Rue – 10 Seeds

Rue (Ruta graveolens) is a perennial herb with a strong odor, small greenish-yellow flowers and blue-green leaves. It is native to Southern Europe. It is also known as common rue or herb-of-grace. Rue is both a culinary herb and a medicinal herb.

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Culinary Uses:

• The bitter tasting leaves are used as a condiment to flavor various foods and as a tea.
• They may be used raw or dried for use as a seasoning.

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Medicinal Benefits

• It is valued for its flavonoids, particularly rutin, which strengthens blood vessels.
• It is also used as an anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, expectorant, hemostatic and stimulant.
• To treat coughs and stomach issues such as flatulence, it is given as an infusion.
• The juice of the rue plant has also been used to treat earaches.

Caution:  In large doses, however, it can be toxic, and it should never be used by women who are pregnant or nursing.

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Other Uses:

• The plant is useful for repelling insects.
• The dried leaves are also an effective moth repellent.
• When mixed as a decoction, it can be used topically to kill lice and fly larvae.
• Rue plant oils are used in a range of cosmetics, fragrance products and soaps.
• The plants are also used to make a red dye.

Caution: Wear protective gloves when handling the plant.

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Growing Rue

Indoor Sowing: Early Spring.

Direct Sowing: Spring and Autumn.

• It is easy to start from seeds in the garden or in trays. Use a seed-starting mix that holds moisture but also drains well.
• Rue seeds need light to germinate, so scatter rue seeds across the surface of the soil and then gently press the seeds into the soil with your hands.
• When the seedlings develop at least two sets of true leaves, they can be transplanted into the garden or into larger pots.
• Requires full sun or at least 6 hours of full sun.
• It grows best in well-drained soil and will even grow in rocky, dry soil where other plants struggle to survive.
• Rue needs regular but not excessive watering, depending on how much rain your area gets. In dry regions, water it once a week, making sure the soil dries out between waterings. In South Africa, studies show that rue does best with about 1.5 cm of water per week.