Chinese rhubarb seeds herb Rheum palmatum Rheum officinale seeds da-huang
LATIN NAME: RHEUM PALMATUM
COMMON NAME: Chinese Rhubarb
The Chinese rhubarb masts the bold, clumping herb with the very large, rounded, deeply lobed leaves on the thick, upright stalks and the tall, branching flower stems that rise far above the foliage through the early summer, carrying the dense plumes of the small, creamy-white to reddish flowers, the winged, triangular fruits following. The plant grows quickly into the commanding clump, and it stands the cool weather well. It likes the sun or the part shade, and the deep, rich, moist soil.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The medicinal root chemistry of the Chinese rhubarb gives it a recognised place in the research on the traditional pharmacopeia of the buckwheat family, and the palmatum species appears in the studies of the anthraquinone compounds and the bold, architectural foliage. The work looks at the traditional preparations for the digestion, the way the huge leaves build, and the seed biology. The pharmacognosists value the root compounds, and the growers of the dramatic hardy perennials keep the species in their catalogues.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
In the cool garden, the Chinese rhubarb masts the summer border with the towering plumes. The great, lobed leaves make the bold specimen, the root has served the traditional remedies for the digestion for the ages, and the stalks of the related rhubarbs serve the kitchen. It thrives in the deep, rich, moist, sunny or lightly shaded ground. Bold, architectural and deep-rooted.
To grow the Chinese Rhubarb from seed, sow the fresh seeds into the moist, leafy drills of the open bed in the autumn, then cover them lightly, keep the bed moist, and the seedlings surface within a few weeks.
Keep the bed gently watered, and thin the seedlings to the roomy spacing. The mast-like stalks come within the season. Let the young clumps grow on in the rich, moist ground, and the mast-like stalks will rise over the summer.
In ancient China, rhubarb root was taken and recognized as a means to cure stomach ailments and as a “cathartic” (an agent used to relieve severe constipation), as well as its use as a poultice (a preparation of fresh, moistened, or crushed dried herbs, applied externally) for “fevers and edema” (swelling caused by fluid retention in the tissues of the body). It was given its Latin name by the renowned Carolus Linnaeus in the year 1759, and made to augment its proliferation to British botanical gardens around 1762.
The conditions treated by Chinese rhubarb in ancient times, are the same it is used to treat today.The root (the predominantly medicinal part of the species) is still known for its astringent capabilities (as well as a strong laxative); “the tannins in the root caused an astringent action making it useful in the early stages of diarrhea, dysentery, and other intestinal problems." It also serves antibacterial use in its ability to treat” toothaches, shingles, fevers, hypertension, burns, acute appendicitis, acute infectious hepatitis, conjunctivitis, swelling and pain of gums, and sores of the mouth or tongue."
