The scientific name of the goat’s rue is Galegaofficinalis. Its origin is from the Middle East, but it has been naturalized in Western Asia and Europe. The shape of the goat’s rue is a straight, narrow, and smooth pod that is about one inch long. The taste of the goat’s rue is somewhat bitter and astringent taste. The goat’s rue is also known by many other names, such as Italian fitch, French lilac, common milk pea, common goat’s rue, Galega, and professor weed. The goat’s rue can be poisonous to mammals, but it can be good food for many different insects.
The season of goat’s rue is in August. The flowering season of goat’s rue is from June to July. The leaves of goat’s rue can be cooked and used like spinach. The goat’s rue is used as a substitute for rennet in curdling plant milk, etc. The goat’s rue is colony-forming, shrubby, erect, and woody herbaceous perennial plant. It normally grows about two meters in height. In traditional medicine, the goat’s rue was important to home remedy for the treatment of infectious diseases, fevers, and plague. The goat’s rue has galegine, which is an alkaloid that strongly decreased blood sugar levels and makes it useful in the treatment of diabetes.
Here are some health benefits of goat’s rue:
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Improves heart health:
The goat’s rue can help to boost heart health by reducing the risk factors which can lead to heart diseases, such as high blood pressure, altered lipid profile, and high blood glucose levels.
Improves lipid profile:
The regular consumption of goat’s rue can help to improve the overall lipid profile. The goat’s rue can help to reduce the bad cholesterol or LDL cholesterol in the blood and it can increase the concentration of good cholesterol or HDL cholesterol.
High blood pressure:
The goat’s rue is effective in lowering high blood pressure due to its anti-hypertensive properties. It can extend the arteries and blood vessels and can ensure smooth blood flow throughout the body. This is a reason why the goat’s rue can help in the management of high blood pressure, along with a salt-restricted diet.
Fights against cancer:
There are many studies in which are shown that the goat’s rue is an excellent anti-cancer agent. The leaves of goat’s rue have high amounts of phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens are acting similar to estrogen and they can protect against breast cancer. The goat’s rue has compounds that can kill the dangerous cancer cells and they can prevent the spread to other healthy cells of the body. Also, they can prevent the growth and multiplication of the cancer cells and destroy the formation and growth of the tumor.
Anti-inflammatory agent:
Chronic inflammation is a reason for many different diseases and disorders. The goat’s rue has the ability to prevent the production of pro-inflammatory conditions, which gives rise to inflammation. In studies are shown that the natural compounds in the goat’s rue can help to prevent the generation of nitric oxide in the body. If nitric oxide is produced in higher amounts in the body, then it can give rise to serious inflammatory diseases. When the goat’s rue is blocking the formation of such a dangerous compound, then it can protect the body against diseases.
Increases lactation:
The goat’s rue has natural galactagogue properties and it has a lactogenic effect. The goat’s rue can help to increase the breast milk supply. The goat’s rue has phytoestrogens which are plant chemicals that mimic the action of estrogen and they bind to the estrogen receptors and increase the concentration of Prolactin is a hormone and it is accountable for the secretion of milk in breastfeeding mothers.
Aids weight loss:
The goat’s rue is known as an anti-obesity agent. Many studies are shown that the goat’s rue can help in weight reduction in people who are normal and genetically obese. The consumption of goat’s rue in a combination with a calorie-restricted diet can help you to lose excess body fat.
