Rheum

Rhubarb (Rheum officinale, etc.) is a gift of the Chinese, who have used it in domestic practice from all times, as noted in the herbal Pen-king, probably the production of the Emperor Shen-nung, the "father of Chinese agriculture and medicine," about 2700 B. C. As exported from its home in China, it has been respectively known as Russian, Turkish, and Chinese rhubarb, in accordance with the country through which it reaches the market from its native land. As a cathartic and a laxative this drug is sold in large amounts, having been accepted as a household remedy in syrups and tincture forms the world throughout. It is a gift of empiricism to the medical profession.

The History of the Vegetable Drugs of the U.S.P., 1911, was written by John Uri Lloyd.