Collection: Rue (Ruda)

What Is Rue (Ruda)?

Rue is Ruta graveolens, a small Mediterranean shrub with blue-green leaves, yellow summer flowers, and a sharp, bitter smell. It goes by ruda in Spanish, arruda in Portuguese, and ruta in Italian, and its old English name is herb of grace. If you see ruda on a botanica shelf or a bottle labeled agua de ruda, it is the same plant. Goat's rue, meadow rue, and Syrian rue are different plants.

What Is Rue Used for Spiritually?

Rue is used for protection, for breaking bad luck, and above all for turning away the evil eye, the harm that envy is believed to cause. In Southern Italy, sprigs of rue were hung over doors and cradles against the malocchio, and the silver cimaruta charm takes its name from the plant: cimaruta is the Neapolitan form of cima di ruta, "sprig of rue." It was worn around the neck or hung above a baby's bed. Sephardic Jewish families have also kept rue near newborns against the evil eye.

Across Latin America, rue is one of the herbs used in a limpia, a spiritual cleansing that often involves eggs, herbs such as rosemary or rue, incense, and prayers. Limpias are taught within families and by curanderas, and that deeper work is best learned from practitioners within the tradition. The rue oils here from AzureGreen and Espiritu are made for protection and for uncrossing, the work of breaking a jinx or a run of bad luck. Our guide to rue's spiritual meaning, magical uses, and safety covers its history in full.

What You'll Find Here

Rue oils. Espiritu and AzureGreen rue oils each come in 2 dram, 1 ounce, and 16 ounce bottles, and Ohli~Way makes a 1 ounce ruda fragrance oil. Practitioners rub a few drops onto a black or red candle for protection or uncrossing work.

Agua de ruda and rue wash. Rue (Ruda) Water is made for sprinkling across a threshold and into the corners of a room. Rue (Ruda) Wash is made for floor washes and ritual baths. Both come in 8 ounce bottles.

Dried rue. The Rue (Ruda) Aromatic Bath Herb is 1 1/4 ounces of dried rue for sachets and herbal baths.

Rue incense. Choose Sree Vani Ruda incense in a 120-stick box, Sonavi Arruda incense in a 25 gram pack, or a set of 6 rue leaf sticks to bring rue's scent into a room for cleansing.

Rue candles and soap. The green Rue Aromatic Jar Candle stands 8.25 inches tall, and the Ohli~Way Ruda Quartz Tin Candle is a lidded travel tin topped with clear quartz chips. Ohli~Way Rue Soap is a 100 gram bar for a cleansing wash.

Italian folk magic. Mary-Grace Fahrun's Italian Folk Magic: Rue's Kitchen Witchery is built around an Italian-American family's practice and explains how to get rid of the malocchio.

How Do You Use Rue?

Every common way to work with rue keeps it outside the body. Choose the one that fits your space:

1. Dress a candle. Rub 3 to 5 drops of rue oil onto a black or red candle from the middle out to both ends, then light it for protection.
2. Wash the floor. Add two to three capfuls of rue wash to a bucket of warm water and mop from the back of the house toward the front door.
3. Bless a doorway. Sprinkle rue water across the threshold and into each corner of the room.
4. Sew a sachet. Sew a pinch of dried rue and a pinch of salt into a small cloth pouch and carry it in your pocket or bag.
5. Take a limpia bath. Stir about a quarter cup of rue wash into a warm bath, soak while you think about what you are letting go, and air dry afterward.
6. Hang a doorway charm. Tie a sprig of dried rue with red thread, hang it above the inside of your front door out of reach, and say: "Herb of grace above my door, keep envy out forevermore."

Is Rue Safe?

Rue is not safe to eat or drink, so work with it outside the body only. Keep these points in mind:

• Don't drink rue tea or take rue by mouth in any form. It can cause serious liver damage.
• Avoid rue entirely during pregnancy.
• Fresh rue sap can cause phytophotodermatitis, burn-like blisters on skin exposed to sunlight. Wear gloves when you handle the fresh plant.
• Use prepared waters and washes as the label directs. If you steep your own bath from the dried herb, patch test first and keep treated skin out of strong sun for a few hours.
• Keep rue, oils, and washes out of reach of children and pets.
• If a person or pet swallows rue, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 or your vet.

Explore Related Collections

If rue is part of your protection work, our Evil Eye Protection collection holds nazar charms, hamsas, and the Italian horn, and Protection & Warding Supplies covers oils, salts, and candles for guarding a home. For breaking a run of bad luck, browse Uncrossing, and for cleansing a space, look through Spiritual Washes and Cleansing & Home Blessing Supplies. Rosemary is rue's usual partner in a limpia bundle. To go deeper into the Italian side of rue, read how to test for and remove the evil eye with the Italian folk method and our guide to the Italian horn.

Rue FAQ

What is ruda in English?
Ruda is the Spanish name for rue, Ruta graveolens, a strong-smelling Mediterranean herb also called herb of grace. In Portuguese it is arruda, and in Italian it is ruta.

What is rue used for spiritually?
Rue is used for protection, breaking bad luck, and turning away the evil eye. Practitioners dress candles with rue oil, sprinkle rue water at the door, add rue wash to floor washes and baths, and carry dried rue in sachets.

What is the difference between rue water and rue wash?
Rue water, or agua de ruda, is made for sprinkling across thresholds and into the corners of a room. Rue wash is made to be diluted in a bucket of floor-wash water or a ritual bath.

Can you drink rue tea?
No. Rue can cause serious liver damage and is especially dangerous during pregnancy, so work with it outside the body through oils, waters, washes, sachets, and incense.

What is a cimaruta?
The cimaruta is a Southern Italian silver charm shaped like a sprig of rue, with small symbols at the tips of its branches. Its name is the Neapolitan form of cima di ruta, "sprig of rue," and it was worn or hung above a baby's bed against the evil eye.

Do you sell live rue plants?
No. We carry dried rue and prepared rue products. Rue grows easily in a sunny, well-drained spot in USDA zones 4 to 10, according to NC State Extension, so a nursery plant by the front door is the traditional way to grow your own.