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Ruta graveolens
Also called Herb Of Grace, Rue, Garden Rue, Ave Grace, Countryman's Tracle, Countryman's Treacle, Herb Of Repentance
In Singapore: Rue, Herb of Grace, 芸香, 臭草 (Grown in Singapore)
Common rue is a woody, blue-green perennial shrub grown for its ornamental foliage, heat and drought tolerance, and as a culinary and traditional herb. Its key challenge is its toxicity: the sap can cause severe skin reactions in sunlight and large doses are dangerous.
Ruta graveolens, commonly known as rue, common rue, ruda, arruda or herb-of-grace, is a species of the genus Ruta grown as an ornamental plant and herb. It is native to the Mediterranean. It is grown throughout the world in gardens, especially for its bluish leaves, and sometimes for its tolerance of hot and dry soil conditions. It is also cultivated as a culinary herb, and to a lesser extent as an insect repellent and incense.
Rue is generally safe if consumed in small amounts as a herb to flavor food. Rue extracts are mutagenic and hepatotoxic. Large doses can cause potentially fatal liver injury. This is due to a variety of toxic compounds in the plant's sap. It is recommended to only use small amounts in food, and to not consume it excessively. It should be strictly avoided by pregnant women, as it is an abortifacient and teratogen. Toxicity with large ingestions can cause multiorgan failure, significant electrolyte derangements and hemodynamic instability requiring hemodialysis. While the specific mechanism of toxicity isn't known, the furanocoumarins chalepensin and psoralen are likely implicated.
Rue can cause photodermatitis of ultraviolet light-exposed skin. Thus exposure to common rue, or herbal preparations derived from it, can cause severe phytophotodermatitis, which results in burn-like blisters on the skin. The mechanism of action is unknown.
[Contains information from Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Heritage Trees from data.gov.sg (National Parks Board), made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0]
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Ruta graveolens by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
