Pontic Health Dictionary

Baillon.

Family: Polygonaceae.

Habitat: Southeast Tibet, West and Northwest China.

English: Rhubarb.

Unani: Usaare Rewand.

Action: Astringent and cathartic (anthraquinones are laxative and tannins astringent), stomachic, aperient, cholinergic, gastric stimulant, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic. Used for indigestion, diarrhoea, dysentery and disorders of liver and gallbladder.

Key application: In constipation. Contraindicated in acute intestinal inflammation and obstruction. (German Commission E, ESCOP, The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia, WHO.)

Rhubarb contains 1,8-dihydroxy- anthracene derivatives. The laxative effect of the herb is primarily due to its influence on the motility of the colon, inhibiting stationary and stimulating propulsive contractions. Stimulation of the chloride secretion increases the water and electrolyte content of stool. (German Commission E.)

The plant extract of R. officinale is found to be strong and effective scavenger of oxygen radicals in xan- thine/xanthine oxidase and other systems in vitro.

Rheum rhaponticum, known as Rha- pontic or English rhubarb, is extensively cultivated all over Europe and America; also cultivated to a small extent in India in the Khasi Hills, the Nilgiris and West Bengal.

Rhubarbs contain anthraquinones but English rhubarb contains only chrysophanic acid and some of its glycosides. Stilbene glycosides, present in other types, are also found in English rhubarb. The roots contain rhapontin. (1.42%), reported to restore oestrus cycle in castrated female rats.... rheum officinale

n. (in dentistry) a fixed replacement for missing teeth. The artificial tooth is attached to one or more natural teeth, usually by a crown. Bridges may also be fitted on dental *implants. The supporting teeth (or implants) are referred to as abutments, and the artificial teeth that fit over them are referred to as retainers. The replacements of missing teeth are known as pontics. Adhesive bridges are attached to one or more adjacent teeth by a metal plate that adheres to the enamel on the tooth surface prepared by the *acid-etch technique; these bridges require minimal tooth preparation compared with conventional types of bridges.

brief resolved unexplained episode (BRUE) a sudden, brief (less than 30 to 60 seconds), and resolved episode in an infant that includes one or more of the following: decreased or irregular breathing; change in muscle tone; pallor or cyanosis or altered responsiveness. The episode is frightening for the person caring for the infant. BRUE is a description rather than a diagnosis and the term is used only when there is no explanation for the event after a thorough history and examination.... bridge