Rheum Palmatum Root Water is obtained through the distillation or aqueous extraction of the root of the Rheum palmatum plant. This ingredient is used in cosmetics for its soothing, purifying, and antioxidant properties. Due to the presence of bioactive compounds such as anthraquinones and flavonoids, Rheum Palmatum Water is ideal for treating sensitive and irritated skin, helping purify and protect the skin against free radicals and environmental stressors.
Chemical Composition and Structure
Rheum Palmatum Root Water contains traces of anthraquinones, tannins, and flavonoids. These bioactive compounds provide antioxidant and soothing properties, making the water useful for calming the skin and protecting it from oxidative damage.
Physical Properties
Rheum Palmatum Water is a clear, slightly colored or transparent liquid, water-soluble and suitable for use in products like toners, serums, and creams. Its light and refreshing texture makes it ideal for applications requiring fast absorption without leaving oily residues.
Production Process
Rheum Palmatum Water is produced through steam distillation or water-based extraction from the plant’s roots. This process captures volatile compounds and beneficial active ingredients for the skin, retaining the antioxidant and purifying properties of the extract.
Harvesting the Root: Rheum palmatum roots are harvested when mature. It is essential to follow sustainable harvesting practices to ensure the quality of the plant material.
Cleaning: After harvesting, the roots are cleaned to remove dirt, residues, and impurities. This step is crucial to ensure that the final water is of high quality.
Extraction: The cleaned roots undergo an extraction process where they are immersed in hot or cold water for a specified period. During this process, the bioactive compounds, vitamins, and minerals are transferred from the root to the water.
Filtration: Once the extraction process is complete, the mixture is filtered to remove solids and residues, resulting in clear water rich in nutrients.
Quality Control and Packaging: Finally, Rheum palmatum root water undergoes quality control checks to verify its purity, efficacy, and compliance with standards. After analysis, it is packaged in bottles or appropriate containers for distribution and use in cosmetic and food products.
Applications
Soothing Products: Due to its calming properties, Rheum Palmatum Root Water is used in skincare products for sensitive skin, reducing irritation and redness.
Purifying Products: The water is particularly useful in products designed for purifying the skin, helping to balance sebum production and maintain healthy skin.
Antioxidant Products: Rheum Palmatum Water provides protection against free radical damage, helping to prevent premature skin aging.
INCI Functions:
Humectant. Hygroscopic compound used to minimise water loss in the skin and to prevent it from drying out by facilitating faster and greater absorption of water into the stratum corneum of the epidermis. The epidermis is the most superficial of the three layers that make up human skin (epidermis, dermis and hypodermis) and is the layer that maintains hydration in all three layers. In turn, the epidermis is composed of five layers: horny, the most superficial, granular, spinous, shiny, and basal. Humectants have the ability to retain the water they attract from the air in the stratum corneum and have the function of moisturising the skin. They are best used before emollients, which are oil-based.
CAS 90106-27-7
EC number 290-249-3
Health and Safety Considerations
Safety in Use
Rheum Palmatum Water is considered safe for topical use in cosmetics. While it is generally well-tolerated, a patch test is recommended for sensitive skin before full use.
Allergic Reactions
Allergic reactions to Rheum Palmatum Root Water are rare but may occur in individuals sensitive to anthraquinones or other plant compounds.
Toxicity and Carcinogenicity
Internal consumption of large quantities of anthraquinones from the plant may have toxic effects, but this does not apply to topical use.
Environmental Considerations
Rheum Palmatum Water is produced from renewable natural sources, with a sustainable extraction process that has minimal environmental impact.
Regulatory Status
Rheum Palmatum Root Water is approved for use in cosmetics by major regulatory authorities, such as the European Union and the FDA in the United States.
References__________________________________________________________________________
Nguyen LTH, Ahn SH, Shin HM, Yang IJ. Anti-Psoriatic Effect of Rheum palmatum L. and Its Underlying Molecular Mechanisms. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Dec 15;23(24):16000. doi: 10.3390/ijms232416000.
Abstract. Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory skin disorder. Rheum palmatum L. is a common traditional medicinal herb with anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities. This study aimed to investigate the anti-psoriatic effects of the ethanolic extract from R. palmatum L. (RPE) and its chemical constituents, as well as the mechanisms underlying their therapeutic significance. An imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis-like mouse model was used to examine the anti-psoriatic effect of RPE in vivo. Network pharmacological analysis was performed to investigate the potential targets and related pathways of the RPE components, including rhein, emodin, chrysophanol, aloe-emodin, and physcion. The anti-inflammatory effects and underlying mechanisms of these components were examined using in vitro models. Topical application of RPE alleviated psoriasis-like symptoms and reduced levels of inflammatory cytokines and proliferation markers in the skin. Network pharmacological analysis revealed that RPE components target 20 genes that are linked to psoriasis-related pathways, such as IL-17, MAPK, and TNF signaling pathways. Among the five components of RPE, rhein and emodin showed inhibitory effects on TNF-α and IL-17 production in EL-4 cells, attenuated the production of CXCL8, CXCL10, CCL20, and MMP9, and reduced proliferation in HaCaT cells. Chrysophanol, aloe-emodin, and physcion were less effective than rhein and emodin in suppressing inflammatory responses and keratinocyte proliferation. The effects of these compounds might occur through the inhibition of the ERK, STAT3, and NF-κB signaling pathways. This study suggested the anti-psoriatic effect of RPE, with rhein and emodin as the main contributors that regulate multiple signaling pathways.
Shang X, Dai L, He J, Yang X, Wang Y, Li B, Zhang J, Pan H, Gulnaz I. A high-value-added application of the stems of Rheum palmatum L. as a healthy food: the nutritional value, chemical composition, and anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Food Funct. 2022 May 10;13(9):4901-4913. doi: 10.1039/d1fo04214a.
Abstract. Rhubarb has edible stems or stalks. In this paper, we investigated the nutritional value, chemical composition, and bioactivities of Rheum palmatum stems (SRP) and analyzed the mode of action. SRP exhibited biosafety and had nutritional value, with abundant essential amino acids and minerals. Based on network pharmacology and western blot tests, we found that it showed anti-inflammatory activity via the PI3K-Akt-mediated NF-κB pathway. Out of 20 compounds identified using UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF/MS analysis, cirsiliol and hydrangenol were active compounds and they inhibited NO production in RAW264.7 cells induced by LPS. The alleviation of an inflammatory response is combined with a decrease in oxidative stress, and SRP showed antioxidant activity via attenuating antioxidant enzymes, scavenging free radicals, improving the mitochondrial membrane potential, and decreasing the reactive oxygen species level. These results indicated that SRP, with abundant flavonoids and a good nutritional composition, could be used as a dietary supplement for food applications.
Xiong Y, Kim HK, Özer ÖÇ, van Duijn B, Korthout HAAJ, Zi L, Cai A. Synergistic Inhibiting Effect of Phytochemicals in Rheum palmatum on Tyrosinase Based on Metabolomics and Isobologram Analyses. Molecules. 2023 Jan 17;28(3):944. doi: 10.3390/molecules28030944.
Abstract. Tyrosinase (TYR) plays a key role in the enzymatic reaction that is responsible for a range of unwanted discoloration effects, such as food browning and skin hyperpigmentation. TYR inhibitors could, therefore, be candidates for skin care products that aim to repair pigmentation problems. In this study, we used a metabolomics approach combined with the isobologram analysis to identify anti-TYR compounds within natural resources, and evaluate their possible synergism with each other. Rheum palmatum was determined to be a model plant for observing the effect, of which seven extracts with diverse phytochemicals were prepared by way of pressurized solvent extraction. Each Rheum palmatum extract (RPE) was profiled using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and its activity of tyrosinase inhibition was evaluated. According to the orthogonal partial least square analysis used to correlate phytochemicals in RPE with the corresponding activity, the goodness of fit of the model (R2 = 0.838) and its predictive ability (Q2 = 0.711) were high. Gallic acid and catechin were identified as the active compounds most relevant to the anti-TYR effect of RPE. Subsequently, the activity of gallic acid and catechin were evaluated individually, and when combined in various ratios by using isobologram analysis. The results showed that gallic acid and catechin in the molar ratios of 9:5 and 9:1 exhibited a synergistic inhibition on TYR, with a combination index lower than 0.77, suggesting that certain combinations of these compounds may prove effective for use in cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and food industries.
Wang H, Song H, Yue J, Li J, Hou YB, Deng JL. Rheum officinale (a traditional Chinese medicine) for chronic kidney disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 Jul 11;2012(7):CD008000. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD008000.pub2.
Abstract. Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major public health issue worldwide. Standard therapies to delay CKD progression include dietary protein restriction and administration of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) to help control blood pressure and confer additional renoprotective effects. Despite such interventions, CKD incidence and mortality rates continue to increase. Rheum officinale (Da Huang) a medicinal herb used widely in China to treat CKD has been reported to offer a range of pharmacological properties that may delay disease progression. Objectives: To assess the benefits and harms of Rheum officinale for preventing the progression of CKD.....Main results: We identified nine studies that enrolled 682 participants. None of the studies reported blinding or group allocation methods. Seven studies were judged to be at low risk of incomplete outcome reporting; three studies were judged to be a low risk of selective reporting (protocols were available and/or all outcomes relevant to the this review were reported); and two studies were judged free of other potential biases.Seven studies compared Rheum officinale with no treatment and two made comparisons with captopril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi). Compared with no treatment, Rheum officinale had a positive effect on SCr (MD -87.49 µmol/L, 95% CI -139.25 to -35.72) and BUN (MD -10.61 mmol/L, 95% CI -19.45 to -2.21). Compared with captopril, a statistically significant difference was not demonstrated in relation to Rheum officinale for any outcome (BUN, CrCl, or patients' capacity to undertake work). No data were available on all-cause mortality or cost of treatment. Only minor adverse events were reported in association with Rheum officinale. Authors' conclusions: Currently available evidence concerning the efficacy of Rheum officinale to improve SCr and BUN levels in patients with CKD is both scant and low quality. Although Rheum officinale does not appear to be associated with serious adverse events among patients with CKD, there is no current evidence to support any recommendation for its use.
Tan ZB, Fan HJ, Wu YT, Xie LP, Bi YM, Xu HL, Chen HM, Li J, Liu B, Zhou YC. Rheum palmatum extract exerts anti-hepatocellular carcinoma effects by inhibiting signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 signaling. J Ethnopharmacol. 2019 Mar 25;232:62-72. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2018.12.019. Epub 2018 Dec 13. PMID: 30553869.
