Buckwheat – Polygonaceae.
Common name: monastic rhubarb. Pharmacy name: Alpine sorrel rhizome – Rumicis alpini rhizoma (formerly: Rhizoma Rumicis alpini).
Botanical description. Perennial herbaceous plant with dinopetiolate leaves, which can reach a length of SO cm and a width of 20 cm. Peduncle within 1 m high, flowers tightly pressed together, inconspicuous, from greenish-yellow to red. It is found mainly in the Alps, most often near shepherds’ huts.
Active ingredients: anthraquinone derivatives of bitterness.
Application. It used to be a favorite laxative among the local population.