Rue plant
Rue shares its name with an old English word for regret, and the plant fits: bitter, sharp-smelling and worn as an amulet against witchcraft in Aristotle's time. Its sap can burn sunlit skin, fair warning about handling regret too long.
What it may mean
Rue has a long history: it was hung around the neck against witchcraft in Aristotle's day, engraved as a little sprig on Italian amulets against the evil eye, and kept in Venetian houses for good fortune. It also shares its name with an old English word for regret, and the plant fits the comparison: its leaves are bitter, its smell is sharp, and its sap can raise painful blisters on skin that is then exposed to sun. That is a sensible way to treat regret, too. A little of it protects you, because it shows what not to repeat. Rubbed in and carried out into the bright light of every day, it burns. Once a regret has taught you what it can, it is safer set down than handled any longer.
Depending on how you saw it
Rue growing in your garden
Rue is a tough, drought-tolerant herb with blue-green leaves and small yellow flowers, and many gardeners grow it more for its looks and its lore than for any use. Some plants are kept for what they stand for as much as for what they do. Which object or habit do you keep for its meaning rather than its usefulness?
A sprig given as a gift
Old charms used rue to guard against harm, yet the same plant can blister skin left out in the sun. A sprig of it as a gift is a sharp-smelling kind of blessing, protective and a little risky. Which blessing of yours arrived wrapped in something bitter?
Brushing against it on a sunny day
Touching rue and then standing in strong sun can leave red, blistered patches hours later, which is why gloves are a good idea when pruning it. The harm comes from the combination, not from the plant alone. Which of your irritations flare up only in a certain light, when you are tired, rushed or watched?
Why it happens in nature
Rue (Ruta graveolens) is a Mediterranean herb with a strong, bitter smell. Its sap contains compounds that make skin react to sunlight, so contact followed by sun exposure can cause burns and blisters; covering the skin when handling it is wise. It does best in dry, sunny spots and poor soil.
What folk beliefs say
Ancient Greece
In Aristotle's time, the 1903 collection says, rue was hung about the neck as an amulet to prevent witchcraft.
Source: Cora Linn Daniels; C. M. Stevans (eds.), Encyclopaedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World, vol. 2 (1903), vol. 2, p. 841. View the page
England
Rue and vervain were counted lucky plants in England.
Source: Cora Linn Daniels; C. M. Stevans (eds.), Encyclopaedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World, vol. 2 (1903), vol. 2, p. 841. View the page
Italy (Venice)
In Venice, rue was kept in the house for good fortune, but it was reserved for the single members of the family.
Source: Cora Linn Daniels; C. M. Stevans (eds.), Encyclopaedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World, vol. 2 (1903), vol. 2, p. 841. View the page
Italy
In Italy, amulets engraved with a sprig of rue were still worn in 1903, especially by children, to ward off the evil eye.
Source: Cora Linn Daniels; C. M. Stevans (eds.), Encyclopaedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World, vol. 2 (1903), vol. 2, p. 841. View the page
To reflect on
Which regret have you been carrying too long, and what has it already taught you?