Turkey Rhubarb Rheum palmatum
- Common Names
- Turkey Rhubarb , Chinese rhubarb
- Botanical Name
- Rheum palmatum
- Family
- POLYGONACEAE
Medicinal Uses & Benefits of Turkey Rhubarb
How to Use|
Side Effects |
Plant & Garden|
- Medicinal Uses: * Chinese
* Constipation
* Spring Tonics
- Properties: * Astringent * Bitter * Laxative * Purgative * Stomachic
- Parts Used: Root
- Constituents: aloe-emodin, calcium, chrysophanol, emodin,cinnamic-acid, gallic-acid,glucose ,hyperin,magnesium,potassium, rhein,tannic acids, and sennosides a, b, and c.
How to Use: Turkey Rhubarb
Turkey rhubarb is a purgative and is most often used in herbal formulas for it's strong laxative effects in constipation and colon cleansing formulas. It is most famously an ingredient in the classic Essiac cancer formula. The use of rhubarb was recorded in the earliest Chinese herbals.
Turkey rhubarb works on the smooth muscles of the intestine, much like buckthorn and senna. Rhubarb is more appropriate than senna, however, when irregularity follows treatment with antibiotics; it is less dependent on the symbiotic bacteria of the colon. Mountain Rose Herbs
The active principles in rhubarb root are anthraquinones with purgative properties and bitters and tannins with the opposite effect. Rhubarb's action is dose dependant- small doses have mainly an aperitif and gentle tonic bitter effect. As the dose is increased the purgative anthraquinones predominate and rhubarb becomes the laxative that it is generally known for. Rhubarb is often added to liver/gallbladder remedies to enhance the effect. (Weiss, Rudolf Fritz M.D.)
Preparation Methods & Dosage :Can be taken in teas, tinctures,but may be easiest to use as a powder in capsule or tablet form
Turkey Rhubarb Remedies
In the Kitchen:
Rheum rhabarbarum , the first 'fruit' of spring, is really a vegetable. Tangy and tart pies made from my Grandmothers rhubarb patch is a favorite childhood memory. You just can't buy good rhubarb pies, and this tasty plant seems to fallen out of popular favor. Perhaps it is because rhubarb takes a patient gardener, rhubarb should not be harvested in the first year, and doesn't start to produce much until the third year. The leaves and roots contain oxalic acid, only the stalks are safe to eat.
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Chinese physicians today use rhubarb root teas to treat stubborn infections of the skin caused by staph infections. A powder of rhubarb root and licorice can be made into a plaster to treat boils and furuncles.
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Turkey Rhubarb Side Effects: Too much can cause cramping, too little can cause constipation. Use as directed. Don't take rhubarb or any other stimulant laxative if you take Lasix (furosemide); the combination can lead to potassium depletion. Not for long term use. Safety during pregnancy has not been determined. 1
Plant Description
Turkey rhubarb is closely related to the garden rhubarb our grandmothers used to bake pies. The root is part of Turkey rhubarb that is used in herbal medicine. Rhubarb roots are dug in the fall after the first killing frost. Roots from second and third year plants, properly aged, are the most effective. 1
Regional Traditions :North America * Traditional Chinese Medicine *
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