Indoor Herb Garden Kits and Herbal Remedies

Rhubarb Plant

POLYGON ACEAE Rheum palmatum (as well as types)
Curative Rhubarb, Chinese Rhubarb

Appearance
A perennial herb with a heavy rhizome together with a basal rosette of coarsely toothed palmately split foliage. The rather tall, robust, hollow, lightly furrowed stalk is branched towards the top part and possesses terminal panicles of reddish to greenish-white blossoms. The whole plant is reddish. The fruit is a triangular achene.

Look Out For The Poison In Rhubarb!
Although arguably one of the most ancient of herbal remedies, oxalates are present in all parts of rhubarb plants, most especially in the green leaves. There is some evidence that anthraquinone glycosides are likewise present and might be to some extent responsible. It is far from clear with regards to the exact source of poisoning from rhubarb, potentially a consequence of both substances. The stalks have low amounts of oxalates, so this does not lead to problems. The leaves of all rhubarbs are dangerous.

History
Medicinal Rhubarb is indigenous to northeast Asia where it still grows wild. In China it has been utilized as a source for various herbal remedies and cures for over 4,000 years and is now grown there as well as in other eastern countries for pharmaceutical uses.

The well known Garden Rhubarb cultivated for its edible stalks (R. rhaponticum) is not typically employed as a herbal remedy even though its stems are laxative. The name Rhubarb is originally from the classical Greek words rha (= an old name for the River Volga) and barbaros (= foreign).

True rhubarb, that provides effective purgative constituents., is the Chinese variety (Rheum palmatum?), which is only to be found growing in the mountainous areas in Kansu province.

Marco Polo, who knew all about the Chinese rhubarb, spoke about it at length in accounts of his excursions in China. So much interest in Marco Polo’s travels comes from the fact that Venice was a significant trading center and as a result of eastern Arabic influence, Chinese rhubarb was already commonly used in European pharmacy products.

Usage
Herbal Remedies

• The rhizomes of 5- to 7-year-old plants are utilized medicinally. The components feature two types of glycosides: tannin glycosides with free gallic acid, cinnamic acid and glucose; and anthraquinone glycosides based upon the aglycones chrysophanol, emodin, aloe-emodin and rhein (up to 10 per cent). When dried they possess a bitter taste.
• The rhizomes also contain starch and calcium oxalate. In small doses Rhubarb is astringent and is used to treat diarrhea and to quicken the appetite.
• More robust doses act as a laxative after 8 to 10 hours and are used to take care of persistent constipation.
• Rhubarb is included in certain patented formulations – it is an element of many herbal tea mixes and digestive powders.
• Rhubarb herbal remedies must not be taken by people that have urinary issues, uroliths, kidney stones, arthritis and rheumatism or by young children or nursing moms.
• Lately there have been suggestions that rhubarb root (Rheum officinale) could very well be helpful in therapy for Hepatitis B.

Culinary uses of Rhubarb

• Rhubarb – also “pie plant” – is valued for use in pies, tarts, and sauces. Only the petioles are eaten, whereas herbal solutions use the leaves and roots. The elevated levels of oxalic acid and other compounds within the leaves are harmful to people. The petioles incorporate much smaller amounts of oxalic acid and, primarily, malic acid.
• Take the fresh crisp stalks, and peel off any stringy covering before use. Stand the stalks in cold water for an hour or two to renew them before food prep. Before use, clear away any leaves and trim the tips. Rhubarb requires sweetening to diminish the extreme tartness.
• It would be served as a sauce over ice cream, mixed with fresh strawberries, or made into pies, tarts, puddings, breads, jam, jellies, and rejuvenating concoctions.

Rhubarb – One Of The Oldest Herbal Remedies

Growth Characteristics
Flowers in July (N.Hemispere) or January (S. Hemisphere)

R. palmatum does not grow very well in Europe and yet another species, R. officinale, typically referred to as Turkey Rhubarb, is grown on a small scale for medicinal use.

Gathering should be deferred until the second year following planting to allow for the build up of root reserve. At some stage in the second year, a light harvest may be taken and normal harvests can begin in the third year.
Rhubarb is a cool season, perennial plant that is extremely winter resilient and resistant against drought.

Rhubarb tolerates the majority of soils but grows up best on fertile, well-drained soils classified as rich in organic material. A thoroughly clean gardening location is necessary for the cultivation of rhubarb seeing that no herbicides are registered to be used on rhubarb. Small areas of perennial weeds can easily build-up to harmful quantities. To reduce this, all of the perennial weeds need to be killed off the year before planting. The fields would be cultivated in the springtime and after cutting, and hand hoeing may also be appropriate. Rhubarb is relatively free of bug and disease conditions.

Fertilization
Rhubarb is pretty tolerant of soil acidity but performs best in mildly to moderately acid soil. The plants are able to tolerate soil pH as low as 5.0; even so, highest yields are attained at a pH of 6.0 to 6.8. Good volumes of fertilizer are needed.
Rhubarb reacts nicely to fertilizers. The standard of the harvest and the quality of the herbal remedies produced from it is dependent to a large degree on the care and fertilization received.

Manure is an effective method of adding organic matter and helps to conserve humidity, preserves the soil structure, and helps make nutrients easily accessible. Fresh manure must not be utilized because it would probably burn the sensitive young rhubarb plants.