RIIF.UM.— RHUBARB

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V.

I

RHEUM.—RHUBARB.

Synonimes : — Rhabarbarum. — Rhubarbe,Fr. ; Rhabarber, Dan. ; Germ. ; Dut. ;and SwED. ; Rawend, Arab.; Rabar-bara, Bohem. ; Tayhuam, Hay-hoang,Chin. ; Ta hoam, Cochin. ; Rewundchini, Duk. ; Ruibarbo, Fort. ; andSpan.; Reywan chime, Hind.; Rabár-baro, Ital. ; Schara modo. Mo. ; Rey-wand, Pers. ; Korzen Rabarbarowy,Pol. ; Variatu kalung, Tam. ; Dsehum-za, Thib.

ïlie pharmacopoeias principally designateunder this name the two following sub-stances :

A.

Officinal Rhubarb.

Lond. ; Dubl. ; EniNB. ; Ami:».; Amst. ;Ant.; Austr. ; Batav. ; Bavar. ;Belg. ; Bruns.; Dan.; Mil. Copen.;Hisp. ; Gall.; Fenn. ; Ferr. ; Form.Hup. Fr. ; Fuld. ; Genev. ; Hamb. ;H ann. ; IIass. ; Lipp. ; Olden.; Lu-sit. ; Palat. ; Pol. ; Cast. Borus. ;Bonus. ; Ross.; Sax.; Suec ; Wir-tem. ; Herbip.; Wü&CEBÍ ; Ainsi.ie ;Bergius ; Brugnatelli ; Coxe ; Gui-BOURT ; Murray and Gmei.in ; Paris;Piderit ; Saunders ; Spielmann ;Zarda.

There are several kinds of officinal rhu-barb :

1. Indian or Chinese Rhubarb; Rheumsen Rhabarbarum verum sen Indicum seuSitíense seu Chinease seu Danicum,— This isin round pieces, of a dull yellow colour ex-ternally, of a compact texture, brownish-yellow and veined internally, and of a bittertaste. It grits between the teeth, and tingesthe saliva with orange-yellow. The powderis between a fawn and an orange colour. Itcomes from China by Canton.

2. Russian, Tartarian, or Bucharian Rhu-barb ; Rheum seu Rhabarbarum Tartaricumseu Moscovificum seu Russicum. This is inflatfish, irregular, angular pieces, piercedwith large holes, of a pure yellow colourexternally, less compact than the preceding,presenting red and white veins, very dis-tinct and irregular. It has a very decidedodour, and a bitter and astringent taste.It tinges the saliva with saffron-yellow, andgrits between the teeth. Its powder is of apurer yellow than that of the preceding.This is the kind which is most esteemed,though the Chinese is also valued highlywhen perfectly sound. This also comesfrom China, but by Kiachta in Siberia.

Vol. II.

Guibourt thinks these two varieties arefurnished by the Rheum palmatum, Linn.{Fig. Flore Medic. VI. 297J, which growsin the environs of Kian-Sin and Chan-Sinin Chinese Tartary. Pfaff does not re-ject this origin, but still thinks it doubtful.

Another kind is also met with in com-merce :

3. European Rhubarb ; Rheum seu Rhu-barbarum Britannicum seu Gallicum seunostras ; it comes from the Rheum undu-latam, compactum, and also palmatum, cul-tivated in various countries of Europe, inEngland, France, and Germany. — This dif-fers from the two preceding, by its charac-ters both physical and chemical, and presentsgenerally, with a few slight modifications,those of the second variety of the RheumRhaponticum, which is equally indigenous.

Oriental rhubarb contains, according toHenri, a peculiar colouring principle,Rhabarbarine or Caphopicrite, a fixed oil,supermalate of lime, gum, starch, oxalate oflime, which makes one third of its weight,&c. It is from the presence of this last men-tioned salt that it grits between the teeth.Hornemann considers rhabarbarine to bean impure substance ; he attributes anotherpeculiar principle to rhubarb, which he callsRheumine, and which approximates to theacids although it is very different to theRheumic acid admitted by Henderson, butof which the existence has not been fullyestablished. He has also discovered in it asaccharine substance the presence of whichhas been also ascertained by Meissner.

Rhubarb is tonic or purgative, accordingto the dose ; it is tonic in that of from fiveto ten grains, and purgative in that of fromeighteen to twenty-four or more.

Pontic Rhubarb , Rheum Rhaponticum, —■Linn.

Synonimes ■.— Rhapontic, Fr. ; and Dut.;Pontischer Rhabarber, Germ. ; Reupon-tykum, Zemezluc wetssj, Bohem. ; Ra-pontico, Ital. ; Port. ; and Span.

Bruns.; Hisp. ; Ferr.; Form. Hop. Fr. ;Wirtem.; Herbip.; Belg. ; Bruns.;Guibourt ; Murray and Gmelin ;Spielmann ; Zarda.

A plant originally of the south of Russia,and cultivated in France. (Enneandria Tri-qynia, Linn. ; Polygones, Juss. ; Fig.Flore Medic. VI. 296)

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