botanical record · discovered
Chinese Rhubarb
Rheum officinale
Chinese Rhubarb · Chinese Rabarber · Chinese rhubarb · Klembak · Rabarbar lekarski · Ruibarbo turco · Rzewień lekarski · Tibetan Rhubarb · Tibetan rhubarb · Turkse rabarber · chinesischer Rhabarber · gebräuchlicher Rhabarber · legerabarbra · läkerabarber · ravent · rebarbora lekárska
At a glance
Origin / distribution: Japan*, Turkey, China, Java, Malaya, CO, CZ, IT
Cultural traditions: not documented
Recorded uses: Aperient, Astringent, Burn, Cancer
Science studied: ALOE-EMODIN-8-MONO-BETA-D-GLUCOSIDE, CAFFEIC-ACID, CALCIUM-OXALATE, CATECHIN-TANNINS
Research volume: 0 indexed records · volume only · methodology ↗
Legal status: Varies by jurisdiction; not assessed in this record.
Names and identity
Family: Polygonaceae
Scientific name: Rheum officinale
Common names: Chinese Rhubarb, Chinese Rabarber, Chinese rhubarb, Klembak, Rabarbar lekarski, Ruibarbo turco, Rzewień lekarski, Tibetan Rhubarb, Tibetan rhubarb, Turkse rabarber, chinesischer Rhabarber, gebräuchlicher Rhabarber, legerabarbra, läkerabarber, ravent, rebarbora lekárska
History
The source record documents this plant in Japan*, Turkey, China, Java, Malaya, CO, CZ, IT and 3 additional places.
It records these historical or traditional applications:
- Aperient
- Astringent
- Burn
- Cancer
- Cancer(Cervix)
- Cancer(Stomach)
- Cosmetic
- Dysentery
show 21 more documented entries
- Dyspareunia
- Dysuria
- Fever
- Fumitory
- Gynecopathy
- Jaundice
- Laxative
- Poison
- Purgative
- Sore
- Stomachic
- Tonic
- Boil
- Congestion
- Decoagulant
- Malaria
- Bactericide
- Depurative
- Diarrhea
- Freckles
- Vermifuge
This summary is limited to the cited source record.
Origins and distribution
- Japan*
- Turkey
- China
- Java
- Malaya
- CO
- CZ
- IT
- LA
- NO
- SE
Documented cultural uses
- Aperient
- Astringent
- Burn
- Cancer
- Cancer(Cervix)
- Cancer(Stomach)
- Cosmetic
- Dysentery
- Dyspareunia
- Dysuria
- Fever
- Fumitory
show 17 more documented entries
- Gynecopathy
- Jaundice
- Laxative
- Poison
- Purgative
- Sore
- Stomachic
- Tonic
- Boil
- Congestion
- Decoagulant
- Malaria
- Bactericide
- Depurative
- Diarrhea
- Freckles
- Vermifuge
Contemporary uses
Contemporary practice is not documented separately in this record.
Scientific research
Indexed records indicate research activity; they do not establish efficacy or safety.
Indexed research records
- Rhizome differentiation is associated with metabolic specialization and rhizosphere microbial assembly in Rheum officinale Baill. · 2026 source ↗
- Gut bacteria inhibited liver tumor growth during Rheum officinale Baill. treatment in mice. · 2026 source ↗
- Genome-wide identification of MYB transcription factors in Rheum officinale Baill. and their responses to UV-B and MeJA treatment. · 2026 source ↗
Scientific compounds
Chemical presence is not evidence of clinical efficacy.
- ALOE-EMODIN-8-MONO-BETA-D-GLUCOSIDE
- CAFFEIC-ACID
- CALCIUM-OXALATE
- CATECHIN-TANNINS
- CHRYSOPHANOL-1-MONO-BETA-D-GLUCOSIDE
- CINNAMIC-ACID
- 1,8-DIHYDROXY-3-HYDROXYMETHYLANTRHAQUINONE
- 1,8-DIHYDROXY-6-METHOXY-3-METHYLANTHRAQUINONE
- 1,8-DIHYDROXY-3-METHYLANTHRAQUINONE
- EMODIN-1-MONO-BETA-D-GLUCOSIDE?
- D-EPICATECHIN-GALLATE
- FRANGULIC-ACID
- FRUCTOSE
- BETA-D-GLUCOGALLIN
- OLEIC-ACID
- PHENYL-PROPIONIC-ACID
show 74 more documented entries
- PHYSCION-1-MONO-BETA-D-GLUCOSIDE?
- RESIN
- RHEINOSIDES
- STARCH
- ANTHRAQUINONES
- ANTHRACENES
- RHEUM-EMODIN
- D-CATECHOL
- 1,8-DIHYDROXY-3-CARBOXYANTHRAQUINONE
- FERULIC-ACID
- PALMITIC-ACID
- RHEIN-8-MONOGLUCOSIDE
- 1,8,6-TRIHYDROXY-3-METHYLANTHRAQUINONE
- ALOE-EMODIN
- ALOE-EMODIN-8-O-BETA-D-GLUCOPYRANOSIDE
- ANTHRONES
- (+)-CATECHIN
- CHRYSOPHANIC-ACID
- CHRYSOPHANOL-1-O-BETA-D-GLUCOPYRANOSIDE
- CHRYSOPHANOL-8-O-BETA-D-GLUCOPYRANOSIDE
- EMODIN
- EMODIN-8-O-BETA-D-GLUCOPYRANOSIDE
- GALLIC-ACID
- GALLIC-ACID-3-O-BETA-D-(6'-O-GALLOYL)-GLUCOPYRANOSIDE
- GALLIC-ACID-4-O-BETA-D-(6'-O-GALLOYL)-GLUCOPYRANOSIDE
- 1,2,6-TRI-O-GALLOYL-GLUCOSE
- 6-O-GALLOYL-GLUCOSE
- 1-O-GALLOYL-GLYCEROL
- LINDLEYIN
- ISOLINDLEYIN
- OXALIC-ACID
- PHYSCION
- PICEATANNOL
- PICEATANNOL-4'-O-(6''-O-GALLOYL)-BETA-D-GLUCOPYRANOSIDE
- PICEATANNOL-4'-O-BETA-D-GLUCOPYRANOSIDE
- 3-O-GALLOYL-PROCYANIDIN-B-1
- 3,3'-DI-O-GALLOYLPROCYANIDIN-B-2
- RESVERATROL-4'-O-(6''-O-GALLOYL)-BETA-D-GLUCOPYRANOSIDE
- RESVERATROL-4'-O-BETA-D-GLUCOPYRANOSIDE
- RHAPONTICIN
- RHATANNIN
- RHEIN
- RHEINOSIDE-A
- RHEINOSIDE-B
- RHEINOSIDE-C
- RHEINOSIDE-D
- RUTIN
- SENNOSIDE-A
- SENNOSIDES-A
- (-)-EPICATECHIN
- DIISOBUTYL-PHTHALATE
- EMODIN-8-MONO-BETA-D-GLUCOSIDE?
- GLUCOSE
- PECTIN
- PHYSCION-8-MONO-BETA-D-GLUCOSIDE?
- PHYTOSTEROLS
- RHAMNOXANTHIN
- VEROSTEROL?
- CHRYSOPHANOL
- D-CATECHIN
- EMODIN-6-MONOGLUCOSIDE
- GLUCOGALLIN
- PALMIDIC-B
- PALMIDIN-C
- PARIETIN
- PHYSCION-8-O-BETA-D-GENTIOBIOSIDE
- REIDIN-C
- SENNIDIN-C
- SENNOSIDES-B
- SENNOSIDES-C
- SENNOSIDES-D
- SENNOSIDES-E
- SENNOSIDES-F
- STILBENE-GLYCOSIDES
Legality
Country-specific legal status is not documented in this record.
Consult the CITES species checklist for international trade protections and listings. This is not a complete statement of local law.
Reference images

Sources
Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases · CC0
GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0
show claim source mapping
CC0 · Dr. Duke raw CSV archive
Contributions and revisions
No published revisions are documented for this record. Community submissions enter review and retain attribution before any published change.
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