Rhubarb
Parts Usually Used
Root
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
This species of rhubarb is a perennial herb which resembles the common garden rhubarb; the conical rootstock, which is fleshy and yellow inside, produces large, cordate, or almost orbicular, 7-lobed leaves on thick petioles that are from 12-18 inches long. A hollow flower stem, 5-10 feet high, also grows from the rootstock and is topped by a leafy panicle of greenish or whitish flowers.
Where Found
Cultivated outside its native Tibet and China mainly for ornamental and medicinal purposes.
Medicinal Properties
Appetizer, alterative, astringent, antipyretic, aperient, purgative, tonic, hemostatic, anthelmintic, vulnerary
Biochemical Information
Flavone, gallic acid, glucogallin, palmidine, pectin, phytosterol, rutin, starch, and tannins, anthroquinones, chrysophanol, physcion, sennidine, rheidine, tetrarin, catechin, pectin, (oxalic acid in the leaves)
Legends, Myths and Stories
Originating from northwest China and Tibet, this herb has been in use for over 2000 years. Gradually it spread through India, reaching Europe during the Renaissance, then into Asia Minor and Turkey. It was a favorite remedy with early Persian and Arabian physicians. The healthy and hardy pioneer families dared to venture into the unknown wilderness on their drive westward in America.
They could take only the necessities of life, such as guns, axes, farm tools, seeds, and other bare essentials on this hazardous journey. Records tell us that among the bare essentials the pioneer women included a piece of rhubarb root to assure themselves and their families of this medicinal treatment. Rhubarb came a long way in 4600 years of history from its native home in western China.
Uses
Distinct from garden rhubarb (R. rhabarbarum), the rootstock of this plant was historically noted by herbalists for possessing both laxative and astringent qualities. Traditional practitioners employed it for disorders affecting the colon, spleen, and liver, as well as for conditions such as headache, diarrhea, dysentery, constipation, jaundice, skin inflammations, and hemorrhoids.
Folk medicine also utilized the plant to expel intestinal worms, support gallbladder function, and address duodenal ulcers. Additionally, cold extracts of the rootstock were traditionally administered to stimulate the appetite, and historical sources attributed antibiotic properties to the plant.
How Sold
Available in powdered root or as a tincture
Warning
The leaf blades (although not the stalks) of rhubarb contain enough oxalic acid to cause poisoning. Fatalities have been reported when using the leaves. Prolonged use is not advisable, rhubarb aggravates any tendency toward chronic constipation. Pregnant women and nursing mothers are cautioned against using rhubarb. Also avoid if gout or arthritis is a problem. Use with caution on hemorrhoids.
Bibliography
The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. , Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 Chinese Medicinal Herbs , compiled by Shih-Chen Li, Georgetown Press, San Francisco, California, 1973. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Copyright 1988, published 1992 The Complete Medicinal Herbal , by Penelope Ody, Dorling Kindersley, Inc, 232 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, First American Edition, copyright 1993 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R.
, Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, 1973 American Folk Medicine , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1973 The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Fifth Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements , by James F.
D. and Phyllis A. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974