Rheum officinale
Rheum officinale
Safety & Hazards
The plant, but especially the leaf blades, contains several toxic compounds, particularly anthraquinone glycosides, but also soluble oxalates and calcium oxylate crystals[ 34 Title The Oxford Book of Food Plants. Publication Author Harrison. S. Wallis. M. Masefield. G. Publisher Oxford University Press Year 1975 ISBN - Description Good drawings of some of the more common food plants from around the world. Not much information though. , 76 Title Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. Publication Author Cooper. M. and Johnson. A. Publisher HMSO Year 1984 ISBN 0112425291 Description Concentrates mainly on the effects of poisonous plants to livestock. , 293 Title Poisonous Plants of North Carolina Publication Author Website http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/poison.htm Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent concise but comprehensive guide to toxic plants that grow in N. Carolina. It lists even those plants that are of very low toxicity, including several well-known food plants such as carrots and potatoes. ]. At lower doses these can cause abdominal cramps, burning of the mouth and throat, headache, weakness, nausea and vomiting. In larger, quantities it can lead to coma and death, though generally very large quantities need to be eaten for the plant to be fatal. The leaf stems (petioles) have much lower quantities of toxins and, in several Rheum species are a commonly eaten food. The main caution here are the levels of oxalates. These can lock up certain minerals (especially calcium) in the body, leading to nutritional deficiency. Cooking the plant will reduce the concentration of oxalic acid. People with a tendency to rheumatism, arthritis, gout, kidney stones or hyperacidity should take especial caution if including this plant in their diet since it can aggravate their condition[ 238 Title Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Publication Author Bown. D. Publisher Dorling Kindersley, London. Year 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31 Description A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant. ].
Botanical Description
Rheum officinale is a herbaceous perennial plant growing from a stout, woody, rhizomatous rootstock; it produces a basal clump of leaves up to 30 - 50cm in diameter on petioles that are up to 45cm long; the plant flowers in the summer, producing stout flowering stems around 150 - 200cm tall[ 266 Title Flora of China Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ Publisher Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. Year 1994 ISBN Description An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials. It is one of several species of Rheum used in Japan for medicinal purposes and is included in the Japanese Pharmacopoeia[ 2033 Title The Japanese Pharmacopoeia Seventeenth Edition (Engkish Version) Publication Author Publisher Yakuji Nippo Ltd Year 2016 ISBN 9784840813716 Description ], It is cultivated for medicinal use in China, and is also grown as an ornamental[ 61 Title A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Publication Author Usher. G. Publisher Constable Year 1974 ISBN 0094579202 Description Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader. , 200 Title The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. Publication Author Huxley. A. Publisher MacMillan Press Year 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5 Description Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed. ].