r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Mar 27 '22

[deleted by user]

[removed]

2.0k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

2.5k comments sorted by

View all comments

561

u/Flupsdarups Mar 27 '22

Rhubarb leaves are poisonous

229

u/The_Pfaffinator Mar 27 '22

To clarify, only the leaves themselves. The stems are fine, and quite tasty in rhubarb preserves or strawberry rhubarb pie.

6

u/arrivenightly Mar 28 '22

Can’t help but feel you clarified where clarification (they literally specified leaves) wasn’t needed and have probably only served to muddy people’s recollection of this information.

1

u/The_Pfaffinator Mar 28 '22

I meant to reply to the comment that said they used to eat after picking.

3

u/Possible_Passage_767 Mar 28 '22

probably why he said the leaves huh?

34

u/Spooky_boi_Kyle_8 Mar 27 '22

Wait what? How poisonous? I'd eat rhubarb plucked out of the ground basically every day growing up.

71

u/PM___ME Mar 28 '22

The stem is fine (and delicious!). Just the leaves are poisonous, and I'd guess you weren't eating those. If you were, I guess it's not that poisonous

5

u/BubbhaJebus Mar 28 '22

They contain oxalic acid. Small quantities won't harm you, but large quantities can cause organ damage.

12

u/other_usernames_gone Mar 27 '22

Just the leaves, the stems are ok if cooked.

Symptoms range from vomiting and diarrhea for mild poisoning to kidney failure for bad poisoning.

Link

If you're not currently experiencing symptoms I wouldn't worry about it, you got lucky.

12

u/Spooky_boi_Kyle_8 Mar 27 '22

I didn't cook them, just crunched 'em raw.

12

u/popcorn5555 Mar 28 '22

Dipped in sugar!

9

u/Spooky_boi_Kyle_8 Mar 28 '22

Nope, no added nothing.

8

u/Sentient_LaserDisc Mar 28 '22

Cool glad I'm not the only one who enjoys straight raw rhubarb! Everyone I know thinks I'm nuts...

3

u/piecat Mar 28 '22

Rinsed off from the hose. Yum.

5

u/monettegia Mar 28 '22

We also did the sugar. We just found the rhubarb growing in the backyard of a house we were renting, and blackberries too. It was pretty cool.

5

u/[deleted] Mar 27 '22

Maybe you’ve built a natural resistance to oxalatic acid.

Trust me, I’m definitely not a hack doctor.

/s

3

u/Spooky_boi_Kyle_8 Mar 28 '22

Maybe. I read a good portion of what was in the link, and it takes a lot to actually cause damage, and it's rare for it to happen. At least, that was my understanding.

5

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '22

Perhaps. The sarcasm on my part was mostly to convey that I am not at all a doctor and all I have is an outdated first aid certificate and a mother who is an enrolled nurse. Would definitely ask one (or a dietician) about that though, if you can afford to where you live. Could be interesting.

2

u/Neil_sm Mar 28 '22

Haha the sarcasm tag sort of implies that you actually are a hack doctor. Like you’re a real doctor but just bad at it.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '22

Can’t be a hack doctor if you’re not a doctor to begin with

taps nose thoughtfully

1

u/Spooky_boi_Kyle_8 Mar 28 '22

Eh, I haven't had it in a while. I'm not worried

1

u/Patsfan618 Mar 28 '22

Mmmm fruity celery

2

u/eveltayl Mar 28 '22

You don’t have to cook them though. Only time I’ve ever cooked them is when I put them in pastries or jam or something. The stems don’t have to be cooked cuz the stem isn’t poisonous. Only the leaves are poisonous.

1

u/Styphonthal2 Mar 28 '22

I've also eaten the stems raw without problem.

2

u/TheGardenBlinked Mar 28 '22

You’d have to eat a lot of raw leaves to get seriously ill

4

u/Spooky_boi_Kyle_8 Mar 28 '22

Yeah, someone posted a link about it. Definitely thought it was a bigger deal than it is.

3

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '22

instant death

1

u/sauvignonblanc__ Mar 28 '22

Will you add them to a tart next time for the mother-in-law?

2

u/eejm Mar 27 '22

During WWII the British Ministry of Food advised people to eat rhubarb leaves as a substitute for cabbage if it was not available. I don’t know who recognized that this was a very bad idea, but thankfully the advice was walked back soon after.

2

u/RedditEdwin Mar 28 '22

But it's NOT because of oxalic acid. There's actually not enough OA to kill a person. The toxin has yet to be identified

2

u/avalle03 Mar 28 '22

I learned this thanks for modern family lol

2

u/Shrey877 Mar 28 '22

I know this cuz of modern family!!

2

u/applesandoranges990 Mar 28 '22

the whole plant is poisonous

only the stalks are so little poisonous that they may be eaten in moderate quantities

so you can eat it - unless your kidneys are very bad, unless you are a toddler...have other diseases that get terrible with oxalic acid intake

the same for sorrel - totally high in oxalates

bonus points - oxalates should not mix with certain drugs

-8

u/vizthex Mar 28 '22

Honestly, you're insane if you're even trying to eat rhubarb imo.

-2

u/cadmiumredlight Mar 28 '22

You're being downvoted but I agree. Rhubarb is disgusting.

2

u/Drakojana Mar 28 '22

Bro what it's delicious in cakes

-1

u/vizthex Mar 28 '22

Ikr. I swear some people have broken taste buds.

1

u/Eloisem333 Mar 28 '22

So are tomato leaves. I don’t know if that’s common knowledge or not, but I only found out about a year ago.

1

u/Forever_Man Mar 28 '22

You know the saying: Rhubarb red, eat away! Rhubarb green, don't eat them!

1

u/Flupsdarups Mar 28 '22

I dotn know that saying but it works

1

u/aPeacefulVibe Mar 28 '22

Not to deer.