Papaya - a world class meat tenderizer, natural digestive aid, prevents ulcers, and also a soft contact lense cleaner.Healing with Buckthorn
Buckthorn doesn’t treat jaundice or arthritis. And it’s more likely to aggravate hemorrhoids than help them. But its laxative action is so powerful, it’s considered a purgative.
Purgative. No one disputes buckthorn’s laxative effect.
It’s an ingredient in the over-the-counter laxative Movicol.
Buckthorn contains chemicals (anthraquinones) that are dramatic purgatives-for most people, too dramatic. Buckthorn should be considered a last-resort treatment for constipation. First, eat a diet higher in fiber, drink more fluids, and exercise more. If that doesn’t provide relief, try a bulkforming laxative such as psyllium, for example (see page 423). If that doesn’t help, try a gentler anthraquinone, cascara sagrada (see page 144). And if that doesn’t work, try buckthorn in consultation with your physician.
Intriguing Possibility. Harry Hoxsey may have been on the right track. Buckthorn has an anti-tumor effect, according to research published in the Journal of tFIe National Cancer Institute, but other studies must be conducted before this herb can be used to treat cancer.
Rx for Buckthorn
In Germany, physicians prescribe an infusion containing 112 teaspoon each of dried buckthorn bark, fennel seed, and chamomile flowers (which soothe the stomach) steeped in I cup of boiling water for 10 minutes. Drink it before bed. You’ll find the taste initially sweet, then bitter.
If you prefer a decoction, boil I teaspoon of dried buckthorn in 3 cups of water and steep for 30 minutes. Drink cool, 1 tablespoon at a time before bed.
In a tincture, take 1/2 teaspoon before bed.
Buckthorn the Safety Factor
Because of buckthorn’s powerful laxative action, it should not be used by people with chronic gastrointestinal problems, such as ulcers, colitis, or hemorrhoids. Pregnant women should not take buckthorn.
Don’t use buckthorn for more than two weeks at a time. If you use it too long, it causes lazy bowel syndrome-an inability to move stool without chemical stimulation. If constipation persists, consult a physician.
If you use buckthorn, make sure it has been dried thoroughly. Otherwise, it causes vomiting, severe abdominal pain, and violent diarrhea. Most herbalists recommend drying the berries or bark for at least a year-some say two-before using them. Fresh buckthorn may also be artificially dried by baking at 250°F for several hours. If nausea and abdominal distress develop, seek professional medical attention immediately.
For otherwise healthy nonpregnant, nonnursing adults who do not have any chronic gastrointestinal conditions and are not taking other laxatives, buckthorn may be used very cautiously for short periods of time in amounts typically recommended.
Buckthorn should be used in medicinal amounts only in consultation with your doctor. If violent diarrhea occurs or if intestinal cramps develop, use less or stop using it. Let your doctor know if you experience any unpleasant effects or if constipation does not improve in a few days.
Native Cultivation -Not for the Garden
Buckthorn is a shrub or small tree which reaches about 20 feet. It has shiny, dark green leaves, and produces black, peasize berries. It is not a garden herb.