# can rhubarb cause diarrhia ?



## hasenfuss (Dec 28, 2006)

Last night at around 6 p.m I ate some rhubarb (which I cooked down with some sugar). This morning I had bad cramps and diarrhia afterwards. Could it be caused by the rhubarb ? I ate it together with some rice pudding. I must admit the rice tasted kind of old and I felt a little sick to my tummy after eating it but it went away after an hour or so. I doubt that old rice causes diarrhia or does it ? Just wondering because my stools are pretty normal lately and the last time I had diarhia was about 3 weeks ago.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

From the sloan-kettering about herb monograph


> When used in very small doses the tannin content has a constipating effect. At increased doses, however, the hydrolyzed metabolites of emodin and sennidin cause stimulation of the gastrointestinal tract and produce a laxative effect


http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/69357.cfm


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## hasenfuss (Dec 28, 2006)

Kathleen M. said:


> From the sloan-kettering about herb monographhttp://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/69357.cfm


So it's like taking a laxative ?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

It has some of the same compounds in it as some laxative herbs. It is included in some herbal laxative formulas as well.


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## hasenfuss (Dec 28, 2006)

hasenfuss said:


> Last night at around 6 p.m I ate some rhubarb (which I cooked down with some sugar). This morning I had bad cramps and diarrhia afterwards. Could it be caused by the rhubarb ? I ate it together with some rice pudding. I must admit the rice tasted kind of old and I felt a little sick to my tummy after eating it but it went away after an hour or so. I doubt that old rice causes diarrhia or does it ? Just wondering because my stools are pretty normal lately and the last time I had diarhia was about 3 weeks ago.


I didn't recall having diarrhia from rhubarb before. Does it only somteimes cause diarrhia or was my digestive system just more sensitive this time ?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Could depend on how your GI tract was at the moment. Sometimes people will tolerate a bit of a laxative effect from fruits or veggies but not at other times. May depend on what else you ate that day, how well you slept, etc.If you are comparing before IBS to now you probably tolerated small amounts of laxatives before IBS than afterward if your IBS usually tends to the diarrhea side of things.


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