RHEUM (U. S. P.)—RHUBARB. Description and Commercial History

The former trade in Russian rhubarb was a government monopoly and the article, called crown rhubarb, has disappeared from commerce. It was collected in Chinese Tartary and sold to the Russian government, at the frontier town of Kiachta, where it was sorted by especially appointed apothecaries, and only the best grade accepted, the inferior grade being destroyed. It came to Europe by way of Asia Minor, and for this reason the term, Turkey rhubarb, established itself. Since the opening of the Chinese ports to European commerce in the '60s, the trade via Kiachta rapidly declined. (For interesting details regarding Russian rhubarb and its trade, see A. Fero, Amer. Jour. Pharm., 1867, p. 212; also Druggists' Circular, 1897, p. 278.) Chinese or East Indian rhubarb is that now mostly in use. It is the official kind of rhubarb. It was formerly brought from Canton, but is now collected in Hankow and exported from Tien-Tsin (see Amer. Jour. Pharm., 1866, p. 153, for details regarding this grade). The European rhubarb (see English Rhubarb above) is produced in quite considerable quantity. Mr. Elborne (1884) reports that 12,000 pounds of English rhubarb were being gathered annually.