What Are the Medical Uses of Rheum Officinale?
Medicinal rhubarb, or Rheum officinale, has been used for thousands of years in Chinese medicine. Mostly grown and cultivated in China and Tibet, the root of this herb is used for medicinal purposes. Not to be confused with garden rhubarb of the same name, medicinal rhubarb has large leaves with brownish-colored stems. It can easily reach heights of around ten feet tall (about 3 meters). Garden rhubarb, while similar, has reddish-purple stems and only reaches about three feet tall (.9 meters). Garden rhubarb is also much less potent than that of the medicinal variety. The genus Rheum typically means “flow” and is associated with the plant’s purgative properties. This is due to the anthraquinones chemicals found in the plant. In fact, Rheum officinale is commonly used as a mild laxative to clean out the body.
