Rue

Rue is a bitter herb permitted as a flavouring at strictly limited levels. It is one of the few culinary botanicals whose use is capped rather than open, because the plant contains compounds that are hazardous in quantity.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Rue by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationPermitted21 CFR 184.1698retrieved 2026-09-07
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFANot listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.

What it is made from

The leaves of Ruta graveolens. Handling the fresh plant in sunlight can cause skin burns, which is a property of the plant rather than of the food use.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
InChIKey
KHSBLMDTVROJFV-UHFFFAOYSA-N
PubChem
CID 132019640

Every name it appears under

3 recorded names. A label may use any of them.

As it appears in regulation

  • Rue

Other names

  • Rue

Systematic names

  • 3-[[(3-Carboxyphenyl)methyl-[2-(hydroxyamino)-2-oxoethyl]amino]methyl]benzoic acid

Hazard reference values

No reference value for this substance in the sources we hold.

Evidence and how bodies read it

Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated by hand rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.

Sources for this page

  • ecfr retrieved 2026-09-07

Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.

Machine-readable:/api/v1/additives/rue.json