From the Hedgewitch's Journal: Rue thru the Pages of Time
Rue: The Bitter Herb of the Medieval Healer "Bitter upon the tongue, pungent beneath the fingers, and surrounded by a reputation for protection—rue was a plant that belonged as much to the medieval healer's world of mystery as it did to the apothecary's shelf." Walk through an herb garden in summer and you may pass rue without a second glance. Its blue-green leaves are delicate, almost fernlike, and its small yellow flowers seem rather modest beside the flamboyant blooms of a cottage garden. Yet for centuries, rue was anything but ordinary. To the physicians, herbalists, monks, and cunning women of medieval Europe, rue was a plant of remarkable reputation. It was bitter. It was pungent. It was considered powerful. And, like so many plants used in medieval medicine, it occupied a fascinating space between what we might call medicine, folklore, and magic. For those of us who love the old herbals, rue offers a glimpse into a world where the garden was...
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