Gal?ga officinal

Related Terms

Arginine, avanese (Italian), bitters, Bockskraut (German), capraggine (Italian), Caucasian goat's rue, cheese rennet, Fabaceae (family), false indigo, flavonoids, Fleckenkraut (German), French honeysuckle, French lilac, galactagogue, galega (Portuguese - Brazil, Dutch, Spanish), gal?ga officinal (French), Gallega officinalis, Galega officinalis herba, Galega officinalis L., galegine, galuteolin, Geissklee (German), Geissraute (German), geitvikke (Norwegian), getruta (Swedish), gew?hnliche Geissraute (German), glycosides, goat's rue, goats rue, goat's rue herb, goatsrue, guanidine, guanidine acetic acid, guanidinon-acetic acid, harilik kitsehernes (Estonian), Herba Rutae caprariae, Italian fitch, jestrabina l?karsk? (Czech), kecskeruta (Hungarian), l?ge-stregb?lg (Danish), metformin, oriental goat's rue, Papilionaceae (family), peganine, Pestilenzkraut (German), Pockenraute (German), professor-weed, Rhizobium galegae, Rhizobium galegae bv. officinalis, rue de ch?vre (French), rutwica lekarska (Polish), saponins, Spanish sainfoin, stregb?lg (Danish), Suchtkraut (German), tannins, Ziegenraute (German).

Background

Galega officinalis, commonly known as goat's rue, French lilac, Italian fitch, or professor-weed, is a bitter and strong-smelling herb that grows in the Middle East, southern Europe, and western Asia.
Although now considered a weed, goat's rue was introduced into the United States in 1891 as forage for livestock.
Goat's rue has been traditionally used to increase breast milk production and treat diabetes. Goat's rue may also help control blood sugar and promote weight loss.
Although not well studied in humans, goat's rue may interact with medicines taken to reduce blood sugar or reduce the risk of bleeding.
Galegine, a Galega extract, led to the development of the only approved biguanide antidiabetic drug, metformin.

Evidence Table

These uses have been tested in humans or animals. Safety and effectiveness have not always been proven. Some of these conditions are potentially serious, and should be evaluated by a qualified healthcare provider. GRADE *
These uses have been tested in humans or animals. Safety and effectiveness have not always been proven. Some of these conditions are potentially serious, and should be evaluated by a qualified healthcare provider. GRADE *
* Key to grades

A: Strong scientific evidence for this use
B: Good scientific evidence for this use
C: Unclear scientific evidence for this use
D: Fair scientific evidence for this use (it may not work)
F: Strong scientific evidence against this use (it likley does not work)
* Key to grades

A: Strong scientific evidence for this use
B: Good scientific evidence for this use
C: Unclear scientific evidence for this use
D: Fair scientific evidence for this use (it may not work)
F: Strong scientific evidence against this use (it likley does not work)

Tradition / Theory

The below uses are based on tradition, scientific theories, or limited research. They often have not been thoroughly tested in humans, and safety and effectiveness have not always been proven. Some of these conditions are potentially serious, and should be evaluated by a qualified healthcare provider. There may be other proposed uses that are not listed below.

Dosing

Adults (18 years and older)
For many conditions, 20-200 milligrams of goat's rue has been given by mouth three times daily. One-cup portions of an herbal infusion of goat's rue have been given by mouth twice daily. An herbal tincture of 1-2 milliliters of goat's rue has been given three times daily. Infused herbs must be strained and cooled. No specific length of time has been reported.
To increase milk supply, one teaspoonful of dried goat's rue leaves, added to a cup of boiling water and left to infuse for 10-15 minutes, has been given by mouth two times daily. For tincture, 20-40 drops (2-4 milliliters) have been given 2-3 times daily.

Safety

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not strictly regulate herbs and supplements. There is no guarantee of strength, purity or safety of products, and effects may vary. You should always read product labels. If you have a medical condition, or are taking other drugs, herbs, or supplements, you should speak with a qualified healthcare provider before starting a new therapy. Consult a healthcare provider immediately if you experience side effects.

Interactions

Interactions with Drugs
Although not well studied in humans, goat's rue may lower blood sugar levels. Caution is advised when using medications that may also lower blood sugar. People taking insulin or drugs for diabetes by mouth should be monitored closely by a qualified healthcare professional, including a pharmacist. Medication adjustments may be necessary.
Although not well studied in humans, goat's rue may increase the risk of bleeding when taken with drugs that increase the risk of bleeding. Some examples include aspirin, anticoagulants (blood thinners) such as warfarin (Coumadin?) or heparin, antiplatelet drugs such as clopidogrel (Plavix?), and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen (Motrin?, Advil?) or naproxen (Naprosyn?, Aleve?).
Many tinctures contain high levels of alcohol and may cause nausea or vomiting when taken with metronidazole (Flagyl?) or disulfiram (Antabuse?).
Goat's rue may also interact with antibiotics, iron salts, and weight loss medication.

Attribution

This information is based on a systematic review of scientific literature edited and peer-reviewed by contributors to the Natural Standard Research Collaboration (www.naturalstandard.com).

Bibliography

Atanasov AT, Chorbanov BP, and Dimitrov BD. Anti-aggregation activity of crude water extract of Galega officinalis L. fractionated on Sephadex G-25 and Sepharose 4B. Folia Med.(Plovdiv.) 2002;44(1-2):45-49.
Atanasov AT and Spasov V. Inhibiting and disaggregating effect of gel-filtered Galega officinalis L. herbal extract on platelet aggregation. J.Ethnopharmacol. 2000;69(3):235-240.
Atanasov AT and Tchorbanov B. Anti-platelet fraction from Galega officinalis L. inhibits platelet aggregation. J.Med.Food 2002;5(4):229-234.
Atanasov AT and Tchorbanov BJ. Antiplatelet aggregation activity of a fraction isolated from Galega officinalis L. J Herbs Spices Medicinal Plant 2002;10(2):63-71.
Bailey CJ and Day C. Metformin: its botanical background. Pract Diab Int 2004;21(3):115-117.
Barger G and White FD. Galuteolin, a New Glucoside from Galega Officinalis. Biochem.J 1923;17(6):836-838.
Cavaliere C. Glucophage: Diabetic drug based on traditional herb celebrates 50 years of use. HerbalGram 2008;76:44-49.
Champavier Y, Allais DP, Chulia AJ, and Kaouadji M. Acetylated and non-acetylated flavonol triglycosides from Galega officinalis. Chem.Pharm Bull.(Tokyo) 2000;48(2):281-282.
Hadden DR. Goat's rue - French lilac - Italian fitch - Spanish sainfoin: gallega officinalis and metformin: the Edinburgh connection. J R.Coll.Physicians Edinb. 2005;35(3):258-260.
Keeler RF, Baker DC, and Evans JO. Individual animal susceptibility and its relationship to induced adaptation or tolerance in sheep to Galega officinalis L. Vet.Hum.Toxicol. 1988;30(5):420-423.
Lemus I, Garcia R, Delvillar E, and Knop G. Hypoglycaemic activity of four plants used in Chilean popular medicine. Phytother.Res. 1999;13(2):91-94.
Mooney MH, Fogarty S, Stevenson C, Gallagher AM, Palit P, Hawley SA, Hardie DG, Coxon GD, Waigh RD, Tate RJ, Harvey AL, and Furman BL. Mechanisms underlying the metabolic actions of galegine that contribute to weight loss in mice. Br.J Pharmacol. 2008;153(8):1669-1677.
Neef H, Augustijns P, Declercq P, Declerck PJ, and Laekeman G. Inhibitory effects of Galega officinalis on glucose transport across monolayers of human intestinal epithelial cells. Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Letters 1996;6:86-89.
Palit P, Furman BL, and Gray AI. Novel weight-reducing activity of Galega officinalis in mice. J Pharm Pharmacol. 1999;51(11):1313-1319.
Petricic J and Kalodera Z. Galegin in the goat's rue herb: toxicity, antidiabetic activity and content determination. Acta Pharm Jugosl 1982;32:219-223.