Contrary to its classification in many cases, rhubarb is a vegetable, not a fruit.Rhubarb, commonly referred to as ‘pie plant’, is safe to eat, and is widely consumed in Asia, Europe, and North America. It serves medicinal as well as edible purposes.It is often easy to mistake rhubarb for being a fruit. Why is it so? This is because this plant can taste both sour and sweet. Tinted with a dash of red, a rhubarb stalk tastes sour when raw. So, people generally prefer eating rhubarb after its stalks have been cooked and sweetened. Rich in fiber, the rhubarb has many benefits. This, though, does not mean that it is extraordinarily fruitful. For example, rhubarb has a chance of toning down one’s cholesterol levels. This is as beneficial to health as it sounds. Rhubarbs have a medicinal history that dates back to centuries ago. It was first found to be in use in traditional medicines of China. It is always important to note and remember that while rhubarbs are medically helpful, they are equally poisonous for humans. While its stalks are healing, the same cannot be said for rhubarb leaves. This is because rhubarb leaves contain a very harmful acid that has an oxalic nature, and it can give humans some serious trouble.There are quite a few helpful tells that differentiate a spoiled rhubarb from a fresh one. The state of its texture matters, for, it informs us of how fit or unfit its condition is.Like most other vegetables and fruits, you can tell just by squeezing or simply touching a rhubarb if it is spoiled or not. If it feels damp and squished, it is definitely rotten on the inside. Rhubarbs have a fresh smell, and the moment their smell makes you cringe in distaste, you know it is spoiled. Plants have a life too, they also appear fresh and fruity when alive and well, and turn colorless when dead. When you spot your rhubarb tainted with ugly, colorless patches, it is best to get rid of them. Taste matters too, so when your rhubarb stems do not feel crunchy between your teeth and become unbearably bitter compared to the tolerable sour, the plant has decayed. The period for which a rhubarb lasts is dependant on where and how it is stored. If you plan on using it immediately, say within a couple of days, it is no problem to leave them outside. However, if you want to use it a lot later, it is best to keep rhubarbs in the refrigerator.If you enjoy this article, check out are pandas marsupials, and are komodo dragons endangered.Why are the rhubarb plant’s leaves poisonous but the stalk is not?While a rhubarb stalk is beneficially helpful when it comes healing, a rhubarb leaf is something you will need to heal from, unless you know better than to underestimate the capability of these poisonous leaves.Rhubarbs contain an oxalic acid that is never good for humans or animals if ingested in harmfully large amounts.Rhubarb leaves are toxic, they cause highly concerning effects if ingested in any way. This is because rhubarb leaves are acidic, they contain oxalic acid swimming through their veins, making them a lot harmful than the stalks could ever be. However, a certain amount, a specifically larger one, will have to be consumed to either spectate or directly experience a case of Rhubarb poisoning. You are safe if these leaves are consumed up to a safe limit. Therefore, it is advised to either completely steer clear of the leaves from this plant, or keep a check on the amount ingested.What happens if you eat the leaves of rhubarb?If you are careful regarding the number of rhubarb leaves you consume, they will not do you much harm. This, though, does not simply override the truth of how lethal the oxalic acid in a rhubarb leaf can be.Oxalic acid in rhubarb leaves is toxic, it will harm you depending upon how much of it you ingest. Despite this, this does not need to be the only factor that plays a role in determining the natural extent of how harmful a rhubarb leaf can be. Apart from intake, a person’s age, weight, if they suffer from any other health problems, even the interval between intake and nursing, are other pointers to take into consideration while assessing the strength of how detrimental oxalic acid in a rhubarb plant can be. It has been researched and concluded that oxalic acid causes difficulties like weakness, troubled breathing, nausea, vomiting, and even burning of the mouth and throat. Larger amounts of intake and deeply hazardous cases have reported bigger problems, such as kidney stones, but cases alike remain low in number.How poisonous is rhubarb leaf?Rhubarb leaves can result in a wide range of problems, some of these are nausea, watery diarrhea, vomiting, and breathing trouble. Rhubarb leaves are not powerful enough to kill anyone, but nobody should prefer challenging just how vicious they can be, there is never any harm in taking precaution.Rhubarb is both a safe and somewhat unsafe plant. Rhubarb stalks are edible, people generally prefer to cook these and sweeten them in the process, for their natural taste is sour. It is best to not eat rhubarb leaves, however, since they do not fully classify as harmless food. Rhubarb leaves contain oxalic acid, this can be a damaging poison to human health in many ways if a lethal dose is ingested. If large amounts of these leaves are consumed, they will cause kidney problems depending on a few facts like the amount of intake, and the time-lapse between intake and treatment. Sometimes, in certain rare cases, especially if you are already suffering from kidney diseases, this plant can cause kidney stones. Thus, it is recommended to not eat the leaves of this plant. While Rhubarb leaves contain oxalic acid that is more often than not really detrimental to humans, these oxalates are fairly helpful when it comes to being anything but edible. This oxalate toxicity can be used to keep your utensils clean, for boiling rhubarb leaves in water releases the oxalate element into the pan, which then rubs it clean on its own. You can even keep your garden protected from pests, all you have to do is brew together a potion of your own simply by mixing water harboring oxalic acid and that which contains soap, and you have your effectively guarding pesticide. Want to feel creative? You can get to work by using rhubarb leaves to make stepping stones, this is achievable by casting one of these leaves into cement, and voila! Still not satisfied? Grab a fabric that you wish to paint and a plant that will donate color for your purpose. Rhubarbs help in binding these hues more promisingly and keep them from disappearing all too soon. If you ever feel like helping an organism or are attached to nature and its creatures, you could use these leaves to make a birdbath for birds to stop by whenever they are in need of a dip.Are rhubarb leaves poisonous to animals?Yes, rhubarb leaves can be poisonous to animals as well.Animals are also recommended to steer clear of rhubarb leaves, for the oxalates in them may cause serious trouble. If in case, there ever really are circumstances where they do eat these leaves, it should never be in an excessive dose. Animals go through similar symptoms as humans when it comes to the plants or one fruit they eat. Similar to how eating rhubarb stalks enriches their bodies, the toxicity of oxalic acid from rhubarb leaves harms it. They are forced to go through symptoms, rather painful, really, like drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, and the most dangerous seeming, blood in their urine. Animals are not smart like humans, they do have the means to jollily cook these plants and eat only the harmless parts of them, this puts them at a greater risk than anyone. Worst of all, if these animals are not family pets and are not looked after in general, they have no choice but to fend for themselves in case of a lethal dose of such natural poisoning resulting from oxalate intake, which more often than not does not do them much good since poisoning needs medical attention, something they may not be able to get on their own.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for are rhubarb leaves poisonous, then why not take a look at death cap mushrooms, or does an apple before bed keep the doctor away.
Contrary to its classification in many cases, rhubarb is a vegetable, not a fruit.
