If so, you are on a winner! According to this bit of research from the College of Pharmacy in Chunchon, Korea, rhubarb can ease eczema – or to quote them in full, Inhibition of experimental atopic dermatitis by rhubarb (rhizomes of Rheum tanguticum) and 5-lipocygenase inhibition of its major constituent, emodin…… Seriously good news.
Now I know that the field rhubard season is almost over, but I have still seen some around, so I feel justified in indulging my excitement over the ‘rhubarb is good for eczema’ theory with a mini rhubarb orgy…. A quick trawl through FreeFrom Recipes Matter, revealed some gems such as Rhubarb Meringue pie, Rhubarb Meringue (below), Rhubarb and raisin crumble, Katherine’s rhubarb and orange cake, my own Rhubarb and ginger cake and Poached Trout with rhubarb sauce.
However, it did not discover my all time favourite rhubarb recipe – Pink Rhubarb soup….
Ideally this should be made with early spring forced rhubarb, but try it now and, if you like it, think how much better it will be with the more delicate flavour of early forced rhubarb…. This recipe dates from my pre-freefrom days so, originally, was made with butter and double cream. I am giving a number of alternatives, but am also giving the originals so those that can eat dairy and or gluten/wheat can go the whole hog!!
50g butter, coconut oil, PURE or olive oil
450g young (if possible) rhubarb, trimmed and chopped roughly
50g young leek, cleaned and finely sliced
25g cooked lean ham, chopped small
50g fresh brown breadcrumbs or wheat/gluten-free bread, crumbed, or wheat/gluten-free breadcrumbs
1.2 litres chicken or light veal stock
150ml dry white wine
salt and a couple of drops of tabasco
juice of a small lemon
3 – 4 teaspoons sugar
150ml double cream, lightly whisked, or soya or oat cream
Melt the butter, oil or PURE in a saucepan, then add the rhubarb, leek and ham and stew them gently for 10 minutes or till the rhubarb is soft. Add the breadcrumbs, stock and wine, bring them to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
Liquidise or purée the soup and return it to the pan. Add the salt, tabasco, lemon juice and sugar to taste; how much of the last two you add will depend on how sweet the rhubarb and your own tooth.
To serve, reheat gently and serve with a blob of whipped cream or a spoonful of soya or oat cream in the middle of each bowl.
Looking on my wonderful recipe database to find the soup ( virtually every recipe I have written over the last 35 years – it tells me that there are 1,990 of them…) I also found Rhubarb and sultana cake, rhubarb and ginger ice cream and, of course, rhubarb fool. Roll on the end of December and the start of the forced rhubarb season.
PS. Of course, apart from being good for eczema rhubarb is also excellent for the digestion and, according to the The Rhubarb Compendium, can be taken internally for the treatment of chronic constipation, diarrhea, liver and gall bladder complaints, hemorrhoids, menstrual problems and skin eruptions due to an accumulation of toxins.’
It is also one of the most widely used herbs in Chinese medicine, the roots being used as ‘an anticholesterolemic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antitumor, aperient, astringent, cholagogue, demulcent, diuretic, laxative, purgative, stomachic and tonic…. ‘ Top that if you can!
Beware those who have become sensitised to buckwheat while trying to avoid wheat. Rhubarb and carob are the same family and I now cannot eat any of them. Just a thought.
I know I have a dollop of softly poached rhubarb in the freezer….and am going to have to find it….
Its in the freezer..for the dark winter days when I need a little lift…and a warm rhubarb gluten free crumble with a puddle of cream…usually does the job just fine….
New seasons delights are available roughly about Valentines day…..makes a different type of bouquet than a dozen red roses….
You really shouldnt encourage me…(just dont tell the diabetic team, please!!)
Sadness……….
Warm rhubarb crumble……. oohhh……. Not sure that I wouldn’t prefer custard, mind you…..
Rhubarb and Carob are not in the same family of plants at all….they’re not even closely related. Carob is a legume, related to peas, beans, soy, peanuts, etc. whereas Rhubarb is in the Polygonaceae family…related to knotweed. Perhaps there is indeed some sort of a shared allergy between the two, but it hasn’t been on my radar. Nonetheless, the relation between the two species is not close.
Rhubarb is indeed a marvelous plant and does make a terrific natural laxative. I also love the taste!
Hi Tom – good to hear from you! Hope all is well Calfornia way….. And oops…. Afraid I did not check it out… But there can be weird cross sensitisations so it is possible that someone could react to both rhubarb and carob. It is that acidic edge to rhubarb that is so great…..