The Galilee Society - The Arab National Society For Health Research & Services(R.A.)

Garden Rue
Ruta chalepensis
Family: Rutaceae
Rue is a strong-smelling, somewhat bitter botanical herb, often incomparable to any other plant. Culinary uses of Rue have been documented from Ethiopia, through the Mediterranean region, to England. In Palestine, Rue is best known as an additive to storing and curing black olives. Medicinally Rue has been used to treat arthritis and eye skin diseases. Leaves and stems are immersed in olive oil and placed in the sun for up to 15 days; the oil can then be applied to the skin. An infusion of the leaves is also known to treat poisoning.

Field research: Cultivation of medicinal plants

A field research project conducted by the Galilee Society in cooperation with MA'AN Development Center for the cultivation of Medicinal Plants was launched on 1 November 2003 for a two year period. The project will investigate the introduction of new crops (medicinal plants) to farmers in the West Bank with the aim of replacing crops that are less profitable. The project is being conducted in two greenhouses and ten selected gardens in the West Bank area of Jenin.

Following tests of soil quality to determine the fertilization regimes, two greenhouses of one dunam each and ten gardens each with an area of 250 square meters, were selected for the cultivation of plant species.

In each greenhouse and garden one species of medicinal plants from the first group; Eryngium Creticum (Ar. Kursaana), Eruca Sativa (Ar. Jarjir), Hypericum (Ar. Halaweh), Lepidium Sativum (Ar. Rashad) and one species from the second group; Stivia (Ar. Helweh), Feverview (Ar. Oqhuwan) will be cultivated. The seeds or seedlings are collected or bought by the Galilee Society and provided to the farmers selected by Ma'an.

GS team Dr. Omar Said and Dr. Hasan Azaizeh with the assistance of local agricultural engineers will follow the cultivation procedure, fertilization, and pest control up to the harvest stage. The harvest will be packaged and marketed while some of the species will be harvested several times and used for the next season.

The Galilee Society�s Regional R&D Center's team is responsible for the preparation of a scientific pamphlet on each plant. Six pamphlets will be produced, four on the plants species cultivated in the first phase of the project and two on the plant species which will be cultivated in the second phase. Each scientific pamphlet will include information concerning cultivation, pest control, fertilization, harvest, as well as the nutritional and medicinal aspects of each plant species.

Training for farmers will be conducted in the first and second year and will include orientation, seminars, care and planting workshops in addition to organic pest control workshops. Packaging and marketing workshops and a tour to Al-Maissam, Kafr Kanna will be held in 2005.