Rhubarb is an easily recognisable plant with large palmate leaves that stand on red stalks resembling celery. The fleshy root has tapering branches with a brown skin and yellow flesh. Turkish rhubarb (Rheum palmatum) is the principle species of rhubarb used in medicine, while common garden rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum) is similar in laxative effect, only weaker.

Rhubarb root was for centuries a major part of the trade on the Silk Road. It originated in the Chinese and Tibetan mountains and was transported through Turkey and Russia to the major Mediterranean ports. Trade was tightly regulated, testifying to both its high value compared with other goods being transported to Europe, and to the poor condition of the European gut. The current huge international market for senna is the modern equivalent.

The root is used to make an infusion, decoction or syrup, and then honey is added to mask the bitterness. The leaves and stalks contain oxalates so this plant is not usually eaten as a vegetable, and should not be used as a medicine by people who have a uric-acid diathesis, that is, people prone to developing gout or arthritis.

In a high dose rhubarb is a purging laxative (cathartic) for treating constipation, while in a low dose it is actually astringent to the gut, making it also useful for stopping a loose stool. Rhubarb’s antiviral, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory actions combine to make it useful for treating infectious conditions of the gut as well, and it was formerly used to treat dysentery.¹ A healthy purge can also be undertaken from time to time with rhubarb in order to treat blood poisoning arising from intestinal stasis, diverticulitis or dysbiosis, conditions which are caused by eating too much meat accompanied by refined carbohydrates that are devoid of the kind of dietary fibre usually obtained from eating plenty of fruit and vegetables.²

Because of its bitterness, rhubarb root is to some extent a digestive system tonic which stimulates the appetite and facilitates the absorption of nutrients.³ Rhubarb combines well with ginger or chamomile to prevent griping, but should not be used during pregnancy because it contains stimulating anthraquinone compounds such as rhein and emodin which stimulate muscle activity of the abdominal organs.

Furthermore, the long-term use of stimulating laxatives such as senna and rhubarb can make the bowel lazy, leading to a worsening of the underlying condition. We should look for the cause instead which may be an overly sedentary lifestyle, chronic stress, inadequate water intake, or just a lack of fibre, as already mentioned. After all, dietary fibre on its own may cure constipation as Dr. Dennis Burkitt exhorted in his famous book, Don’t Forget Fibre In Your Diet.⁴

Dietary fibre is comprised of two categories of starches, those that are easily broken down to produce energy and those like cellulose which are resistant to digestion. This second category nevertheless bulks the stool, nourishes our internal bacteria, fuels intestinal cells and carries away wastes. Bulk laxatives such as psyllium and linseed are not as dramatic in effect as rhubarb, prunes or senna, but can be relied on to work behind the scenes as an integral part of a daily regime that quietly promotes enduring health.

References:

1.         Shipard I. How Can I Use Herbs In My Daily Life? Nambour: David Stewart; 2003.

2.         Bartram T. Bartram’s Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine. New York: Marlowe & Company; 1998.

3.         McMullen MK, Whitehouse JM, Towell A. Bitters: Time for a New Paradigm. Evid-Based Complement Altern Med ECAM 2015;2015:670504.

4.         Burkitt D. Don’t Forget Fibre In Your Diet to help avoid many of our commonest diseases. Harper Collins; 1979.