The word rue means regret or sorrow for something that has happened in the past. It can also be used as a warning if someone is thinking of doing something, or has done something that somebody else thinks is unwise, for example, 'You'll rue the day you ever married him.'
The verb, rue, derives from Old English, hreowan, which means make sorry, or grieve. It has a Germanic source, though it is not certain where it first originated from, and meant distress, which led to the German reuen, and the Dutch rouwen.
In the early Middle English period, it meant 'cause to feel pity', but this sense of the word has died out. It was also from this period that the noun ruth was formed from it, a word that we still know but as ruthless.
Rue is also a perennial evergreen shrub, which may have derived its name from the bitter taste of its leaves, which led to many 'rueing' having eaten it. It also has an obnoxious fragrance and was believed to prevent the plague and other contagious diseases since as far back as Ancient times.
Rue is used to keep insects at bay, but the dried leaves (and so less smelly) can be used to treat insect bites. Through the ages, they have had a number of uses such as an anti-spasmodic to cure cramps; as a calming influence and a sedative; and as an emmenagogie, which helps to increase menstrual flow. It has also been used as an abortifacient, which is a drug that brings on an abortion.
It must be said, though, that health officials in Germany strongly advise using rue for any kind of medication because, they claim, no positive reactions have been proven, and there is a very real possibility that using it can cause actual harm.
The verb, rue, derives from Old English, hreowan, which means make sorry, or grieve. It has a Germanic source, though it is not certain where it first originated from, and meant distress, which led to the German reuen, and the Dutch rouwen.
In the early Middle English period, it meant 'cause to feel pity', but this sense of the word has died out. It was also from this period that the noun ruth was formed from it, a word that we still know but as ruthless.
Rue is also a perennial evergreen shrub, which may have derived its name from the bitter taste of its leaves, which led to many 'rueing' having eaten it. It also has an obnoxious fragrance and was believed to prevent the plague and other contagious diseases since as far back as Ancient times.
Rue is used to keep insects at bay, but the dried leaves (and so less smelly) can be used to treat insect bites. Through the ages, they have had a number of uses such as an anti-spasmodic to cure cramps; as a calming influence and a sedative; and as an emmenagogie, which helps to increase menstrual flow. It has also been used as an abortifacient, which is a drug that brings on an abortion.
It must be said, though, that health officials in Germany strongly advise using rue for any kind of medication because, they claim, no positive reactions have been proven, and there is a very real possibility that using it can cause actual harm.
