Rue: A Forgotten But Useful Herb

Back in the spring I planted an unusual herb – rue. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how well it managed the drought this summer.

Rue has been grown around the Mediterranean since ancient times. It’s mentioned in the Bible. In Luke 11:42, Christ mocks the Pharisees for offering rue and mint as tithes, presumably because those herbs were so common at the time.

Rue has fallen out of favor in both the kitchen and apothecary. That’s probably due to a couple of good reasons that I’ll explain below. But I think it deserves some attention.

First, let’s look at the downsides of rue. The herb contains some toxins that, if ingested in large amounts, can cause severe gastric pain and even liver damage. In addition, rubbing rue on the skin during sunny days can cause a rash or blisters for some people.

But it has some benefits, too. Cats and dogs seem to hate it, so it works well to repel them in the landscape. Rue is also a host species for some butterfly larvae. I think it’s a great idea to plant rue throughout the landscape for caterpillars to eat instead of other more useful plants. It also produces a beautiful bouquet of small yellow flowers that can be dried.

In ancient times, rue was thought to be an antidote to poison. That’s how it got its Latin name, “Ruta,” which comes from a Greek word meaning “to set free.” It has also been called “the herb of grace.” In the early Catholic Church, leaves of rue were used to sprinkle holy water on the heads of worshipers.

The Romans used rue as a culinary herb. The Roman palate appreciated rue’s bitter taste, which they thought balanced sweet, salty, sour and spicy flavors. Some Italian recipes still call for small amounts of rue. It is thought to counteract the “heaviness” of rich tomato sauces. Again, due to the potential for toxicity, I would only use it very sparingly, if at all.

I love this clumpy little plant. I gave it little attention since this spring. It even got overgrown by some morning glories for a while. I kind of forgot about it. Then when I was cleaning out the bed a few weeks ago, I noticed the rue still growing strong and green under the mat of morning glory vines. I only have one rue plant right now. But I’m going to try and propagate some cuttings this fall.