Goat's Rue - Galega officinalis
Common Names
Goat's rue, French lilac
Latin Name
Galega officinalis
Families
Leguminosae Fabaceae
Parts Used
Flower, leaf, stem, seed
Description
Goat's Rue is a bushy perennial with has erect, hollow, smooth, branching stems which may reach five feet tall. Its provocative green blend leaves consist of 13 to 17 lance-shaped leaflets, each one to two inches long. Goat's Rue flowers range in color from lilac to white, grow in spikes and yield red-brown seedpods in the autumn that can hold 2 to 6 kidney-shaped seeds.
Habitat
Goat's rue is indigenous to central and southern Europe, Russia, Japan, and Asia Minor. It is naturalized and widely cultivated in Britain. It grows in damp meadows and on river banks, as well as in other low, moist areas.
Folklore And original Uses
The dried flowers of goat's rue have been used to help growth the milk furnish in female goats. The Latin name, Galega, which is derived from the Greek word gala or milk, reflects this use. It is also known in England as "cheese rennet" because the juice that is extracted from the green parts of the plant is used for making cheese and clotting milk. This plant has often been used as cattle feed. Some sheep have died after eating it, revealing the fact that it can be toxic.
Medicinal Uses
Goat's Rue was once used to treat the plague, intestinal worms, fevers, and snakebites. The herb has since been shown in some cases to growth the yield of milk in lactating mothers up to 50 percent. Some doctors do not propose this use of the plant, however, because its effect on infants is not known. Galegine is an alkaloid that has been isolated from goat's rue - it lowers blood sugar levels and thus may be useful in fighting diabetes mellitus. A synthetic drug based on guanidine was introduced in France during the late 1950s, and it was approved by the Fda in 1995.
