128 FLORA HOMCEOPATHICA. 



Rhubarb, in angular pieces, like the Turkey Rhubarb and the 

 common stick Rhubarb. 



French Rhubarb. — This is procured from the Rheum Rha- 

 ponticum, undulatum, and compactum. These are cultivated at 

 Rheumpol, a place not far from Lorient, in the department of 



Morbihan. 



According to Brande, the analysis of Chinese Rhubarb 

 gives pure rhabarberic acid; impure ditto; gallic acid, with 

 some rhabarberic acid; tannin; colouring extractive; uncrys- 

 tallizable sugar, with tannin ; starch and pectine acid ; gummy 

 extractive, taken up by caustic potash ; pectic acid ; malate and 

 gallate of lime ; oxalate of lime ; sulphate of potash and chloride 

 of potassium; phosphate of lime, with oxide of iron; silica; 

 woody fibre ; water. 



Rhubarb is very liable to adulterations. The fine qualities 

 of the Eastern Rhubarb are easily known, when in pieces, by 

 their strong aroma, their powerful bitterness and grittiness 

 between the teeth, and their freedom from brown specks exter- 

 nally and internally. They are often adulterated with the in- 

 ferior sort of home growth ; these are easily detected while the 

 drug is in mass, by their weaker aroma and want of grittiness 

 when chewed ; and if their surface has been rubbed over with 

 turmeric to heighten their yellow colour, this will be dis- 

 covered by boracic acid, turning the yellow to brown; the 



) 



(Ch 



Physiological Effects.— On Animals. On the Lolipedes 

 Rhubarb acts as a tonic, confining its action principally to the 

 stomach, whose digestive power it augments. On the Carnivora 

 it operates, in doses of half a drachm, in the same way j but in 

 doses of several drachms, as a purgative. On the larger Herbi- 

 vora it may be given to the extent of several ounces, without 

 causing purgation. Tiedemann and Gmelin detected it by its 

 yellow colour in the serum of the blood of the mesenteric, 

 splenic and portal veins in dogs, to which Rhubarb had been 



