Goat's Rue
Botanical Description & Habitat
Galega officinales
Family
Papilionaceae
Common names
French lilac
Habitat
Grows wild in southern Europe and western Asia; it is cultivated in both Europe and the United States. Goat's rue is a perennial herb which flourishes in moist and damp places, preferring a sunny location.
Description
It has an erect, hollow stem bearing alternate, odd-pinnate leaves consisting of six to eight pairs of bluish-green, lance-shaped leaflets. Pale blue or bluish white flowers grow in spikes from the leaf axils and bloom from June to September. The seeds develop in long, erect pods.
Medicinal parts
Aerial parts - dried, gathered during flowering
Historical Properties & Uses
Goat's rue is used primarily as an antidiabetic or hypoglycemic agent. As such, the herb shows great promise in both animal and human studies, but its mode of action, disruption of the Kreb's cycle, is not the most desirable way to achieve the hypoglycemic effect.
Until more research has been done on potential cellular damage, caution must be exercised in the use of goat's rue.
Other folk medicine uses of goat's rue (as a galactagogue, diuretic, hydragogue, and vulnerary) have not been experimentally investigated, but of these, clinical observations tend to support its use as a diuretic and hydragogue.
This herb has not achieved approval status by the German Commission E. Either there was insufficient evidence in favor, or a contraindication.
References:
Blumenthal, M (Ed.): The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. American Botanical Council. Austin, TX. 1998.
Method of Action
Goat's Rue has an antidiabetic property
Galega has been shown to have a strong and reliable antidiabetic effect. This effect is largely due to the presence of galegine, a hypoglycemic alkaloid. When galegine was administered to 35 diabetic patients, it was responsible for reducing daily insulin intake by 20-30 units. No toxic effects were observed when 2mg/kg of galegine was administered in several doses during meals.
The hypoglycemic action of galega has been confirmed in several studies which also point out when administration stops, insulin requirements rise to previous levels. Prolonged treatment with a galega tea became aversive to some patients.
Galegine blocks oxidative enzymes of the Krebs cycle (namely, succinic dehydrogenase and cytochrome oxide), thus increasing anaerobic glycolysis and decreasing gluconeogenesis. This increases the rate of transfer of glucose from the blood to the tissues.
In at least one study galega extracts caused a sharp and long lasting reduction of blood sugar level, with increased carbohydrate tolerance and decreased toxicity.
Drug Interactions & Precautions
Known Interactions
Since the diuretic action of goat's rue increases the renal excretion of sodium and chloride, it may potentiate the hyperglycemic and hyperuricemic effects of glucose-elevating agents.
Diuretics may potentiate the action of antihypertensive, ganglionic or peripheral adrenergic blocking drugs, tubocurarine and, to a lesser degree, norepinephrine.
Possible Interactions
When used in conjunction with corticotropin (ACTH) or corticosteroids, this diuretic herb is more prone to produce hypokalemia. The use of diuretics in general may require dosage adjustments of antidiabetic drugs. The diuretic action of goat's rue may reduce renal clearance of lithium. The tannin in goat's rue may potentiate the antibiotic activity of echinacea. The tannin in tea made from the herb may be inactivated by the addition of milk or cream.
Comments
Prolonged use of this diuretic herb may affect certain laboratory test results such as electrolytes, especially potassium and sodium, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), uric acid, glucose, and protein bound iodine (PBI).
The antidiabetic effects of goat's rue may be decreased when used in conjunction with phenothiazines, rifampin, thiazide diuretics, and thyroid hormones.
Conversely, the antidiabetic action of goat's rue may be enhanced when used with allopurinol, anabolic steroids, chloramphenicol, clofibrate, fenfluramine, guanethidine, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI's), phenylbutazone, probenecid, and phenyramidol.
The antidiabetic action of goat's rue may be enhanced when used in conjunction with salicylates, sulfinpyrazone, sulfonamides, and tetracyclines.
Safety Factors & Toxicity
Sheep have been poisoned by ingesting the fresh plants. Human toxicity data is not available.
The German Commission E also notes the possibility for the hypoglycemic effect of galegin.
The so-called ginseng abuse syndrome (GAS), which involved hypertension at doses of 3 grams per day or more for prolonged periods has been absent from the literature since the early 1980's and even those few cases were anecdotal. More recent reports actually describe ginseng as a safe herb and recommend it as a potential treatment for hypertension.
Ginseng should be reserved for the weakened, elderly and infirm. It is traditionally thought to impair health if used unnecessarily in robust individuals. Not to be used in spontaneous bleeding. Regular use of moderate dosages may cause tremor, irritability, facial flushing, menstrual disturbances and nose-bleeding in some patients.
Hypertension: Higher doses in some susceptible individuals may elevate blood pressure. Higher doses may aggravate insomnia, anxiety states, and irritability. Some Western authorities contraindicate Ginseng during pregnancy, but this unsupported by data and inconsistent with traditional use.
References:
Blumenthal, M (Ed.): The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. American Botanical Council. Austin, TX. 1998.
(Huang 1993, pp. 42-43; Hammond TG, et al.Med J Aust. 1981 May 2;1(9):492; Han KH, et al. Am J Chin Med. 1998;26(2):199-209; Klepser TB, et al. Am J Health SystPharm. 1999 Jan 15;56(2):125-38; 139-141; Siegel RK. JAMA. 1979 Apr 13;241(15):1614-1615.)
(McGuffin et al.1997, 81.)
(Dharmananda S. 1988.)
Preparation & Administration
There is presently insufficient data on this subject.
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