Ruta Graveolens

" THERE'S Rue for you! " . . . An ancient herb of great virtue : " Herb of Grace " ; — " Herb of repentance " : — supposed to be a valuable defence against witches ; — and " an antidote to all dangerous medicines and deadly poisons ", so Culpepper tells us ; a " Mithridate ", i.e. one of the poisons on which the King of Pontus fed daily, to the intent that " they should have no power, but be a kind of nutriment ".

He is said to have eaten, among the rest, by which he sought to render himself acclimatized, as it were, and so immune from poisonings, two of the tiny leaves of Rue daily. And Rue is a poison, and therefore a medicine.

Used for purposes of abortion, it has encompassed its end in the most protracted and suffering way — at times ending with death : like other methods to the same intent.

Rue is a dear friend among medicines ; One met with it first as a plant which our gardeners always kept in an odd corner of the kitchen garden, from which to make an ointment for the cows' udders, should they get sore.

As an ointment, it is also a fine application for chilblains : one used to get appeals for some more Rue ointment for a young nephew's chilblains, which otherwise were bad enough to keep the poor schoolboy in bed. One discovered its virtues also in housemaid's knee, and generally in inflammations of synovial membranes. But here it seems to do equally well internally in the tooth potency.

It was proven by Hahnemann and some of his band, and has very definite spheres of action — as we shall see : viz. eyes — anus — ganglia an such-like injuries to periosteum — sprains, especially of wrist and ankle.

It is one of the great vulneraries (with Arnica), helping in injuries not only of soft parts, but of bones and periosteum — and as said — sprains (with Rhus) — and skins, even to erysipelas.

Like Rhus it has caused, in some persons who have handled it, severe skin troubles. Some persons ! — not all, for one has handled it, from time to time, for years, and taken no hurt.

In regard to Rue, hear Hahnemann (Materia Medica Pura). " This powerful plant, hitherto almost only employed in haphazard fashion by common folk as a domestic remedy in indeterminate cases, acquires considerable importance from the following (all too meagre !) symptoms observed from its administration. The homoeopathic practitioner sees what peculiar serious cases of disease he is able to cure by its means.

" If Rosenstein cannot sufficiently commend the virtues of Rue in affections of the eye and dimness of vision from too much reading, in which Swedjaur and Chomel agree with him, he must be very blind who fails to see that these are solely owing to the homoeopathic power of Rue to cause a similar condition in healthy persons."

He refers to the symptoms, 44, 45 :

" His eyes feel as if he had strained the sight too much by reading.

" Weak, pressive-like pain in right eye, with dimness of surrounding objects, as if from having looked too long at an object that was fatiguing .to the eyes.

" A feeling of heat and burning in eyes and pain in them when he reads."

He goes on : " By this so similarly acting medicine the malady is certainly not increased and aggravated as our opponents, who think themselves so wise in their ignorance, would conclude, with ridiculous expressions of alarm, and without interrogating experience.

On the contrary, it will be cured (if not dependent on a miasmatic dyscrasia) to the bitter disappointment and confusion of learned routinists who reject the most beneficent of all truths."

Hahnemann is delightful in his happy expressions. " A domestic remedy in indeterminate cases " ; opponents " who without interrogating experience think themselves wise in their ignorance ".

But, I suppose we all do that, more or less : like madness, " it is only a case of degrees ". " Ridiculous expressions of alarm without interrogating experience."

The black letter symptoms give one a great idea as to the range of action of a drug, and the special localities it attacks. Glancing down these, there is no doubt as to the effect of Ruta on the eye ; but it is chiefly on the eye muscles, tiring, and failing to accommodate, that Ruta acts.

It does not appear to violently inflame the eye, like Arg. nit. for instance : but Milton hits it very cleverly when he says, " Euphrasie and Rue to clear his visual ray." One remembers a case of a woman, away in the country, with lengthening sight and imperfect vision therefrom, needing glasses : but a dose of Ruta (ç so far as one remembers) so improved the eye strain, that the necessity for glasses was deferred.

Again reading down the black letter symptoms, one is struck with the Ruta sensations " weariness " — " as from a strain "" as from a blow " — " as from a fall " — and again and again, " as if bruised ", — even, " as if broken through the middle " (the thigh). Then, loss of power, especially in the thighs and lower extremities.

Its kindly effects on painful and sprained wrists one has seen often : it seems to have a specific action on wrists and ankles. It has been permitted to torture the wrists of a few provers, in order that it should prove curative to the sprained wrists of the multitude — in der evigkeit.

In Homoeopathy it is good indeed that the few have suffered for the many.

In regard to Rue, Guernsey (" Keynotes ") says : " Injuries to periosteum, as when one has had a fall or an accident which injures the periosteum, making it very sore and causing a bruised sensation.

" When the rectum protrudes from anus after confinement ; prolapsus ani, which may come down every time the bowels are moved.

" Pain, as if bruised in the outer parts and in the bones ; painfulness of bones in general : wounds where the bones are injured. . . .

" Affections in general of left side head ; of bladder ; wrist joints ; lumbar region ; bones of lower extremity.

" Worse lying on painful side : looking fixedly at an object, as those who have looked closely at watch-making, fine sewing, etc. ; from taking uncooked food."

Ruta is worse from cold : worse from wet : relieved by motion. (All Rhus !)

Nausea may be felt in various parts of the body, in throat, as CYCL ., PHOS. A., STANN ; in stomach, nearly a half-page of drugs, including, par excellence, IPEC . ; in abdomen, a few drugs, including Puls.

Clarke gives a curious " clinical symptom of Ruta : A sensation of nausea located in the rectum."

Nash says, " Ruta is also one of our best remedies for prolapsus of rectum." (Ign., Mur. a., Pod. and Aloe.) And for eye-strain he says, " Nat. mur, and Senega must be remembered."

By the way, in regard to Ruta for " backs ", synovial membranes and sciatica : After manipulating sub-luxations of pelvis, it seems to be good practice to give a dose or two of Ruta. So far as one has observed, the pain, sometimes felt for a day or two after such manipulations, may be thus lessened or obviated.

In conclusion, Kent tells us that the symptoms of Ruta are difficult to classify in the Repertory; its nature must be obtained.

It resembles Rhus, as sensitive to cold, and cold damp ; as suffering from strains and over-exertion : — with him Ruta is Rhus, but more so. Ruta has more than any drug, periosteal troubles from injury : as when lumps persist in the periosteum, sore : slow repair : bruises leave indurations : hardened masses, in tendons, after gripping and clasping, as in hands : with gradual contraction of flexors, till hands are permanently flexed. Feet become also contracted, and so flexed that the sole becomes concave, and toes drawn under.

(Comp. Caust.)

In eye troubles he contrasts Ruta with Arg. nit. But Ruta is worse from cold : Arg. nit. from heat, and wants a cool place.

He says both Ruta and Phos. have violent unquenchable thirst for ice-cold water, and can never get enough of it.

Neuralgias, etc. He says, Ruta" has all the pains in the books, described by all the adjectives that apply to pain, but it is worse lying down, and worse from cold.

Neuralgias of all sorts — severe."

The severest forms of sciatica — worse as soon as he lies down at night.

Restlessness like Rhus : bruised sensations like Arnica. . . .

One of our greatest vulneraries, unquestionably.

Black Letter Symptoms

Shooting pain from frontal to temporal bone : from temporal bone to occiput : in the periosteum : pain as if from a fall.

Stitches in left frontal bone, only from reading.

Rhythmical pressive pain in head.

Sensation of heat and fire in EYES : aching while reading, in the evening, by the light.

Eyes feel fatigued, as after reading too long.

Weary pain in the eyes while reading.

Aching in and over eyes, vision blurred, after using eyes and straining them over fine work.

Vision very weak, as if eyes were excessively strained.

Asthenopia : irritability of every tissue of eye, from overwork, or using eyes on too fine work ; heat and aching in and over eyes ; eyes feel like balls of fire at night ; blurring of vision ; letters seem to run together ; lachrymation.

A burning under left eye.

Itching inner canthi and on lower lids, which smart after rubbing them, when eyes become filled with water.

Spasm in lower eyelid ; the tarsus is drawn hither and thither, and when it ceases, water runs from both eyes.

Sensation in EAR as if a blunt piece of wood were pushed about in it : a scratching pressure.

Cartilages of ears pain, as from a blow or fall.

Under the mastoid process pain as from a blow or fall.

Tension in STOMACH > by drinking milk.

In the HEPATIC REGION an aching, gnawing pain.

When sitting, tearing stitches in the rectum.

Tearing in rectum and urethra, when not urinating.

Prolapsus of rectum.

Faeces pass involuntarily while bending over.

Prolapse always with and sometimes without stool.

Protrusion of rectum after confinement.

After dysentery half a year previously.

A gnawing in left side of chest.

In right CHEST a gnawing sensation, combined with something corrosive and burning.

Pain, as if beaten in the SPINE .

Itching in left upper ARM : excites scratching.

In left elbow joint pain, as from a blow, with weakness in the arm.

The bones of wrist and back of hand are painful, as if bruised, when at rest and when moving them.

In the bones about the hips pain as from a blow or fall.

He cannot bend his body, all the joints and the hip bones are painful as if bruised.

On touching the painful parts, especially hips and thigh bones, they are painful as if bruised.

The whole anterior surface of the thighs is as if bruised and painful to touch.

If he stretches out lower extremities, even a little, the thighs are painful, as if broken through the middle.

Posterior part of thigh and above the knee, feels bruised.

After sitting, he cannot walk immediately : falls back again.

When walking, falls from one side to the other ; his legs cannot support him ; no power and no stability in thighs.

Difficulty in going up and down stairs, legs bend under him.

Dare not tread strongly on feet : banes of feet painful, with feeling of heat.

On the front of left ankle joint a pain, throbbing and hacking, as if an ulcer were there.

Burning and corrosive pain in bones of feet when at rest.

Knows not where to put legs because of restlessness and heaviness, puts them first in one place then another, and turns body from side to side.

Lameness after sprains, especially of wrists and ankles.

Yawning, stretching and extending the hands.

All parts of body on which he lies, even in bed, are painful as if bruised.

Bruises' and mechanical injuries of bones and periosteum : sprains ; periostitis ; erysipelas.

Bone lesions and fractures : scrofulous exostoses.

Coldness from the spine downwards.

Frequent waking at night : vivid confused dreams.

One of the peculiar sensations of Ruta is cramp in the tongue.

" Spasm of tongue with difficulty of speech."

Another, nausea felt in rectum.