Amore Amaro

Original photo by: Elena Peabody.

Chinese rhubarb has a bitter and smoky flavor. The distinctive bitter root features in its own style of amaro called rabarbaro.

Uses

Chinese rhubarb is nearly as ubiquitous in amaro recipes as the better-known bitter root gentian. Chinese rhubarb shouldn’t be confused with Rheum x hybridum, the herbaceous perennial most gardeners are familiar with. Unlike Rheum x hybridum, who’s stalks are used for cooking, the most useful part of Chinese rhubarb is the root. It takes six years for the root to become large enough to be useful. As with Rheum x hybridum, the leaves of Chinese rhubarb can be toxic, and should not be consumed.

Historical context

Rheum palmatum is native to Northwestern China. In Europe in the 15th century, rhubarb was among the commonly imported medicinal plants, along with aloe, cloves, and camphor.¹

The Antidotarium Nicolai notes that the plant binds the stomach, and aids in digestion, and also helps “those with stones as it ‘provokes urine.’”² The plant was also used medicinally as a “laxative, digestive remedy, astringent, and antibacterial”.³ Culpepper noted that “(r)oots that are light in texture, moist, fragrant and sound are chosen(,) being milder in acton and more grateful to the stomach.”⁴

Cultivation

Chinese rhubarb prefers rich, fertile soil. It grows well in full sun to partial shade, and likes to be kept evenly moist, with good drainage. The plant is very sensitive to drought.⁵

Pests

Chinese rhubarb is susceptible to borers, beetles or rhubarb curculio. It can also suffer from crown rot and fungal infection, if drainage is poor.⁶

References

1. Wheelwright, Edith Grey. Medicinal Plants and Their History. New York: Dover, 1974 (p. 114).
2. González Blanco, Marta Isabel. “An edition of the Middle English translation of the Antidotarium Nicolai.” MPhil thesis, University of Glasgow, 2018 (p. 124).
3. A – Z of Medicinal Herbs. (p. 89). CITATION NEEDED.
4. Culpepper, Nicholas. Culpepper’s Color Herbal. David Potterton, ed. New York: Sterling Publishing Company, 1983 (p.155).
5. Missouri Botanical Garden, "Rheum palmatum." http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=285487. Accessed July 9, 2019.
6. Ibid.