Syrian Rue - Harmala Seeds | Peganum harmala

Peganum Harmala Seeds from the Silk Road Region

These small and brown seeds contain harmine and other harmala alkaloids. It is one of the plants speculated to be the Soma or Haoma of ancient Persia.

Peganum Harmala L.  (Zygophyllaceae) commonly known as “Harmala” is native from the eastern Iranian region west to India, and grows spontaneously in semiarid and pre-desertic regions of southeast Morocco and distributed in North Africa and the Middle East [54,55].

Commonly known as the source of the famous ‘Persian Red’ and ‘Turkey Red’ dyes (the species was first introduced to America in 1928, by a New Mexican farmer wanting to produce such colorant), Harmala seeds have seen continual use by many cultures for thousands of years.

The plant is a popular and versatile tool in both traditional medicine and spiritual practices. Consequently, the Turkish use its dried seed pods to ward off the evil eye and Moroccans use it to avoid Djinn, while several cultures used parts of the plant to produce tattoos and inks. Historically, ancient Greeks apparently used Harmala seeds to treat fevers and tapeworms, while Yemeni Jews used it to bleach Passover bread.