Rhubarb Root

🌿 Rhubarb Root (Rheum palmatum)

Also known as: Chinese Rhubarb • Turkish Rhubarb • Da Huang
Family: Polygonaceae (Buckwheat Family)
Origin: China
Parts Used: Root and Rhizome
Primary Use: Digestive Cleanse • Liver Support • Gentle Laxative

✨ Description

Rhubarb Root, also known as Rheum palmatum, is a time-honored herb native to China and Tibet, where it has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for over 2,000 years. Unlike the sweet garden rhubarb used in pies, this medicinal variety is prized for its bitter, earthy taste and potent detoxifying properties.

When cut and dried, Rhubarb Root reveals a rich reddish-golden hue and a naturally tangy, astringent flavor. Herbalists use it as a digestive regulator—stimulating sluggish bowels in small doses and toning the digestive tract when used in moderation.

As both a food and medicine, Rhubarb has long been considered a “dual-action herb” — purging what is excessive while restoring what is lacking. It is deeply cleansing to the liver, gallbladder, and intestines, promoting clarity, balance, and renewal throughout the system.

🍵 Internal Uses & Benefits

• Digestive Cleanse: Encourages gentle elimination and relieves occasional constipation.
• Liver Support: Promotes bile flow and detoxification.
• Blood & Skin Purifier: Traditionally used to clear heat and toxins from the blood, supporting clearer skin.
• Appetite & Metabolism: Stimulates digestion and aids nutrient absorption.
• Bloating & Stagnation: Relieves a heavy, full feeling after meals and helps move stagnant food through the system.

How to Use:

• Tea (Decoction): Simmer ½–1 tsp of cut root in 1 cup of water for 10–15 minutes. Strain and drink once daily.
• Capsules: 300–500 mg once daily as needed for gentle elimination.
• Powder: ¼ tsp mixed with water or juice as a digestive tonic.

Pairs Well With:

• Aloe Vera or Slippery Elm: For gentle bowel regulation.
• Burdock Root or Dandelion Root: For liver detox and blood cleansing.
• Cascara Sagrada or Senna: For short-term cleansing formulas.

💧 External Uses

Rhubarb Root can be used externally in poultices or washes for minor skin eruptions, burns, or wounds. Its natural tannins tighten and tone tissues, while its astringent nature helps cleanse and balance oily or inflamed skin.

🌬️ Smoking & Aromatic Use

Not suited for smoking. Its properties are best experienced as a tea, decoction, or extract.

🐾 For Pets

Not recommended for animals due to its potent laxative effects. Avoid use unless directed by a holistic veterinarian.

🔮 Metaphysical & Energetic Uses

Element: Fire & Earth
Chakra Alignment: Solar Plexus & Root

Energetically, Rhubarb Root is a purifier of body and spirit.
It helps one release heaviness, stagnation, and emotional toxicity, restoring flow and clarity to the mind and gut — both seats of intuition and vitality. It teaches the art of renewal: letting go of the old to make way for the new.

Affirmation:

“I release all that no longer serves me — I cleanse, I flow, I rise renewed.”

🌾 Harvest & Sourcing

Our Organic Rhubarb Root is cultivated in the mountainous regions of China, where rich soil and cool temperatures encourage a high concentration of active compounds. After harvest, the roots are washed, sliced, and naturally air-dried, then cut and sifted for ease of use in teas and blends.

⚖️ Energetics & Taste

• Taste: Bitter, tangy, earthy, slightly cooling.
• Energetic Profile: Cleansing, purging, stimulating, and grounding.

⚠️ Warnings

• Do not use if you have diarrhea, loose stools, or inflammatory bowel conditions.
• Avoid during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
• Use short-term only (no more than 7–10 consecutive days).
• Consult your healthcare provider before use if you take laxatives, diuretics, or heart medications.

🌻 A Note from the Herbalist

Rhubarb Root is the herbal equivalent of spring cleaning — thorough, energizing, and revitalizing. It clears what has built up over time and gently encourages the body to return to its natural rhythm. When used with care, it reminds us that cleansing is a form of nourishment, not depletion.

“Cleansing isn’t punishment — it’s permission to begin again.”