SC - Rue

[Alys of Foxdale]

On Sat, 3 May 1997 Uduido at aol.com wrote:

> In a message dated 97-05-03 10:24:56 EDT, you write:
> 
> << RUE IS POISON.  DO NOT USE IT YOURSELF FOR ANY OF THE TREATMENTS
>  LISTED BELOW.  IF YOU ARE PREGNANT, DO NOT EVEN HANDLE THE HERB. >>
> 
> Alys,
> 
> Since I have used, picked, handled eaten, and served rue with no ill affects,
> would you be so kind as to e-mail details of modern sources detailing the
> poisonous affects of Rue? Thank-you.
> 
> Lord Ras

_Herbs for the Home_ by Jekka McVicar (1994)

"[Rue] Must only be used by medical personnel and not at all by
pregnant women, as it is abortive.  Large doses are toxic, sometimes
precipitating mental confusion, and the oil is capable of causing
death."

This is not the only source I've read warning of the danger of using
rue, but this and the other I quoted earlier are the only ones I
currently possess which mention rue at all.  I find it interesting
and telling, that even _The Encyclopedia of Herbs, Spices, and
Flavorings_ (1992), a compendium sufficiently large that it has
listings even for such hard-to-find items as our old friends cubebs,
long pepper, and grains of paradise, doesn't list rue.

So if you still want to use rue, fine, go ahead -- but I won't.

   Alys of Foxdale          Shire of Stierbach, Kingdom of Atlantia
 mka Sallie Montuori               Chantilly, Virginia, USA
foxdale at wolfstar.com