Spec. Plant. Willd. ii. 542.

Cl. 10. Ord. 1. Decandria Monogynia. Nat. ord. Rutaceae.

G. 827. Calyx five-parted. Petals concave. Receptacle surrounded by ten melliferous points. Capsule lobed.

Species 1. R. graveolens.3 Common Rue. Med. Rot. 3d edit. 437. t.174.

Officinal. Ruta, Lond. Rutae graveolentis herba, Edin. Dub. The leaves and herbaceous part of Rue.

Syn. Rue sauvage (F.), Raute, Garten raute (G.), Ruite (Dutch), Rude (Dan.), Winruta (Steed.), Ruta (I.), Ruta de derpesado (S.), Ruda (Port.), Ruda (Russ.), Arooda (Tarn., Cyng.), Sadsah (Malay), Sendib (Arab.), Saturi (H.), Inghoo (Javanese).

1 It is not easy to comprehend why the London College has adopted the term of the genus for the officinal appellation of this species.

2 Travels, etc. part iii. p. 90. 4to. Lond. 1823.

Dioscoridis.

Rue is an evergreen perennial, a native of the south of Europe, but much cultivated in our gardens, flowering in June and September. It rises to the height of two or three feet, shrubby and branching, with the lower part of the stems ligneous, and covered with a rough, striated, grey bark; but the upper branches are smooth, and of a pale green colour. The leaves are doubly pinnate; the pinnae distant; and the leaflets obovate, sessile, decurrent, and very obscurely crenate, with the terminal one generally notched; the surface punctured, the texture rather thick, and the colour bluish green or glaucous. The flowers are produced in terminal branched corymbs on subdividing peduncles. The flower which opens first has a five-parted calyx, and a five-petalled corolla; but the others have the calyx four-parted only, and a four-petalled corolla. The petals are concave, wrinkled at the edge, of a pale greenish yellow colour, and very much spread : the stamens are awl-shaped, the length of the petals, and bearing small, yellow, quadrangular anthers.1 The germen is large, oval, punctured, deep green, with crucial furrows, and crowned with a short style and simple stigma; and the seeds are angular, rough, and blackish.

Qualities,-Rue leaves have a powerful unpleasant odour, and a hot, bitter, nauseous taste. In the recent state, the leaves possess so much acrimony as to inflame and blister the skin; but much of this is dissipated in drying. In distillation with water, they yield a pungent volatile oil, on which their virtues chiefly depend; consequently, decoction is a bad form of preparation of rue.

Medical properties and uses.-Rue is stimulant and antispasmodic, and is supposed to possess emmenagogue powers. It was in high estimation so early as the time of Hippocrates, who frequently ordered it in female complaints.2 In modern practice it is chiefly used in hysteria and flatulant colic. I have found a strong infusion of it, exhibited per anum, of great service in relieving the convulsions of infants arising from flatulence and other intestinal irritations. It may, however, inflame the mucous coat of the intestines, and therefore should be used with caution. The dose of the powdered leaves is from grs. xv. to, Эij., given twice or three times a day.

Officinal preparations.- Oleum Rutae, D. Extractum Rutae graveolentis, E. D.

1 These stamens display in a striking manner the spontaneous motions which take place in some plants. They are very stiff, and cannot be disturbed from the posture in which they happen to be; but nevertheless they rise, by a spontaneous movement, one or two at a time, and lean over the stigma till the pollen be shed, when they fall back again, and give place to others.

2 De Morbis Mulier.