Rue

This image of Rue comes the first edition of *De historia stirpium commentarii insignes,* produced by Leonhart Fuchs in 1542. This book was one of the most celebrated herbals of the sixteenth century, and features over 500 woodcut illustrations, each hand colored. This book is available in the John R. Martin Rare Book Room in Hardin Library.

Rue (Ruta graveolens)

Ruta graveolens, an evergreen subshrub in the Citrus family, is native to southern Europe but can be found in other regions around the world (Wessner, Hofmann, & Ring, 1999). While Rue’s blue-green leaves have a bitter taste and a pungent odor, its flowers, stems, and leaves have long been used for their medicinal properties (Eickhorst, DeLeo, & Csaposs, 2007; Hale, Meepagala, Oliva, Aliotta, & Duke, 2004). Ruta graveolens has been used as an anti-inflammatory to treat cramps, external ulcers, rheumatism, eczema, and systemic infections; as an antidote for scorpion and snake venom; as an insect repellent; and as an herbal decoction for warding off evil spirits (Gawkrodger & Savin, 1983; Heskel, Amon, Storrs, & White, 1983; Sallal, 1996; Wessner et al., 1999).

Warning: Ruta graveolens is known to cause reddening, burning, itching and photodermatisis (sun poisoning rash) when rubbed on skin that has been exposed to sunlight (Gawkrodger & Savin, 1983).

Historical Use

Rembert Dodoen’s A Nievve Herball, written in 1578, provides historical information on the use of Rue. This excerpt states that mixing R. graveolens with certain foods provides protection “against the bitings of vipers and serpentes,” and its juice protects “against the bitings and stingings of Scorpions, Bees, Waspes, Hornettes and madde [dogs].”

This image comes the first edition of *De historia stirpium commentarii insignes*, produced by Leonhart Fuchs in 1542. This book is available in the John R. Martin Rare Book Room in Hardin Library.

Latest Research

A screening strategy for identifying the developmental and reproductive toxicity potential of botanicals
by Catherine Mahony on April 28, 2026 at 10:00 am
CONCLUSIONS: This strategy paper lays the groundwork to assess the suitability of integrated NAMs for screening botanical DART potential and establishes the foundation for subsequent testing and case study evaluation.
Exploring the Genus Ruta: Traditional Uses, Pharmacology, and Safety Concerns
by Mohammad Sadegh Adel-Mehraban on November 10, 2025 at 11:00 am
Rue (Ruta spp.) is a medicinal, ornamental, and culinary herb, distinguished by its strong repellent aroma, rich in various bioactive compounds. In addition to different traditional uses, rue shows anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antiviral, and antifungal properties. Thus, we aimed to comprehensively review the past and present roles of Ruta spp. in the management of diseases. Accordingly, we systematically reviewed PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Library with relevant keywords for…
Therapeutic potential of Ruta graveolens extract: Protecting against liver fibrosis and oxidative stress in cholestatic conditions in male Wistar rats
by Elham Samkhaniani on November 10, 2025 at 11:00 am
CONCLUSION: The current findings suggest that Ruta graveolens extract improves liver function in cholestatic conditions in a dose-dependent manner, indicating its potential as a protective treatment for liver diseases.
Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology and Toxicology of Ruta graveolens L.: A Critical Review and Future Perspectives
by Ping Luo on January 6, 2025 at 11:00 am
Medicinal plants are fundamental sources of natural products with high chemical diversity and specificity as novel lead compounds with diverse pharmacological activities. Ruta graveolens L. is an important traditional Chinese medicine used to treat fever caused by cold, wind-fire toothache, headache, bruises and sprains, irregular menstruation, and infantile eczema. Although various traditional uses and chemical constituent activity evaluations have been reported, no systematic review and future…
Drying kinetics, thermodynamic properties and physicochemical characteristics of Rue leaves
by Geraldo Acácio Mabasso on June 24, 2024 at 10:00 am
Generally, medicinal plants are harvested with high amount of water, so it is essential to subject the product to drying as soon as possible to prevent degradation before application. Most compounds from medicinal plants are sensitive to drying processes, so it is important to adjust the drying conditions. The objective of this study was to describe the drying of Rue (Ruta chalepensis L.) leaves, select the models that best fit each drying condition, determine the activation energy and…

References

Eickhorst, K., DeLeo, V., & Csaposs, J. (2007). Rue the herb: Ruta graveolens–associated phytophototoxicity. Dermatitis, 18(1), 52-55. doi:10.2310/6620.2007.06033

Gawkrodger, D. J., & Savin, J. A. (1983). Phytophotodermatitis due to common rue (Ruta graveolens). Contact Dermatitis, 9(3), 224. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0536.1983.tb04364.x

Hale, A. L., Meepagala, K. M., Oliva, A., Aliotta, G., & Duke, S. O. (2004). Phytotoxins from the leaves of Ruta graveolens. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 52(11), 3345-3349. doi:10.1021/jf0497298

Heskel, N. S., Amon, R. B., Storrs, F. J., & White, C. R., Jr. (1983). Phytophotodermatitis due to Ruta graveolens. Contact Dermatitis, 9(4), 278-280. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0536.1983.tb04390.x

Sallal, A., Alkofahi A. (1996). Inhibition of the hemolytic activities of snake and scorpion venoms in vitro with plant extacts. Biomed Lett, 53, 211-215.

Wessner, D., Hofmann, H., & Ring, J. (1999). Phytophotodermatitis due to Ruta graveolens applied as protection against evil spells. Contact Dermatitis, 41(4), 232. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0536.1999.tb06145.x