Rheum officinale
| Rheum officinale | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Core eudicots |
| Order: | Caryophyllales |
| Family: | Polygonaceae |
| Genus: | Rheum |
| Species: | R. officinale |
| Binomial name | |
| Rheum officinale L. | |
Rheum officinale is a rhubarb from the family Polygonaceae originating in Asia.
Medicinal uses
Rheum officinale is used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it is called yào yòng dà huáng (Chinese: 药用大黄), and is also a component in the North American herbal remedy called Essiac tea.
In modern medicine, R. officinale has been studied for the treatment of hepatitis B. However, a meta-analysis of published clinical trials concluded that the quality of existing studies was "poor", but further study of R. officinale in combination with interferon is "justified".[1]
See also
- Chinese herbology 50 fundamental herbs
Notes
- ↑ McCulloch, M; Broffman, M; Gao, J; Colford Jr, JM (2002). "Chinese Herbal Medicine and Interferon in the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized, Controlled Trials". American journal of public health 92 (10): 1619–28. doi:10.2105/AJPH.92.10.1619. PMC 1447297. PMID 12356611.