneration. Large doses can cause violent gastric pain, vomiting, and systemic complications, including death. Because of possible abortifacient effects, the plant should never be ingested by women of childbearing potential. Toxic hepatitis due to Ruta has been reported.

Toxicology

Rue should only be taken with extreme caution. A case report describes multiorgan toxicity in a 78-year-old woman ingesting R. graveolens for cardiovascular protection. After 3 days of use, the patient entered the emergency department with bradycardia, acute renal failure with hyperkalemia necessitating hemodialysis, and coagulopathy.

Scientific Family

• Rutaceae

Botany

Rue is native to Europe but is now cultivated worldwide. It is often found growing along roadsides and in waste areas. An herbaceous evergreen half-shrub that grows to 61 cm in height, the leaves have a feathery appearance and are green or blue-green. Its flowers are yellow with petals that are 1 cm in diameter.1 The plant is ornamental and medicinal.2

History

The leaves, extracts, and other parts of rue have been used for hundreds of years as an insect repellent. In folk medicine, rue has been used as an antispasmodic, sedative, and stimulant for the onset of menses. In some cultures, rue extracts have been used as abortifacients.3

In Mediterranean traditional medicine, Ruta has been used to treat pulmonary conditions, such as tuberculosis, and to reduce swelling of the spleen, as well as externally to treat wounds.4

In New Mexico, rue has been used as a tisane (tea) for ailments such as stiff neck, dizziness, headache, tightness in the stomach, and inner ear problems. The oil has a strong, bitter taste and has been used for the treatment of intestinal worms.

Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder (23 to 79 AD) mentions 84 remedies containing rue.5 Aside from its use as an abortifacient, rue was also used in ancient Greece and Egypt to strengthen eyesight.2

Chemistry

Rue has been studied extensively.6 Common rue contains a mixture of furoquinoline alkaloids in a concentration of approximately 1.5%, the most important of which appear to be arborin...