BT-077 · Polygonaceae

Ribes rhubarb

Rheum ribes

Evidence: TraditionalCautionOverharvested

Ribes rhubarb is the symbol of spring in Eastern Anatolia; in season it is sold by the bunch along the roads.

Other names: Wild rhubarb, ışgın (Turkish)
Part used: Stalks, root
Region: Anatolia and the Mediterranean
Asia and Siberia
Use: Food, Healing

Photo: Zeynel Cebeci · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

In short

What is Ribes rhubarb?

Ribes rhubarb (Rheum ribes) is a plant of the Polygonaceae family. Traditions that use it: Anatolia and the Mediterranean, Asia and Siberia. Part used: stalks, root.

What is Ribes rhubarb used for?

Traditional use: The stalks, gathered in the first days of spring, are peeled and eaten raw with salt; their sourness is part of the spring table in Van, Bitlis and Hakkâri. Scientific evidence: traditional. The root contains anthraquinones and is laxative.

Is Ribes rhubarb safe?

Safety label: caution. The leaves are high in oxalic acid and poisonous; only the stalk is eaten. People with kidney stones should be careful.

Traditional use

Eastern Anatolia

The stalks, gathered in the first days of spring, are peeled and eaten raw with salt; their sourness is part of the spring table in Van, Bitlis and Hakkâri. The root is a folk laxative.

Iran and Central Asia

The root and stalks are used for blood sugar and digestive complaints.

In nature

Where it grows: Rocky mountain slopes at 1,000–3,000 m in Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia.
Harvest season: Stalks are gathered April–May as the snow melts.
Local names: ışgın, uçkun, rıbes, ışkın

Mix-up risk

The leaves are poisonous; eat only peeled stalks.

Preparation

Stalks are peeled and eaten raw, pickled or made into jam.

What science says

The root contains anthraquinones and is laxative. The EMA recognises the root of its relative, Chinese rhubarb (Rheum palmatum), for short-term constipation.