Papaya - a world class meat tenderizer, natural digestive aid, prevents ulcers, and also a soft contact lense cleaner.Rhubarb The Safety Factor
Alert: Because of rhubarb’s powerful action, laxative amounts should not be used by those with chronic intestinal problems, such as ulcers or colitis.
Pregnant and nursing women should not use anthraquinone laxatives.
Laxative amounts of rhubarb should not be used for more than two weeks, because over time, it causes lazy bowel syndrome, an inability to move stool without chemical stimulation.
Rhubarb stems are used in pie fillings, but the plant’s leaf blades contain oxalic acid, which is poisonous, causing burning in the mouth and throat, nausea, vomiting, weakness, and other symptoms. Fatalities have occurred.
Rhubarb may color the urine bright yellow or red.
Other Cautions
For otherwise healthy non-pregnant, non-nursing adults who are not taking other laxatives, rhubarb is considered relatively safe in amounts typically recommended when used for brief periods.
Rhubarb should be used in medicinal amounts only in consultation with your doctor. If rhubarb causes minor discomforts, such as stomach upset or diarrhea, use less or stop using it. Let your doctor know if you experience unpleasant effects or if the symptoms for which the herb is being used do not improve significantly in two weeks.
It’s Really Big
Medicinal rhubarb is a large, leafy perennial that reaches 10 feet. Its root is thick and branching, brown on the outside and yellow inside. Its stems are round, hollow, and jointed and terminate in branching spikes of numerous small flowers. The medicinal species are not garden herbs.
Garden rhubarb reaches only 3 feet. It has thick roots, reddish outside, yellow inside, and purple stems. Garden rhubarb is considered less potent in herbal Healing. If you use it medicinally, start with the amounts recommended above, but be prepared to adjust them upward.
Garden rhubarb requires a dormant period in winter and does not do well in the South, where winters are warm. Sow seeds or root cuttings 4 feet apart in late spring in deeply dug, well-watered beds under full sun or partial shade. Add compost and mulch in winter.
Harvest stems for pies the second year, roots the fourth.