Galega officinalis

Galega officinalis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Fabales Family: Fabaceae Subfamily: Faboideae Genus: Galega
Binomial name
Galega officinalis

Galega officinalis (also known as Goat's rue, French lilac, Italian fitch or Professor-weed) is a plant from the Galega genus of the Faboideae. Its name derives from gale (milk) and ega (to bring on), as Galega has been used as a galactologue in small domestic animals (hence the name "Goat's rue"). Galega bicolor is a synonym. It is a hardy perennial that blooms in the summer months.

Other Galega species are Galega orientalis.

Table of contents

1 Medical use 2 Sources 3 External links

Medical use

The galega officinalis has been known since the Middle Ages for relieving the symptoms of diabetes mellitus. Upon analysis, it turned out to contain guanidine, a substance that decreases blood sugar by decreasing insulin resistance.

Chemical derivatives from the biguanide class of medication include metformin (Glucophage®, commonly prescribed for diabetics) and the older, withdrawn agent phenformin.

Sources

• Witters LA. The blooming of the French lilac. J Clin Invest 2001;108:1105–1107. DOI 10.1172/JCI200114178.

External links

• Taxonomy on NCBI (National Library of Medicine).