Ruta graveolens

Rue, common rue, herb-of-grace, Απήγανος. Rue (L. citrus family Rutaceae) is a hardy, shrub-like evergreen plant, which is native to Southern Europe. Rue can grow in almost any conditions, but prefers a semi-sheltered dry environment. The lower part of the stem is woody, and the leaves are alternate, bluish-green and either bi- or tripinnate. They have a strong unpleasant odour and a very bitter disagreeable flavour. The plant blossoms from June–September, with greenish yellow flowers. Propagation can be carried out by direct seed planting, stem cuttings or root cuttings.

The whole herb is used as for medicinal purposes, the drug consisting of both the fresh and the dried herb, and may also be used in cooking in some regions. The shoots are gathered before the plant flowers, with the young shoot tops considered the most valuable. The volatile oil present in the herb is contained in glands distributed over the whole plant, and is distilled from the fresh herb, as are decoctions and infusions. The dried herb has a similar taste and odour, but is less powerful. Its powder is used for making tea. In the ancient Roman world, the naturalists Pedanius Dioscorides and Pliny the Elder recommended that rue be combined with the poisonous shrub oleander to be drunk as an antidote to poisonous snake bites.