ZooScape.com Product Review: Cascara Sagrada Root - 320 mg "I very much prefer the Cascara Sagrada 320 mg to the stronger dose, which is what every other site offers. Most sites sell Cascara Sagrada 450 mg, which is too harsh for me and causes cramping.
You see, I used to take Docusate Sodium [the bra..." -- Janine
* Please Note: This information is based partly on Traditional Medicine which uses natural materials to support health. This information has not been evaluated or approved by the FDA. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor.
Description: The plant is a large, deciduous shrub or small tree of up to 12 m in height. It has oblong leaves with prominent parallel veins, small greenish flowers and red fruits (drupes) of about 10 mm in diameter that turn black when they ripen. Cascara sagrada is the Spanish for "holy bark".
Origin: Western coastal region of North America (from Canada to southern California). Commercial supplies come from plantations in the USA and Canada.
Parts Used: Dried trunk and stem bark (Rhamni purshiani cortex). Fresh bark tends to cause nausea and griping, so it is stored for one year (or artificially aged) before use.
Therapeutic Category: Stimulant laxative.
Uses and Properties: The bark has mild purgative properties and is used as a laxative to treat constipation. Cascara sagrada is still very popular and is an ingredient in several hundred different medicinal products. The annual harvest of bark has been estimated to reach 2,000 tons in some years.
Preparation and Dosage: Teas or decoctions are made at the same dose than is used for Rhamnus frangula (2 g in 150 mL water, or a total of 20 - 30 mg total hydroxyanthracene derivatives per day).
Active Ingredients: The dry bark contains 6-9% hydroxyanthraquinone glycosides, the bulk of which is made up of O-glycosides of aloeemodin, chrysophanol and emodin or C-glycosides (so-called cascarosides A, B, C and D; also aloin A, B).
Pharmacological Effects: Stimulant laxatives influence the motility of the colon and speed up the movement of the bowels, resulting in a reduction in liquid absorption. Part of the glycosides are degraded by bacterial enzymes in the colon to form anthrones, the active laxative compounds.
Status: Traditional medicine; Pharm.; Comm. E+; ESCOP 5; WHO 2.
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Directions
Take 1-3 capsules per day.
Ingredients
Cascara Sagrada Root (Rhamnus purshiana) - 450 mg
Cautions
This is a stimulating laxative and should not be used for more than 1-2 weeks without medical advice. Do not use if pregnant or suffering from Crohn's, colitis, apendicitis or other gastrointestinal disorder.
The product should not be used during pregnancy or lactation. Stimulant laxatives should not be used for periods longer than one or two weeks, and then only after a change in diet or the use of bulk laxatives were found to be ineffective. Anthraquinones appear to have mutagenic properties.
Additional Information
Herb-Xtra is committed to the manufacture of high quality, standardized and guaranteed natural health products and supplements.
I very much prefer the Cascara Sagrada 320 mg to the stronger dose, which is what every other site offers. Most sites sell Cascara Sagrada 450 mg, which is too harsh for me and causes cramping.
You see, I used to take Docusate Sodium [the brand name for this was Peri-Colace] with Casanthranol (a stool softener plus a stimulant laxative - the Casanthranol) but then it became unavailable. So I tried to duplicate it, although every pharmacist with whom I spoke doubted I'd find Cascara sold anywhere. And they told me that there was no way, even for them, to tell me what mg of
cascara would equal the 30 mg of Casanthranol.
So I have been searching, and it was my lucky day when I found the ZooScape
site - thank goodness for you and please keep offering your products, some of which cannot be found elsewhere.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Products are intended to support general well being and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure any condition or disease. If conditions persist, please seek advice from your medical doctor. The essence of the current American rule on Traditional Uses is, as stated by FTC, "Claims based on historical or traditional use should be substantiated by confirming scientific evidence, or should be presented in such a way that consumers understand that the sole basis for the claim is a history of use of the product for a particular purpose."
