Peganum harmala, commonly called Esfand, wild rue, Syrian rue, African rue,
harmel, or aspand is a plant of the family Nitrariaceae. Its common
English-language name came about because of a resemblance to rue. The plant's
seeds are especially noteworthy because they have seen continual use for
thousands of years in the rites of many cultures. The plant has remained a
popular tool in both folk medicine and spiritual practices for so long that
some historians believe the plant may be the ancient "soma".
It is a perennial plant which can grow to about 0.8 m tall, but normally it is
about 0.3 m tall. The roots of the plant can reach a depth of up to 6.1 m, if the
soil where it is growing is very dry. It blossoms between June and August in the
Northern Hemisphere. The flowers are white and are about 2.5–3.8 cm in
diameter. The round seed capsules measure about 1–1.5 cm in diameter, have
three chambers and carry more than 50 seeds.
Peganum harmala was first planted in the United States in 1928 in New Mexico by a
farmer wanting to manufacture the dye "Iranian red" from its seeds. Since
then, it has spread invasively to Arizona, California, Montana, Nevada,
Oregon, Texas and Washington. "Because it is so drought tolerant, African rue
can displace the native saltbushes and grasses growing in the salt-desert shrub
lands of the Western U.S." Traditional use
In Turkey, dried capsules from this plant are strung and hung in homes or
vehicles to protect against "the evil eye". It is widely used for protection
against Djinn in Morocco. In Iran, and some other countries in the
Arab world such as, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Jordan , dried capsules mixed
with other ingredients are placed onto red hot charcoal, where they explode
with little popping noises in a way similar to American popcorn. When they
burst a fragrant smoke is released. This smoke is wafted around the head of those
afflicted by or exposed to the gaze of strangers while a specific prayer is
recited. This tradition is still followed by members of many religions,
including Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and some Jews. Several versions of the
prayer accompanying the ritual, name of an ancient Zoroastrian Persian king,
called Naqshaband, is used. He is said to have first learned the prayer from
five protective female spirits, called Yazds. The tradition of burning the
plant to create cleansing smoke has reached as far as the Indian region of
Kashmir, where the seeds are thrown into a charcoal fire used during the Vedic
marriage rite or into charcoal pots as a way of warding off evil.
In Yemen, the Jewish custom of old was to bleach wheaten flour on Passover, in
order to produce a clean and white unleavened bread. This was done by
spreading whole wheat kernels upon a floor, and then spreading stratified
layers of African rue leaves upon the wheat kernels; a layer of wheat followed
by a layer of African rue, which process was repeated until all wheat had been
covered over with the astringent leaves of this plant. The wheat was left in
this state for a few days, until the outer kernels of the wheat were bleached
by the astringent vapors emitted by the African rue. Afterwards, the wheat was
taken up and sifted, to rid them of the residue of leaves. They were then ground
into flour, which left a clean and white batch of flour.
Peganum harmala has been used to treat pain and to treat skin inflammations,
including skin cancers. Peganum harmala has been used as an
emmenagogue and abortifacient agent. The "root is applied to kill lice" and
when burned, the seeds kill insects and inhibit the reproduction of the
Tribolium castaneum beetle. It is also used as an anthelmintic.
Reportedly, the ancient Greeks used the powdered seeds to get rid of tapeworms
and to treat recurring fevers. A red dye, "Turkey red", from the seeds
is often used in western Asia to dye carpets. It is also used to dye wool.
When the seeds are extracted with water, a yellow fluorescent dye is obtained. If
they are extracted with alcohol, a red dye is obtained. The stems, roots and
seeds can be used to make inks, stains and tattoos.
Some scholars identify harmal with the entheogenic haoma of pre-Zoroastrian
Persian religions. Research into other potential uses
Several scientific laboratories have studied possible uses for Peganum
harmala through studies in laboratory animals and in cells.
= Fertility= In large quantities, it can reduce
spermatogenesis and male fertility in rats.
= Antiprotozoal= Peganum harmala has been shown to have
antibacterial and anti-protozoal activity, including antibacterial
activity against drug-resistant bacteria.
One of the compounds found in P. harmala, vasicine, has been found to
kill Leishmania donovani, a protozoan parasite that can cause potentially
fatal visceral leishmaniasis. Another alkaloid, harmine, found in P.
harmala, has appreciable efficacy in destroying intracellular parasites in
the vesicular forms. A small study in sheep infected with the
protozoal Theileria hirci found Peganum harmala extract to be an effective
treatment. = Anticancer=
Seed extracts also show effectiveness against various tumor cell lines, both
in vitro and in vivo. "The beta-carboline alkaloids present in
medicinal plants, such as Peganum harmala and Eurycoma longifolia, have
recently drawn attention due to their antitumor activities. Further
mechanistic studies indicate that beta-carboline derivatives inhibit DNA
topoisomerases and interfere with DNA synthesis."
Peganum harmala has antioxidant and antimutagenic properties. Both the plant
and the extract harmine exhibit cytotoxicity with regards to HL60 and
K562 leukemia cell lines. Alkaloids
Some alkaloids of harmal seeds are monoamine oxidase A inhibitors:
Harmane, 0.16% Harmine, 0.44%–1.84%–4.3%
The coatings of the seeds are said to contain large amounts of harmine.
Harmaline, 0.25%–0.79%–5.6% Harmalol, 0.6%–3.90%
Tetrahydroharmine, 0.1% Total harmala alkaloids were at least
5.9% of dried weight, in one study. Vasicine, 0.25%
Vasicinone, 0.0007% References