[[File:Rheum rhabarbarum.jpg|thumb|Alt=Rheum rhabarbarum|250px|left|Rheum rhabarbarum]]Other Names: Rheum Rhaponticum, Wild Rhubarb, Garden Rhubarb<br>See also : *[[Rheum Palmatum]]*[[Anthraquinone]]
==Special Precautions of Rhubarb==
*It should be noted that rhubarb, while tart and nutritious, is toxic to humans if the top leaves are consumed (only eat the red stalks, or petioles)
*Pregnant and nursing women should not use Chinese Rhubarb Root Herbal Supplement (it is a uterine stimulant)
* It should not be used by those who suffer from colitis or have intestinal obstruction
* Kidney stones : Rhubarb is high in calcium, more than a comparable cup of milk. Unfortunately, the calcium is in the form of calcium oxalate, which blocks absorption of calcium not only from the ingested rhubarb itself, but also from any other food eaten at the same time. Cooking converts the oxalic acid into an inorganic crystalline form which can build up into kidney stones. Those who tend to develop kidney stones with oxalate content should avoid rhubarb.
* Diarrhea or constipation: Rhubarb can make diarrhea or constipation worse, depending on the preparation used.
*Some people use rhubarb so they have to strain less during bowel movements; this reduces pain from hemorrhoids or tears in the skin lining the anal canal (anal fissures).
*Rhubarb is sometimes applied to the skin to treat cold sores.
* Cancer : Researchers have found that baking British garden rhubarb for 20 minutes dramatically increases its levels of anti-cancerous chemicals
* [[Leukemia]] : A research effort at Winship Cancer Institute recently identified a substance in orange lichen and rhubarb that has the potential to be used as a new anti-cancer drug. The substance, an orange pigment known as parietin or physcion, slows the growth and can even kill leukemia cells harvested from patients, without obvious toxic effects on human cells, the study authors report.
[[Category:Treatments]]
[[Category:herbal medicine]]
[[Category:fruit & vegetables]]
[[Category:Antineoplastic]]
[[Category:Hypotensive]]
[[Category:Sialagogue]]