Witnessed by: Ayurveda · Unani
Himalayan rhubarb (Rheum australe), of the Polygonaceae family. Stout herbaceous perennial with broad radical leaves and a tall reddish flowering stalk; native range: the alpine Himalaya from Kashmir to Sikkim, 3000-4000 m; long traded south into the Unani and Ayurvedic bazaars as 'rewand'. Globally recognized as amlaparni / revatika in Sanskrit, revandchini in Hindi, rewand (rewand chini) in Arabic, and Indian rhubarb, Himalayan rhubarb in English. The part used is rhizome and root. A heavy woody rhizome, brick-red to ochre within, bitter and puckeringly astringent, gritty on the tooth and staining the saliva yellow.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
HIMALAYAN RHUBARB
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Himalayan rhubarb
- Scientific name
- Rheum australe D. Don
- Family
- Polygonaceae
Form
- Part used
- rhizome and root
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- bitter · astringent (tikta, kashaya)
- Unani
- bitter · astringent
Temperature
- Ayurveda
- heating (ushna)
- Unani
- hot & dry (2nd degree)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Unani
- liver · stomach · intestines
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- rechana (purgative), dipana (kindles appetite), yakrit-uttejaka (liver stimulant), raktashodhaka (blood cleanser)
- Unani
- mus-hil (purgative), mufatteh-e-sudad (deobstruent), muqawwi-e-meda wa jigar (stomach and liver tonic), qabiz in small dose (astringent)
Cautions
- Contraindications
- pregnancy and lactation, acute intestinal inflammation, gout and oxalate or uric stones; habitual use may deepen chronic constipation
- Toxicity
- the leaf blade is poisonous with oxalic acid; large doses gripe and purge harshly
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