Emodin, a compound found in Chinese rhubarb (Rheum palmatum), may help prevent colorectal disease due to impressive therapeutic effects, including anti-inflammatory and antitumor properties.
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
- As a revered medicinal herb in traditional Chinese medicine, Chinese rhubarb, also known as rhei or dahuang, has long been prized for its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic properties
- One of its most powerful compounds — emodin — is a natural anthraquinone with demonstrated antitumorigenic properties
- New research also found that emodin may be an “effective primary therapy against the onset of genetic and chemically induced sporadic colorectal cancer”
- Emodin reduced polyp count and size in a mouse model of colorectal cancer; polyps are growths on the inner lining of the colon that can turn into cancer
- Mice that received emodin had lower pro-tumor macrophages — immune cells that may promote tumorigenesis
