Rhubarb is used as a laxative, antiphlogistic, and haemostatic in the treatment of constipation, diarrhoea, jaundice, gastro-intestinal haemorrhage, menstrual disorders, conjunctivitis, traumatic injuries, superficial suppurative sores and ulcers. It is also applied externally for thermal burns. In TCM terms it Drains Heat and accumulations from the Yangming level, Clears Damp Heat, Cools the Blood, Invigorates Blood, eliminates Stagnant Blood and Clears Toxic Heat and purges knotted Heat and stool from the colon. Concepts in purgation In order to understand the use of purges in TCM it is important to understand the concepts and principles of purgation as applied in herbal practice. The 3 main types of purging are as follows:

Cold purge (heat clearing): for symptoms such as constipation due to inflammation and paralysis of the colon - i.e. knotted Heat.
Warm purge (inner warming): for acute circulatory disturbance of the digestive tract due to consumption of cold food and drink, and cold environment - i.e. cold accumulation or Yang deficient constipation.
Moistening purge (moisten dry intestine): for constipation due to dehydration or poor nutrition resulting in dryness of the intestine (insufficient colonic membrane secretions) - i.e. dry intestine constipation.
Water expulsion: for hydrothorax, ascites, oedema.