RHEUM EMODI AS VALUABLE MEDICINAL PLANT

India is one of the twelve mega-biodiversity countries of the world having rich vegetation with a wide variety of medicinal plants and a tradition of plant-based knowledge distributed amongst a vast number of ethnic groups. Rheum emodi or Himalayan rhubarb is a perennial herb belongs to family Polygonaceae. It has been used in various traditional systems as laxative, tonic, diuretic and to treat fever, cough, indigestion, menstrual disorder since antiquity. This paper consists of literature of Rheum emodi regarding its ethno botany, folkloric uses, chemical properties and pharmacological studies. The most common constituents of Rheum emodi are anthraquinone (rhein, chrysophanol, aloe-emodin, emodin, physcion, and their glycosides) and stilbene (picetannol, resveratrol and their glycosides). Studies have shown that Rheum emodi possess anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antifungal, antidyslipidemic, ant platelet, ant diabetic, antiulcer, hepatoprotective, immunoenhancing and nephroprotective activities. These studies raised the therapeutic efficacy of rhubarb in diverse ailments. It is essential that this medicinal plant should study more extensively to confirm these therapeutic effects and to check the traditional claim that this plant have significant medicinal properties as is reported in the traditional knowledge of the indigenous people that the plant is used in the treatment of gastrointestinal infections, respiratory infections, liver and skin infections.