Pills of Rhubarb (Mesue)
Pilulae de Rhabarbaro
Pills of Rhubarb
Tradition:
Western, Unani
Source / Author:
Mesue
| Herb Name | Latin | Amount * |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow Myrobalan | Terminalia chebula (yellow) | 3 1⁄2 oz. |
| Hiera Picra of Galen | Hiera Picra Galeni | 10 drams |
| Licorice juice | Succus Glycyrrhiza | 1 oz. each |
| Wormwood juice dehydrated | Succum absinthum | 3 1⁄2 drams |
| Mastic | Pistacia lentiscus | 3 drams |
| Troches of Rose | Trochisci Rosum | 1⁄2 dram ea. |
| Rhubarb | Rheum palmatum | |
| Fennel seed | Foeniculum vulgare | |
| Celery seed | Apium graveolens |
Preparation:
Powder the herbs and mixed with the thickened juices (and a little honey), and form a pill mass.
Function:
Purges Bile, opens Obstructions
Use:
1. Purges Bile of the Stomach and Liver
2. Liver pain
3. Liver or Spleen Obstruction
4. Corruption of the Liver from Bile
5. Beginning of Edema
6. Cachexia
Dose:
1 scruple–1 dram
Cautions:
None noted
Modifications:
1. Combine with Pills of Agrimony for Liver disease.
“There is as much difference in the receipt of these Pills, as in any other that are met with in Dispensatories”. (Charras, French Pharmacopoeia)
This was classed as a ‘Warming Hepatic’; warming medicine for the Liver.
Back to PILLS
Back to FORMULAS
How to Modify a Formula
Substitutes
Weights & Measures
