Herb & supplement monograph

Rue Drug Interactions, Uses, Effectiveness, Safety & More

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS ·Updated July 2026

What is this page for?

First and foremost: how Rue interacts with medications. The heart of this page is the interaction list — every drug Rue is known to interact with, and how serious each one is.

But these pages have grown well beyond that into a full monograph — what Rue is, what people use it for and how strong the evidence is, its safety and side effects, and answers to the questions we’re asked most — written and reviewed by the clinical staff at HelloPharmacist. It’s educational information from our licensed clinical databases, not medical advice, and we don’t sell or endorse products. Our editorial policy

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Reviewed by licensed pharmacists Sourced from Natural Medicines

On this page

Rue Drug Interactions: The Bottom Line

From the HelloPharmacist Editorial Team · Updated July 2026

Based on the available evidence, the main risk from Rue drug interactions for most people is a moderate one, and it comes down to a single concern: increased sensitivity to sunlight. No interactions are rated major, and every one on the list traces back to the same sun-sensitivity issue rather than many separate problems.

Interactions deserving the most attention

The combination that deserves the most care is rue plus photosensitizing drugs, meaning medications that already make skin more reactive to sunlight. Rue naturally contains chemicals called furanocoumarins and psoralens, and it has been linked to several reports of severe sunburn-like skin reactions. In one reported case, taking rue appeared to intensify the skin response to PUVA light therapy, a treatment that deliberately uses these same chemicals. If a medication carries a sun-sensitivity warning, adding rue could make that reaction worse.

What the rest of the list means

The long list of medications looks alarming, but it reflects one shared concern applied across many drugs, not hundreds of different dangers. Much of the evidence is theoretical or based on a small number of case reports, so it is not proven that every combination will cause a reaction in every person.

Check your medications against Rue

Based on HelloPharmacist’s Rue interaction data and reviewed under our editorial standards.

Interaction report

Drugs that interact with Rue

335 medications have a known interaction with Rue, graded by severity. Select any drug for the full evidence-based detail.

Don’t want to scroll the list? Just ask.

Tell us the medications you take and we’ll check each one against Rue using our pharmacist-reviewed interaction data.

AI summaries are generated from our Rue interaction data for education only — always confirm with your pharmacist. How we use AI

2,830 drugs

Read The List Like a Pharmacist

What Severity, Likelihood & Evidence Mean

Severity — How Serious It Can Be

Major. Clinically significant; generally best avoided, or used only under direct professional supervision.
Moderate. May need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one.
Minor. Generally not clinically significant, but still worth noting and mentioning to your pharmacist.
No known interaction. Checked against our sources with nothing documented — not the same as proven safety.

Likelihood — How Well It’s Documented

Likely. Well-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction
Probable. Interaction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
Possible. Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists
Unlikely. Interaction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.

Where This Data Comes From

Interaction records are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database (TRC Healthcare), the same reference used by pharmacists and hospitals.
Each drug listed above links to the full report for that exact Rue combination — clinical detail, likelihood, evidence level, and citations.
Content is reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

The big picture

The kinds of drugs Rue affects

Every type of medication (drug category) Rue is known to interact with. Open any category for the detail — or search your exact drug in the checker above.

All 1 drug category Rue interacts with

Photosensitizing Drugs

Theoretically, rue might increase the risk for phototoxicity when used with photosensitizing drugs.
Rue contains photosensitizing furanocoumarins and psoralens and has been associated with multiple reports of phototoxic reactions. There is also one case report of an increased phototoxic response to psoralen and ultraviolet A (PUVA) therapy associated with ingestion of rue.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Monograph

Rue: Uses, Safety & Side Effects

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS · Reviewed July 2026 ·

The bottom line

Rue is a strong-smelling herb from southern Europe with a long history in folk medicine, but there is very little reliable human research to support its health uses. It can be toxic in larger amounts and is considered unsafe during pregnancy, so most people should avoid it or use it only under professional guidance.

Scientific name: Ruta graveolens
Family: Rutaceae
Part used: Aerial parts (leaves and flowering tops) and essential oil
Common forms: Tea, tincture, dried herb, essential oil, topical preparations

People commonly use it for

Menstrual cramps
Digestive upset
Muscle spasms and pain
Headache
Insect repellent (topical)
Traditional folk remedy

Popular and traditional uses — not proof it works. See “Uses & effectiveness” below for the evidence.

Safety at a glance

OverallUse caution

Rue can be toxic in higher doses and the oil is especially risky, so use it cautiously if at all.

PregnancyLikely Unsafe

When used orally. Rue has uterine stimulant and abortifacient effects; avoid using. Deaths have been reported in women who used rue as an abortifacien...

Read the full pregnancy detail

BreastfeedingInsufficient reliable information

There is insufficient reliable information available about the use of rue when breast-feeding; avoid use.

Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center). Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

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Overview

Rue (Ruta graveolens) is a perennial evergreen shrub native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean region. It has blue-green, feathery leaves, small yellow flowers, and a strong, bitter smell. It is now grown in many parts of the world as an ornamental and culinary plant.

Rue has been used for centuries in traditional and folk medicine. People have taken it as a tea, tincture, or extract, and have used its essential oil on the skin. In small amounts it is sometimes used as a bitter flavoring in foods and drinks. Today it is most often found in herbal and homeopathic products.

How it works

Rue contains a number of plant compounds, including alkaloids, flavonoids such as rutin, coumarins, and furanocoumarins (like psoralen and bergapten), as well as a volatile essential oil. These compounds are thought to be responsible for both its possible effects and its potential to cause harm.

In laboratory and animal studies, rue extracts have shown antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activity. The furanocoumarins can make the skin more sensitive to sunlight. It is important to understand that these findings are mostly from test-tube and animal research and may not reflect what happens in the human body.

Effectiveness

Does Rue work?

Here’s what the research actually shows for each use — graded by Natural Medicines and reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD.

Evidence overview · 5 uses evaluated

5 Insufficient evidence

How to read these evidence grades

Natural Medicines’ 7-point scale. We show each rating’s label word-for-word.

1EffectiveStrong, consistent evidence it works.

2Likely EffectiveGood evidence, though not yet conclusive.

3Possibly EffectiveSome evidence suggests a benefit.

4Possibly IneffectiveSome evidence it may not help.

5Likely IneffectiveFairly strong evidence it doesn’t help.

6IneffectiveStrong evidence it doesn’t work.

7Insufficient Reliable Evidence to RateToo little research to say either way.

For Rue, current evidence isn’t strong enough to rate any specific use. The conditions it has been studied for are listed below.

Also studied for 5 conditions — evidence insufficient to rate

Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Abortion