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. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (480x640, 67 KB) Please see the file description page for further information. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Divisions Green algae Chlorophyta Charophyta Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta—liverworts Anthocerotophyta—hornworts Bryophyta—mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) †Rhyniophyta—rhyniophytes †Zosterophyllophyta—zosterophylls Lycopodiophyta—clubmosses †Trimerophytophyta—trimerophytes Pteridophyta—ferns and horsetails Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta—seed ferns Pinophyta—conifers Cycadophyta—cycads Ginkgophyta—ginkgo Gnetophyta—gnetae Magnoliophyta—flowering plants... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants (also called angiosperms) are the dominant and most familiar group of land plants. ... Orders See text. ... Families Fabaceae (legumes) Quillajaceae Polygalaceae (milkwort family) Surianaceae The Fabales are an order of flowering plants, included in the rosid group of dicotyledons. ... Subfamilies Faboideae Caesalpinioideae Mimosoideae References GRIN-CA 2002-09-01 The name Fabaceae belongs to either of two families, depending on viewpoint. ... Tribes Abreae Adesmieae Aeschynomeneae Amorpheae Bossiaeeae Brongniartieae Carmichaelieae Cicereae Crotalarieae Dalbergieae Desmodieae Dipterygeae Euchresteae Galegeae Genisteae Hedysareae Indigofereae Liparieae Loteae Millettieae Mirbelieae Phaseoleae Podalyrieae Psoraleeae Robinieae Sophoreae Swartzieae Thermopsideae Trifolieae Vicieae Faboideae is a subfamily of the flowering plant family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. ... Genera include: Anthyllis Antopetitia Coronilla Cytisopsis Dorycnium Dorycnopsis Hammatolobium Hippocrepis Hymenocarpos Kebirita Lotus (genus) Ornithopus Podolotus Scorpiurus Securigera Tripodion Vermifrux The tribe Loteae is one of the subdivisions of the plant family Fabaceae. ... Binomial name Galega officinalis Galega officinalis (also known as Goats rue, French lilac, Italian fitch or Professor-weed) is a plant from the Galega genus of the Faboideae. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal system of naming species. ... Carl Linnaeus, Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 23, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... Binomial name Galega officinalis Galega officinalis (also known as Goats rue, French lilac, Italian fitch or Professor-weed) is a plant from the Galega genus of the Faboideae. ... Tribes Abreae Adesmieae Aeschynomeneae Amorpheae Bossiaeeae Brongniartieae Carmichaelieae Cicereae Crotalarieae Dalbergieae Desmodieae Dipterygeae Euchresteae Galegeae Genisteae Hedysareae Indigofereae Liparieae Loteae Millettieae Mirbelieae Phaseoleae Podalyrieae Psoraleeae Robinieae Sophoreae Swartzieae Thermopsideae Trifolieae Vicieae Faboideae is a subfamily of the flowering plant family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. ... A glass of cows milk. ...

Other Galega species are Galega orientalis.

Galega is used as a food plant by the larva of Coleophora vicinella, a species of moth. A larval insect A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ... Coleophora is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae with over 750 described species. ... A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly. ...

Medical use

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. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... For the disease characterized by excretion of large amounts of very dilute urine, see diabetes insipidus. ... Guanidine is a crystalline compound of strong alkalinity formed by the oxidation of guanine. ... In medicine, blood sugar is a term used to refer to levels of glucose in the blood. ... Insulin resistance is the condition in which normal amounts of insulin are inadequate to produce a normal insulin response from fat, muscle and liver cells. ...

Chemical derivatives from the biguanide class of medication include metformin (Glucophage®, commonly prescribed for diabetics) and the older, withdrawn agent phenformin. Biguanides (ATC A10 BA) form a class of oral hypoglycemic drugs used for diabetes mellitus treatment. ... It has been suggested that Blockbuster drug be merged into this article or section. ... Metformin (INN; trade names Glucophage, Diabex, Diaformin, Fortamet, Riomet, Glumetza and others) is an anti-diabetic drug from the biguanide class of oral hypoglycemic agents. ... For the disease characterized by excretion of large amounts of very dilute urine, see diabetes insipidus. ... Phenformin is an anti-diabetic drug from the biguanide class. ...

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).

• Noxious Weed USDA Noxious & Invasive Weeds.

Galega officinalis - from Thomé
Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz 1885