Herbs & Herbal Remedies @ Green Papaya

Anthraquinone laxatives are considered a last resort for constipation. First, eat a diet higher in fiber, drink more fluids, and exercise more. If that doesn’t work, try a bulk-forming laxative, such as psyllium, for example. And if that doesn’t provide relief, try Cascara Sagrada.

Cascara Sagrada should never be used for more than two weeks. Over time, it causes lazy bowel syndrome, an inability to move stool without chemical stimulation. If constipation persists, consult a physician.

Cascara bark must be stored for at least a year before use.

The fresh herb contains chemicals that can cause violent catharsis and severe intestinal cramps. Drying changes these chemicals and gives the herb milder action. Fresh bark may also be artificially dried by baking at 250°F for several hours.

Cascara Sagrada should not be used by anyone with ulcers, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, hemorrhoids, or other gastrointestinal conditions.

Pregnant women should not use Cascara Sagrada.

For otherwise healthy non-pregnant, non-nursing adults who do not have digestive disorders and are not taking other laxatives, Cascara Sagrada is considered relatively safe when used cautiously in amounts typically recommended.

Cascara Sagrada should be used in medicinal amounts only in consultation with your doctor. If Cascara Sagrada causes minor discomforts such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or intestinal cramps, 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.

Not for the Backyard

Cascara Sagrada is an unassuming, 20-foot tree with reddishbrown bark and thin, finely serrated leaves. It grows in the Northwest and is not a garden herb.

Modern herbals recommend Cascara Sagrada for constipation and endorse the Eclectic physicians’ assertion that it “restores bowel tone.”

Constipation - Cascara Sagrada is an ingredient in dozens of over-the-counter laxatives, among them Comfolax plus and Nature’s Remedy. In addition, physicians write more than 2.5 million prescriptions a year for products that contain cascara.

Cascara Sagrada contains chemicals (anthraquinones) that stimulate the intestinal contractions we know as “the urge.” And the Spanish were right in believing that Cascara Sagrada is milder than the other anthraquinone laxatives, which include aloe, buckthorn, rhubarb, and senna. As a result, cascara is less likely to cause nausea, vomiting, and intestinal cramps. On the other hand, these reactions are possible. If they occur, use less or stop using it.

Research has also supported the Eclectics’ observation that Cascara Sagrada restores bowel tone. According to the natural-product text, Pharmacognosy, “Cascara Sagrada… not only acts as a laxative, but also restores natural tone to the colon.”

Intriguing Possibility - Harry Hoxsey may have been on the right track. The herb contains aloe-emodin, which has been shown to have anti-leukemia action in laboratory animals, supporting its use as a cancer treatment. Unfortunately, aloe-emodin is also quite toxic, and scientists say more research is needed before it can be used to treat leukemia.

Rx for Cascara Sagrada

To benefit from the laxative action of Cascara Sagrada, use either a decoction or a tincture.

For a decoction, boil I teaspoon of well-dried bark in 3 cups of water for 30 minutes. Drink at room temperature, I to 2 cups a day before bed.

The taste is quite bitter. You may find that a tincture is more palatable. In a tincture, take 112 teaspoon at bedtime.

When using commercial preparations, follow package directions.

Do not give Cascara Sagrada to children under age 2. For older children and people over 65, start with low-strength preparations and increase strength if necessary.

World’s Most Popular Laxative

Family: Rhamnaceae; (includes Buckthorn)

Genus and Species: Rhamnus Purshiana

Also known as: Cascara, sacred bark, chittem bark

Parts used: Dried, aged bark

The 16th-century Spanish explorers who first visited northern California had a problem-constipation. The local Indians had the solution-a tea made from a healing herb they held sacred. The herb worked, and the Spanish named it Cascara Sagrada, “sacred bark.” It has been the answer to millions of prayers ever since.

Wonder of the New World

The Spanish recognized Cascara Sagrada as a relative of buckthorn, the powerful laxative herb used in Europe since ancient times. But Cascara Sagrada was much gentler. The explorers sent some back to Spain, where its comparatively mild action was hailed as a wonder of the New World.

But the Spanish explorers were more interested in finding gold than in spreading laxatives around the newly discovered continent. For a long time Cascara Sagrada remained a West Coast folk remedy, known as “chittem bark,” a polite variant of the Gold Rush ‘4gers’ name, “sh-tin’ bark.”

In 1877, a Detroit Eclectic physician extolled cascara’s mildness in a home medical guide, prompting Parke, Davis & Co., the pharmaceutical firm, to market a commercial preparation. Cascara Sagrada has been one of the world’s most popular herbal medicines ever since.

Cascara Sagrada entered the U.S. Pharmacopoeia in 1890 and remains there to this day.

In Appalachian folk medicine, Cascara Sagrada has also been used to treat cancer. It was an ingredient in the popular but highly controversial-Hoxsey Cancer Formula, an alternative therapy marketed from the I930s to the I950s by ex-coal miner Harry Hoxsey.