Gaby
In the garden of every caring housewife, you can always find this beneficial plant. Wild rue grows in Crimea and the southwestern regions of Ukraine, while in the east, it’s less common and mostly cultivated. There are two main types: fragrant rue and medicinal rue, but it goes by many local names.
Fragrant rue is a perennial plant that can grow up to about 20 inches tall, while medicinal rue is an annual, half that height, resembling wormwood in structure and color. Its leaves are bluish-yellow, fleshy, and have a slightly pungent taste. Fragrant rue blooms with yellow-green flowers in July and August, while medicinal rue has pale pink flowers that appear as early as May.
Rue has significant applications in both scientific and folk medicine. It acts as a choleretic, diuretic, and carminative, and is used for menstrual cycle disorders, dizziness, severe hot flashes, atherosclerosis, and varicose veins. In folk medicine, rue is considered one of the best disinfectants. Infusions of rue are consumed to strengthen and calm the body, alleviate palpitations, and relieve shortness of breath. A decoction made from one tablespoon of dried leaves in one liter of water can be added to a bath to treat chronic wounds, rheumatic pain, as well as rickets and scrofula in children. A strong infusion of the leaves can also be used to wash the eyes to relieve eyelid inflammation.
It is said that where rue grows, snakes do not dwell, and flies perish. Indeed, placing a few sprigs of this plant on a windowsill effectively keeps pesky insects at bay.
The best time to harvest rue is before it flowers. Fresh flowers have a strong and unpleasant odor, but once dried, they take on a delicate rosy fragrance.
Rue leaves can also be used in cooking—added to stews, salads, or brewed into tea. Just keep in mind that the juice of fresh rue can cause allergic reactions in some people (such as skin blisters), so it’s wise to test it first.
