bubble_chart Source

This product is the root and rhizome of the perennial herbaceous plant of the Polygonaceae family, Palmate Rhubarb Rhizoma (Rheum Palmatum L.), Tangut Rhubarb Rhizoma (Rheum tanguticum Maxim. ex Balf.), or Medicinal Rhubarb Rhizoma (Rheum officinale Baill.). Palmate Rhubarb Rhizoma and Tangut Rhubarb Rhizoma are referred to as Northern Rhubarb Rhizoma, mainly produced in Qinghai, Gansu, and other regions. Medicinal Rhubarb Rhizoma is referred to as Southern Rhubarb Rhizoma, mainly produced in Sichuan. It is harvested in late autumn when the stems and leaves wither or before sprouting in the following spring. After removing the fibrous roots, scraping off the outer skin, and cutting into pieces, it is dried for raw use, or processed by stir-frying with wine, steaming with wine, or stir-frying to scorch for use.

bubble_chart Properties and Meridians

Bitter, cold. act on spleen, stomach, large intestine, liver and heart channels.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Purging and eliminating accumulation, clearing heat and purging fire, stopping bleeding, removing toxins, invigorating blood and resolving stasis.

bubble_chart Indications

1. Used for severe constipation and gastrointestinal retention of food. Rhubarb Rhizoma is bitter and cold, with strong purgative and laxative effects, and can cleanse the gastrointestinal tract of retained food. It is a key medicine for treating food retention constipation, especially for heat accumulation constipation. For treating warm febrile disease with heat accumulation constipation, persistent high fever, even unconsciousness and delirious speech, or Zabing heat accumulation constipation, it is often used with Mirabilite, Jishi, Magnolia Bark to enhance the laxative and heat-discharging effects, such as Major Purgative Decoction; for treating interior excess heat accumulation accompanied by qi and blood deficiency, or yin deficiency and fluid depletion, it can be used with qi-tonifying and blood-nourishing medicines or yin-enriching and fluid-producing medicines; for treating spleen yang deficiency and cold accumulation constipation, it must be used with Aconite Lateral Root, Dried Ginger and other interior-warming medicinals, such as Spleen-Warming Decoction; for treating dampness-heat dysentery at the initial stage with abdominal pain and tenesmus, it is often used with Coptis Rhizome, Aucklandia Root to clear dampness-heat and food retention in the intestines; for treating food accumulation abdominal pain with diarrhea but not smooth, it can be used with green tangerine peel, Aucklandia Root to attack accumulation and guide stagnation.
2. Used for hematemesis, epistaxis, hemoptysis due to reckless movement of blood heat, as well as red eyes, sore throat, and swollen gums caused by upward flaming of fire pathogen. This product is bitter and descending, can make the upward flaming fire descend, and has the effects of clearing heat and purging fire, and stopping bleeding. For treating the above conditions, it is often used with Huangqin, Skullcap Root, such as Heart-Draining Decoction. Modern clinical use of Rhubarb Rhizoma powder alone for upper consumptive thirst and gastrointestinal bleeding has good efficacy.
3. Used for heat toxin sores and ulcers, burns and scalds. This product can be used internally and externally. Internal use can clear heat and remove toxins, and with its purgative and laxative effects, it can discharge heat toxins. For treating heat toxin abscesses, boils, and sores, it is often used with Lonicera, Dandelion, Forsythia; for treating intestinal abscess with abdominal pain, it is often used with Peony Bark, Peach Kernel, such as Rhubarb and Peony Peel Decoction. This product can be used externally to clear heat toxins and reduce swelling. For treating heat toxin abscesses, boils, and sores, it can be ground into powder and mixed with honey water for application; for treating mouth and tongue sores, it can be ground with alum and applied to the affected area; for treating burns and scalds, it can be used alone or mixed with Sanguisorba powder and applied with sesame oil.
4. Used for stasis syndrome/pattern. This product has good effects of invigorating blood and resolving stasis, and is a common medicine for treating stasis syndrome/pattern. For treating postpartum blood stasis abdominal pain and lochiorrhea in women, it is often used with Peach Kernel, Shuzhong, such as Stasis-Precipitating Decoction; for treating women's blood stasis amenorrhea, it is often used with Carthamus, Chinese Angelica; for treating traumatic injuries, static blood swelling and pain, it can be used with Peach Kernel, Carthamus, Pangolin Scales, such as Origin-Restoring Blood-Invigorating Decoction.
5. In addition, this product is bitter and cold in nature, with a descending and purging effect, and can be used in combination with medicinals that clear and purge heat and dampness. It is used for dampness-heat syndromes such as jaundice and stranguria. For treating dampness-heat jaundice, it is often paired with Virgate Wormwood, Gardenia, as in Virgate Wormwood Decoction. For treating heat stranguria, it is often paired with Akebia Stem, Plantain Seed, Gardenia, etc., as in Eight-Ingredient Rectification Powder.

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Benjing: "Stops static blood, closes cold and heat, breaks stuffiness and abdominal masses, resolves persistent fluid retention and retained food, cleanses the intestines and stomach, promotes renewal, facilitates the passage of water and grain, regulates the middle and transforms food, and harmonizes the five zang-organs."
2. Bencao Gangmu: "Treats dysentery with red and white discharge, rectal urgency and abdominal pain, dribbling urination, substantial heat and dryness accumulation, tidal fever and delirious speech, jaundice, and various fire sores."
3. Yaopin Huayi: "Rhubarb Rhizoma has a heavy and turbid odor, descends directly and moves without staying, possessing the power to break through barriers, hence it is called the 'General.' It specifically targets heart and abdominal distension and fullness, chest and stomach heat accumulation, abdominal masses and phlegm, constipation and static blood, and amenorrhea in women."

bubble_chart Usage and Dosage

Decoct 5-10g for oral use. Apply an appropriate amount externally. Raw Rhubarb Rhizoma has a stronger purgative effect and should be used raw for those who need to purge. When used in decoction, it should be added later or steeped in boiling water, as prolonged decoction weakens its purgative effect. Wine-processed Rhubarb Rhizoma has a weaker purgative effect but better blood-activating properties, making it suitable for stasis syndrome/pattern. Charred Rhubarb Rhizoma is often used for hemorrhagic syndrome.

bubble_chart Cautions and Contraindications

This product is bitter and cold, which can easily damage stomach qi, and should be used with caution by those with spleen-stomach weakness; its nature is descending, and it is good at invigorating blood and resolving stasis, so it should be avoided by women during pregnancy, menstruation, and lactation.

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

This product mainly contains anthraquinone derivatives, a portion of which are in a free state, such as Rhubarb Rhizoma acid, Rhubarb Rhizoma phenol, Rhubarb Rhizoma element, Aloes Rhubarb Rhizoma element, and Rhubarb Rhizoma element methyl ether. The majority are in a combined state, such as Rhubarb Rhizoma acid-8-glucoside, Rhubarb Rhizoma element methyl ether glucoside, Aloes Rhubarb Rhizoma element glucoside, Rhubarb Rhizoma phenol glucoside, and sennosides A, B, C, E, F, etc. It also contains Rhubarb Rhizoma tannins, fatty acids, calcium oxalate, glucose, fructose, and a large amount of starch.

The active laxative components of Rhubarb Rhizoma are anthraquinone glycosides, mainly sennosides, which primarily act on the large intestine, increasing intestinal motility, inhibiting water absorption in the intestines, and promoting bowel movements. Rhubarb Rhizoma has anti-infective properties, inhibiting a variety of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, with the most sensitive being staphylococci and streptococci, followed by diphtheria bacilli, cold-damage disease and paracold-damage disease bacilli, pneumococci, dysentery bacilli, etc. It also inhibits influenza viruses. Due to the presence of tannins, constipation may occur after diarrhea. It has stomachic and cholagogic effects; in addition, it also has hemostatic, liver-protective, antihypertensive, and cholesterol-lowering effects.