Rheum officinale. R. palatum. Rhabarbarum. Rhubarb (though called “Turkey-rhubarb,’ the root comes from China, the exact species yielding it not being certainly known). *N. O. Polygonaceae. Tincture and trituration of the dried root. (A tincture of the fresh leaves and young stalks should be investigated.).
Clinical
Ardor urinae. Breath, offensive. Constipation. Deafness. Dentition, difficult. *Diarrhoea. Duodenum, catarrh of. Dysentery. Ears, thickening in, Frowning. Headache. Jaundice. Kidneys, affections of. Meniere’s disease. Milk, abnormal. *Mouth, mucus in. Nipples, pain in Nose, pain in. Nurselings, affections of. OEsophagus, constriction of. Rheumatism. Salivation. Screaming, of children. Snoring. Stomach, disordered. *Taste, bad. Tongue, numbness of. Urination, difficult, of childbed. Urine, red.
Characteristics
Hahnemann’s proving of *Rheum has confirmed many of its traditional uses. In the form of Compound Rhubarb Powder (*Pulv. Rhei. Co. Gregory’s powder) along with *Magnesia and *Ginger, most of us can remember it as one of the terrors of the nursery. In its homoeopathic form it has no terrors, but it remains a great remedy of sucklings and children, especially during dentition, to whom as well as to pregnant and nursing women it is *particularly *suited. Milne well summarizes its action from the traditional point of view: “Tonic, cathartic, and a feeble astringent, the latter property being overborne by the cathartic and only coming into play afterwards’ [*i.e., the constipation which follows Rhubarb purgation]. “In small doses, it improves digestion and appetite, and renders the renal secretions more healthy. In larger doses it is an excellent cathartic, acting on the whole bowel and especially the duodenum, and increasing the peristaltic action. It is well suited for the early stages of diarrhoea, as a laxative in constipation from debility of the digestive organs, and in disorders of children, such as flatulence and irritation of the alimentary canal. It renders the serum of the blood yellow, the urine is almost of a blood-red colour. ‘ In connection with the last observation it must be remembered that *Rheum contains a large amount of *Chrysophanic acid (named from its brilliant yellow crystals). Among its many other constituents is *Oxalate of Lime (*Calcarea ox.) and * Rheotannic acid. Milne’s observations agree in the main with homoeopathic experience, but it is the latter alone which brings out the distinctive characters of the medicine. The grand keynote of *Rhe. is *sourness: The stools are sour, the taste is sour, the whole body has a sour smell. No amount of washing will wash the sourness out of a characteristic *Rheum baby. Such a condition may occur in sucklings, or at the period of dentition, and it may be associated with another characteristic *Rhe. symptom, night-screaming, and yet another, sopping-wet hair. The *Rhe child is as acid in temper as he is in body: peevish, impatient, screams for things, dislikes even his favorite playthings. “Screaming of children with urging and sour stools’ is characteristic. With a few drops of *Rhe. O I have relieved severe constipation in an acid child who was intolerant of almost all remedies in the attenuations. But *Rhe. is by no means exclusively a children’s remedy. Its symptoms are good for any period of life. The stomach disorders calling for *Rhe. are characterized by: Sour, flat, slimy taste, or insipid or nauseous. Food tastes bitter, even sweet things (there is no bitter taste independently of food). The mouth is covered with offensive mucus after sleeping, and after sleeping there is bad taste and offensive breath. There is hunger for various kinds of food and the first few mouthfuls nauseate. The effects of eating plums or unripe fruit. There is nausea in abdomen. Colic is severe, compelling one to bend double, worse standing, worse just before stool, not better after, worse at once by uncovering an arm or leg. The evacuations are *accompanied by shivering and followed by renewed urging. “Shivering with stool’ should draw attention to *Rhe. That there is much yet to be learned of the action of *Rhe. is evident from the following: (1) Two cases (in men) of severe skin eruptions are quoted, *H. W., xxvii. 17, from the effects of Rhubarb root taken for constipation. The first symptoms in one case were rigors and pains in the legs. Soon lips, face, and tongue began to swell and became livid. A rash developed involving lips, beard, eyelids, and scalp, scabs mixed with abundant bloody pustular exudations. Haemorrhages and pustular eruptions then appeared all over the body, blebs with clear fluid on backs of hands. Lymphatic glands swollen and painful. Removal of scabs left shallow dirty ulcers. Blood passed freely from urethra, but sometimes the urine was wholly free from it. Urine brownish yellow, free from albumen or sugar. Temperature 103.3o F. The second case was similar to the above. The patient had taken the powdered root. He woke one morning with burning sensation in face and found it covered with blisters and pustules. These were brownish red, irregular, size of pea or bean, deeply infiltrated at bases. Both surfaces of hands were also affected. The eruption, which closely resembled pemphigus, disappeared in a few weeks without treatment, leaving bluish pigmentation, but no cicatrices. There was no fever in this case. (2) From these cases given me by Cooper: (a) A lady suffering from characteristic symptoms of Meniere’s disease, feeling of things spinning round with extreme giddiness and noises in the head, was cured by a chemist giving her 10 grains of powdered rhubarb, on the idea it was due Before this great suffering had been endured without any relief. (b) In vertiginous symptoms due to brain exhaustion with flushings followed by perspiration and awful muffled and discordant tinnitus, great relief followed the sniffing of 3x trit. of *Rheum palmatum. Among the *Peculiar Sensations and Symptoms of *Rhe. are: Tendency to frown. *Sensation as if brain moved when standing. Dull stupefying headache with bloated eyes. Sweat on hairy scalp, constant and very profuse, whether asleep or awake, in motion or quiet, hair always sopping wet, may or may not be sour. Stupefying drawing in root of nose extending to tip, where it tingles. Bladder weak, must press hard to urinate. Sensations: as if in a dream. As of a lump around navel. As of a load on upper part of chest. Cutting as if in lumbar vertebrae. Heaviness as on waking from a heavy sleep. Coldness in teeth. Blunt feeling in teeth. Constriction of stomach, of gullet. Crackling, crepitation, or bubbling in muscles and any part of body. Tongue numb, numbness of part of limb lain on. Symptoms are mostly left-sided or go from above down or from right to left. *Localities are: Left loin, brain, upper part of body (sweat). *”Rhe. has the property of setting up pains in old disease depots, in the seat of old cellulitis and old psoriasis patches, producing hot burning pains therein as well as in the unaffected veins of the thighs and other parts. Its good effect in old middle and internal ear thickenings seems due to the creation of tissue-activity in dormant structures’ (***R.T.C.). Forcing pains are felt in dartrous patches. The symptoms are: worse Night, and morning after sleep. worse Uncovering, from cold. Uncovering arm or leg worse colic. better Wrapping up, from warmth. In open air: eyes full of water. Hot weather worse colic. better Lying doubled up, takes the queerest positions in order to rest awhile. Lying on limbs=them to go to sleep. Motion worse. Walking worse [On the indication “Diarrhoea only during active exercise, ‘Hurndall (*H. W. xxxvi., 28) cured a horse of a diarrhoea which only came on when he was at work.] Standing worse (vertigo as if brain moved, colic, uterine bearing down). worse After eating, after eating plums. worse Before, during, and after stool (colic better or not better after stool).
Relations
*Antidoted by: Camph., Chamomilla, Coloc., Mercurius, Nux vomica, Pulsatilla *Antidote to: Cantharis, Mg. c. “May be given after abuse of Magnesia, with or without Rhubarb, if stools are sour’ (H. C. Allen). *Complementary: After Mg. c. when milk disagrees and child has sour odour. *Compatible: Ipecac. *Followed well by: Belladonna, Pulsatilla, Rhus, Sul. *Compare: Botan., Polyg. h., Rumex, Lapath. Constituents: Chrys-ac., Calcarea ox., Silicea Foul breath, Querc., Arnica worse After sleep, Lachesis, Natrum mur., Sul. Sour stools, Hepar, Mg-c., Calcarea (Rhe. has twitching of muscles of face and fingers during sleep, also puts arms over head). Queer positions, Plb. Head sweat, Calcarea, Silicea, Sanicula worse Uncovering, Rx. c. (Rhe., colic, Rx. c., cough). Screaming children with diarrhoea, Jalap. Bubbling sensation, Berberis Difficult dentition, Kre., Chamomilla Sour body smell, Hepar, Mg. c. (Mg. c. is deeper acting than Rhe.). Impatience, Cin., Staphysagria Children cry and toss all night, Pso. As if in a dream, Ambr., Anacardium, Calcarea, Cannabis indica, Conium, Cuprum, Medorrhinum, Stramonium, Val., Verbascum, Ziz.
