RUE

COMMON NAME: Rue

LATIN NAME: Ruta Graveolens

HINDI NAME: Sudapa, Sadab

ORIGIN: Southern Europe, Mediterranean Region

HABITAT: Western Asia, Mediterranean Region, Africa, Southern Europe. The plant grows on dry, usually stony and gravelly slopes and rocks. In some countries, Rue is cultivated as a decorative, medicinal, and ethereal plant.

BOTANICAL INFORMATION: Fragrant rue (lat. Ruta graveolens) - a species of the genus rue (lat. Ruta) of the subfamily proper ruta (lat. Rutoideae), a family (lat. Rutaceae). The genus includes seven species, among which there are herbs or shrubs.

Rue is a perennial herb with a pronounced smell. It has a very firm stem and can reach a height of seventy centimeters. The plant has very interesting leaves- if to shine them through, it seems that they are all dotted with small holes. These points are glands with essential oil.

The flowers have green-yellow color. The fruit is a spherical tetrathecal box. Rue blooms in June - July.

Insects, usually small flower flies, pollinate the plant. This spice has a unique adaptations to cross pollination at the root are the ability of stamens and stalks to make certain movements during flowering, as a result of which they take a different position during this process.

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION: Rue leaves contain essential oil, flavocolrutin, alkaloids, furonumarin, furocoumarins, xanthoxine, rutin, coumarin , umbelliferone, bergapten, flavonoids - rutin, quercetin, as well as organic acids (malic, valerianic) and vitamin C.

HISTORY:

Even the ancient Greeks knew this spicy Indian plant.  According to some historical facts, the Greek philosopher Socrates, treated one of his friends to cheese with a Rue root.

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