Polygonaceae

Polygonaceae are a family of flowering plants comprising about 1200 species distributed into about 48 genera. Rhubarb refers to several species of the genus Rheum L. in the Polygonaceae family. Several medicinal effects have been attributed to the Rheum spp. in the traditional and modern medicine such as healing lungs, liver, kidney, womb and bladder diseases, cancer, diabetes, insect bites, relapsing fevers, diarrhea and constipation.