DEATH by rhubarb may sound like a ridiculous notion but that’s exactly what one Ming general apparently attempted during the latter years of the Chinese dynasty.

This was a time when rhubarb was consumed for its medicinal properties not, as we’re more used to now, as a tart treat with custard.

This general would have been eating a Chinese variety of rhubarb originally praised for its purgative qualities, and is actually still used in herbal and conventional medicine today.

It’s the root of the plant that is dried and made into tonics and is commonly used to prevent and treat conditions such as ulcers, cancer, fever, headaches, toothaches and certain liver problems.

The general may have had more success in his suicidal endeavour if he’d tried eating rhubarb leaves: these are actually toxic to humans and other animals but you’d need to eat 5kg of them before they were deadly.

However even a small amount can have adverse effects so it’s not advised to eat any quantity of them and ensure you keep them away from pets.

The use of rhubarb as a culinary ingredient is actually a fairly recent idea: it was during the 1800s that it really rose to popularity and started being used in desserts and winemaking.

As sugar was becoming more affordable and rhubarb was ready much earlier than other vegetables, it was soon being widely used in recipes across the UK. It also helped that new a variety which was more palatable and easy to grow had just been developed. Named after the newly-crowned queen, the Victoria variety is still grown in kitchen gardens across the world today.

You can pick some up on the Cultivate veg van outside the Rusty Bike on Magdalen Road, Oxford, tomorrow from 3pm to 8pm.