What is "emodin"

Emodin \Em"o*din\, n. (Chem.) An orange-red crystalline substance, C15H10O5, obtained from the buckthorn, rhubarb, etc., and regarded as a derivative of anthraquinone; -- so called from a species of rhubarb ( Rheum emodei).

n. (context organic compound English) A purgative resin, 6-methyl-1,3,8-trihydroxyanthraquinone, obtained from some rhubarbs and other plants.

Emodin (from Rheum emodi, a Himalayan rhubarb) is a purgative resin, 6-methyl-1,3,8-trihydroxyanthraquinone, from rhubarb, buckthorn and Japanese knotweed ( Fallopia japonica syn. Polygonum cuspidatum). It is also produced by many species of fungi, including members of the genera Aspergillus, Pyrenochaeta, and Pestalotiopsis, inter alia. Synonyms for emodin include emodol, frangula emodin, rheum emodin, 3-methyl-1,6,8-trihydroxyanthraquinone, Schuttgelb, and Persian Berry Lake.