{"id":5354,"date":"2023-06-21T12:01:32","date_gmt":"2023-06-21T20:01:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.activeherb.com\/blog\/?p=5354"},"modified":"2025-02-25T10:52:55","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T18:52:55","slug":"rhubarb-in-tcm-purging-heats-as-easy-as-pie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.activeherb.com\/blog\/rhubarb-in-tcm-purging-heats-as-easy-as-pie.html","title":{"rendered":"Rhubarb in TCM: Purging Heat\u2019s As Easy As Pie"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

No offense if you\u2019re British. But let\u2019s be honest. Traditional British cuisine doesn\u2019t quite have the same mouthwatering gastronomic appeal that, say, Italian, Thai, and Mexican have. Who else but the Brits could have invented a pie made from rhubarb, a vegetable with crunchy stalks similar to celery with a sourness that rivals dill pickles? No wonder rhubarb pie only tastes edible when it\u2019s loaded with sugar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, rhubarb is one of the most ancient and important herbs in TCM. And if your elimination is sluggish, finding relief with rhubarb might be as easy as pie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rhubarb In TCM<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unlike licorice root, Chinese dates, and ginseng, you won\u2019t find rhubarb\u2014Da Huang<\/a>Da Huang<\/a> as it\u2019s known in Chinese\u2014on the list of top TCM herbs commonly used as food in China<\/a>. In China, rhubarb pie is about as common as fish and chips in a Shangai food stall. Rhubarb as a culinary treat is a foreign concept to the traditional Chinese palate. But medicinally, rhubarb root has been a vital component in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for at least 2300 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe rhizome of rhubarb was classified as a top medicinal plant, which can be traced back to 270 BC in an ancient Chinese book, \u201cShen Nong<\/em><\/a> Ben Cao Jing<\/em>, says a comprehensive study of Da Huang\u2019s pharmacological properties and clinical applications published in the journal, Chinese Medicine<\/em><\/a> (a peer-reviewed entity of Springer Nature\u2019s BMC Public House).
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The Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing <\/em>emphasizes rhubarb\u2019s ability to purge stagnant energy and promote healthy digestion. To this day, Da Huang is one of the most widely-used herbs in China for constipation, purging excess heat, and clearing toxins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rhubarb is also mentioned in The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic<\/em> (Huangdi Neijing). The Huangdi Neijing describes rhubarb as helping to restore balance and harmony within the body, especially when experiencing digestive disorders and Liver channel imbalances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rhubarb Uses in TCM <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Heat Purging <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Da Huang is one of the most widely-used herbs in China for constipation, purging excess heat, and clearing toxins.\u00a0 <\/div>\n\n\n\n

Stress got your bowels in an uproar? Struggling to pass a beautiful bowel movement? Blame it on the heat! In TCM, the term \u201cHeat\u201d not only applies to a physical sensation brought on by hot weather or another external factor. Heat also describes an internal condition in the body. Organ imbalances, excessive anger, poor diet, emotional stress, Yin deficiency, and Qi or Blood deficiency can cause heat. Regardless of the root cause, the inability to pass a productive bowel movement is one of the most common internal Heat symptoms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is where Chinese rhubarb root\/Da Huang may come to the rescue. In TCM theory, rhubarb purges heat, which may also manifest as bad breath<\/a>bad breath<\/a>, profuse sweating and thirst, fever, canker sores, red eyes, nosebleeds, a heavy pulse and a thick, yellow tongue coating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Da Huang is included in many ActiveHerb.com formulas<\/a>Da Huang is included in many ActiveHerb.com formulas<\/a> for its fire-draining and heat-purging properties. Here are just a few of those time-tested formulas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n