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Peganum harmala

Common name:	Syrian Rue	Family:	Zygophyllaceae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	50, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	Use with caution. Although the seed is used medicinally and as a condiment, it does contain hallucinogenic and narcotic alkaloids[238]. When taken in excess it causes hallucinations and vomiting[238].
Range:	Europe - Mediterranean and Southeast Europe.
Habitat:	Dry steppes, especially where grazing is heavy[187], and dry waste places[50]. It is often found in saline soils[254].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	3

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	African-rue [B], Alharma [E], Armel [E], Gamarza [E], Harmal [E], Harmal Peganum [P], Harmal Shrub [E], Harmelraute [E], Harmine [E], Hurmal [E], Ispand [E], Ozallaik [E], Rahshca [E], Rue,Wild [E], Steppenraute [E], Syrian Rue [E,H],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Sapindales. Creosote-bush family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Arabic Britain Egypt Europe France Germany India Iran Iraq Italy Kurdistan Mexico Pakistan Spain Turkey Ussr
Noxious, Invasive and Injurious Weeds	From USDA PLANTS database, Weeds Australia , DEFRA Injurious Weeds
	Listed as noxious/invasive for: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, South Australia, Western Australia.

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.6m by 0.5m . It is hardy to zone 8. The seeds ripen in September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 3/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in saline soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds, By Walls, By South Wall, By East Wall.

Edible Uses

Condiment Oil.

Seed - used as a spice and purifying agent[105, 177, 183, 238]. Some caution is advised because the seed has narcotic properties, inducing a sense of euphoria and releasing inhibitions[169].
An edible oil is obtained from the seed[46, 61].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Abortifacient Alterative Aphrodisiac Digestive Diuretic Emmenagogue Galactogogue Hallucinogenic Narcotic Ophthalmic Parasiticide Uterine tonic Vermifuge.

Alterative[46, 169].
The fruit and seed are digestive, diuretic, hallucinogenic, narcotic and uterine stimulant[192, 238]. They are taken internally in the treatment of stomach complaints, urinary and sexual disorders, epilepsy, menstrual problems, mental and nervous illnesses[238]. The seed has also been used as an anthelmintic in order to rid the body of tapeworms[240]. This remedy should be used with caution and preferably under the guidance of a qualified practitioner since excessive doses cause vomiting and hallucinations[238]. The seeds contain the substance 'harmine' which is being used in research into mental disease, encephalitis and inflammation of the brain[192]. Small quantities stimulate the brain and are said to be therapeutic, but in excess harmine depresses the central nervous system[192]. A crude preparation of the seed is more effective than an extract because of the presence of related indoles[192].
Consumption of the seed in quantity induces a sense of euphoria and releases inhibitions. It has been used in the past as a truth drug[169, 187].
The oil obtained from the seed is said to be aphrodisiac[192]. The oil is also said to have galactogogue, ophthalmic, soporific and vermifuge properties[192].
The seed is used externally in the treatment of haemorrhoids and baldness[238].
The whole plant is said to be abortifacient, aphrodisiac, emmenagogue and galactogogue[240]. A decoction of the leaves is used in the treatment of rheumatism[240].
The root has been used as a parasiticide in order to kill body lice[240]. It is also used internally in the treatment of rheumatism and nervous conditions[254].

Other Uses

Dye Incense Miscellany Oil.

A red dye is obtained from the seed[46, 61]. It is widely used in Western Asia, especially as a colouring for carpets[192].
The ripe seed contains 3.8 - 5.8% of the alkaloids harmine, harmaline, harmalol and peganine[240]. Ineffective as a contact poison, they are active in vapour form where they are effective against algae, in higher concentrations to water animals and lethal to moulds, bacteria and intestinal parasites[240].
The seed is used as an incense[145].

Cultivation details

Prefers a light well-drained but moisture retentive soil and an open position in full sun[200]. Prefers a dry soil[187] and succeeds in poor soils[238].
Although this species comes from dry desert areas, it responds well to cultivation so long as the soil is very well drained[238]. It can tolerate temperatures down to about -20° c if the soil is dry[187].
There is speculation that this plant was the sacred 'Soma' plant, which was used by the ancients of India and Persia as an hallucinogenic aid to understanding the deeper meaning of life[238].

Propagation

Seed - sow late spring in a greenhouse. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a sunny part of the greenhouse for their first winter. Be careful not to overwater, especially when the plants are dormant. Plant out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer[K].
Division in late spring[238].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[S] SW USA Dist. Maps from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for peganum harmala (a possible synonym).

[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures
[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures

References for the family Zygophyllaceae.

To be included in the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[145] Singh. Dr. G. and Kachroo. Prof. Dr. P. Forest Flora of Srinagar. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh 1976
A good flora of the western Himalayas but poorly illustrated. Some information on plant uses.

[169] Buchanan. R. A Weavers Garden.
Covers all aspects of growing your own clothes, from fibre plants to dyes.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[192] Emboden. W. Narcotic Plants Studio Vista 1979 ISBN 0-289-70864-8
A lot of details about the history, chemistry and use of narcotic plants, including hallucinogens, stimulants, inebriants and hypnotics.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

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