Rhubarb, rhubarb

A Little Bit Of Tartness

Wandering around the garden I noticed that the rhubarb is still in good shape. There is a saying that you should only harvest rhubarb in months without a "R". So it is the time now to harvest your glut, if you have one. Rhubarb doesn't like too much water. If it gets waterlogged, it will disappear. Otherwise it can have a good show and yield a lot of tasty stalks. Mine is a bit sparse this time but I had harvested a bit already. Apart from pies, crumble and cake, rhubarb juice is very tasty. 

The first time I had rhubarb juice was many years ago when I was on a school trip to Eastern Germany when it was still the German Democratic Republic. It was delicious. So I have already made rhubarb and vanilla jam and put some cut up stalks into the freezer for a crumble later in the year. Juice would just do nicely. 

Rhubarb is actually a vegetable even though the stems are used as fruit in crumbles, cakes and pies. The only part of the plant which is edible are the stems because the rest of it is quite poisonous. It contains high amounts of oxalic acid. 

Even though rhubarb with its tart, refreshing flavour is rather tasty it doesn't hold many health benefits apart from a considerable amount of vitamin K. 

No need to worry because rhubarb is very beneficial as the Homoeopathic remedy Rheum palmatum. The keynote for this remedy, oh wonder, is the sour smell. So it is particularly suited for people who emit a sour smell even though they are freshly washed or bathed. This happens often with children. It has lots of benefits for the digestion when there are sour, runny stools or for colicky babies who are always screaming and crying. I know that this happens very often in the first three months of a babies life when the digestive system needs to get used to working outside the womb. This can be very trying for new parents. But rhubarb, or rheum as it is called in Homoeopathic terms, is not the only remedy which can be indicated for colicky babies. There are lot of others who might give relieve. 

Don't forget that Homoeopathy is a very individual medicine and that you might need a qualified Homoeopath to find the right remedy for your complaint. So give me a ring on 07813 195468 so that we can start working together for your health with the aid of this green medicine. And, YES, it is suitable for children and babies from the first day of their life.