CAROLINA HERBS!!!

RUE  Ruta graveolensL.,Ruta chalepensisL.,Ruta montanaL., andRuta bracteosaL. Family: Rutaceae

Common Name(s):Rue , common rue , garden rue , fringed rue , Herb of Grace , German rue . Not to be confused with meadow rue ( Thalictrum spp.)

Other Names:

Common Rue, Garden Rue, German Rue, Herb-of-Grace, Herbe à la Belle-Fille, Herbe de Grâce, Herbe de Repentance, Herbe de la Rue, Herbygrass, Raute, Ruda, Ruda de Castilla, Rue Fétide, Rue des Jardins, Rue Officinale, Rue Puante, Ruta Grav, Ruta ...

In the Middle Ages and later, it was considered - in many parts of Europe - a powerful defense against witches, and was used in many spells. Talk about superstitious!   This herb goes way back in ancient history, which is where it belongs. 

RUE  was  used for a very long list of ailments such as:  digestion problems, including loss of appetite, upset stomach, and diarrhea,   heart and circulation problems including heart palpitations,  hardening of the arteries(arteriosclerosis),  breathing problems including pain and coughing due to swelling around the lungs (pleurisy),

headache, arthritis, cramps, and muscle;  nervous system problems , epilepsy, multiple sclerosis , and Bell's palsy, fever, hemorrhage, hepatitis, “weakness of the eyes,” water retention, intestinal worm infestations, and mouth cancer. Rue was also used for snakebites, pinworms, tapeworms.   Rue is also used to kill bacteria and fungus. Some women use Rue for menstrual problems, to stimulate the uterus, and to cause an abortion.  Rue is sometimes applied directly to the skin to treat arthritis, dislocations, sprains, injuries of the bone, swollen skin, earaches, toothaches, headaches, tumors, and warts; and as an insect repellent.   WOW!  Did we leave anything out?

According to WEBMED:  “ Rue  is UNSAFE when used as a medicine. When taken by mouth, it can cause side effects such as stomach irritation, changes in mood, sleep problems, dizziness, spasms, serious kidney and liver damage, and death. When applied to the skin, it can cause rash and increased sensitivity to the sun.”

It is UNSAFE for anyone to use rue in medicinal amounts, but people with the following conditions are especially likely to experience dangerous side effects:

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: It is UNSAFE for both mother and unborn child to take rue during pregnancy or breast-feeding. Rue can cause uterine contractions, which can cause a miscarriage. That’s why rue is used to cause an abortion. But it also has serious effects for the mother; she can die using this stuff!

Stomach and intestinal (gastrointestinal, GI) problems: Rue can make existing GI problems worse

Kidney and urinary tract problems: Rue can harm the kidney and irritate the urinary tract.

Liver problems: Rue can make existing liver problems worse

RUE is used as an insect repellant. Topical use of Rue can cause the skin to blister.  Rubbing fresh rue leaves on the forehead to cure a headache, if one is exposed to the sun will bring on a dermatitis condition that will be much worse than the headache!

Another harmful and dangerous herb that herbalists should not even bother to grow, let alone, sell!

Consumer Reports  Joseph Mosquera, M.D.

Webmd

The Honest Herbal   by Varro  E.  Tyler

http://www.encyclopedia.com/

The Complete Guide to HERBAL MEDICINES  BY Charles W. Fetrow and Juan R. Avila

Know Your Poisonous Plants  by Wilma Roberts James

An Illustrated Guide to 101 Medicinal Herbs  by Steven Foster 

LOBELIA (Lobelia inflata), Other Names: Asthma Weed, Bladderpod, Emetic Herb, Gagroot, Herbe à Asthme, Indian Tobacco, Lobelia inflata, Lobélie, Lobélie Brûlante, Lobélie Enflée, Lobélie Gonflée, Pukeweed, Tabac Indien, Vomit Wort, Wild Tobacco.

 Lobelia is a plant. The above ground parts are used to make medicine.

Lobelia got its popularity, here in the United States, through the herbalist Samuel Thomson in the early nineteenth century. Lay herbalists, and patients who later followed his medical theories, used lobelia freely as an emetic, antispasmodic, asthma treatment, and childbirth aid without regard for potential toxicity (Griggs, Thomson 1831; Colby; Cook). By 1840, about one-fifth of the population of the United States used Thomsonian herbalism, including the unrestricted use of lobelia, as their primary care medicine (Thomson; Griggs). At least one medical school in the United States (The Physiomedicalist Institute in Chicago) taught the use of lobelia in unrestricted doses without regard for toxicity. (Medical Herbalism Journal for the Clinical Practitioner Lobelia toxicity: A literature reviewby Paul Bergner Medical Herbalism 10(1-2);15-26)

Lobelia was listed as an official drug botanical from 1820 to 1936 and appeared in the National Formulary until 1960. However, we all know that in the last 25 years scientists have taken a greater interest in the research of using herbs. We also need to remember that our earth has undergone changes on a global scale since the 1940’s, much of which has been extremely harmful for both humans and animals.

As herbalists, we are the forerunners of using herbs, and need to keep up with new information on herbs. If those who don’t know what they are doing, use lobelia, watch out. To quote Joseph E. Myers in his book The Herbalist written way back in 1918, “Lobelia is too dangerous for internal use by the unskilled” (page 75). Using Lobelia externally can be even worse, as herbs can absorb through the skin at a much faster rate that taken internally.

Lobelia is considered a potentially toxic herb. It can cause serious side effects, such as profuse sweating, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, rapid heartbeat, disturbed hearing and vision, mental confusion, convulsions, hypothermia, coma, and possibly even death. People with high blood pressure, heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease, tobacco sensitivity, paralysis, seizure disorder, and shortness of breath, and those recovering from shock should not take lobelia. Lobelia can irritate the GI tract. Lobelia may make symptoms worse for people with ulcers, Chron's disease, inflammatory bowel disease, or intestinal infections. (2,3)

Now, who needs that? There are plenty of herbs that are safe for us to use. Why use something that might harm you?

1] Meyers, The Herbalist, p. 74; Chevallier, The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants; p. 108; Lust, The Herb Book, p. 259; Foster and Duke, Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants, p. 208.

[2] Hylton, The Rodale Herb Book, Appendix A, p. 496; Grieve, A Modern Herbal, p. 495.

[3]http://www.naturalopinion.com/report/HtmlPages/Lobelia.htm; http:metagenics.com/resources/imc/OneMedicineProf/ProfHerbs/Lobelia.html

Dr. Christopher’s Herbal Legacy

webmd

The Complete Guide to Herbal Medicines by Charles W. Fetrow and Juan R. Avila copyright 1999

Medical Herbalism Journal for the Clinical Practitioner Lobelia toxicity: A literature review by Paul Bergner Medical Herbalism 10(1-2);15-26