"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in
:

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in message
...
"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message
...

"David E. Ross" wrote in message
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Raw rhubarb is quite toxic. Cooked stalks are quite
delicious.

--

I presume that you mean the stems not the leaves. I
haven't heard this before, what poison is in it that is
removed by cooking? Do you have any evidence of the
toxicity of uncooked stems versus cooked?

This ref is fairly comprehensive but doesn't mention it.

http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/rhubarb-poison.html#TOC82

David



"Rhubarb leaves contain oxalic acid, a corrosive and
nephrotoxic acid that is present in many plants. The LD50
(median lethal dose) for pure oxalic acid is predicted to
be about 375 mg/kg body weight,[citation needed] or about
25 g for a 65 kg (~140 lb) human. While the oxalic acid
content of rhubarb leaves can vary, a typical value is
about 0.5%,[5] so a rather unlikely five kilograms of the
extremely sour leaves would have to be consumed to reach
an LD50 dose of oxalic acid."

Perhaps the unpleasant, but minor effects of the oxalic
acid are enough to convince people that eating too much
wouldn't be such a great idea. Sort of like the stink
added to propane as a warning.


(and who eats the leaves anyway?)

my goats, if they get into the garden. they also will nibble
on rhododendron. they're stupid!
i have a very large rhododendron out by my pasture gate & the
road. i never thought much about it because the livestock
couldn't reach it from the pasture... there's a summer camp
across the street from my place (on the pasture end of the
property). one weekend the cityfolk cammpers decided they
wanted to see my llamas closer, so they picked rhododendron
leaves & fed one of the llamas over the gate. she died. i was
****ed, but i couldn't 'prove' who did it. at any rate we
built a new electric fenceline 4 feet in, with an electric
spring coil gate so no one can get close enough to poison the
livestock again.
and rhubarb stalks are fine to eat as long as they aren't
woody. they'll produce all summer if you keep them watered
(slightly shaded helps too). i eat raw rhubarb all the time
when i'm out in the garden in the spring (i need to run a
dripline to my row so it produces past the end of June). i've
been eating raw rhubarb for 50 years, not a lot at a time
because it's sour, but it's not poisonous, only the leaves
are.
lee