* 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
Alder Buckthorn Rhamnus frangula L. (= Frangula alnus Mill.).
Family: Rhamnaceae.
Other Names: Bourdaine (French); Faulbaum (German); frangola (Italian); frangola (Spanish).
Description: A woody shrub of 3-5 m in height, with non-thorny, brittle branches (frangere is the Latin for break) that have an unpleasant odour (hence Faulbaum in German) and broad leaves with prominent, arching secondary veins. Small greenish flowers are followed by small, two- or three-seeded fruit (drupes) that change from red to black as they ripen. The tree is sometimes called buckthorn and may therefore be confused with real buckhorn (Rhamnus catharticus).
Origin: Europe, Mediterranean region (including North Africa) and northwestern Asia. The product is wild-collected mainly in eastern Europe and Russia.
Parts Used: Dried bark of the trunk and branches (Frangulae cortex). Fresh bark has to be aged - stored for one year or heat treated before use.
Therapeutic Category: Stimulant laxative.
Uses and Properties: The dry bark may be used as a laxative, but more often the powdered bark or bark extracts are included as ingredients in proprietary products. It is sometimes part of combination products (with antispasmodic herbs and bulk laxatives).
Preparation and Dosage: Cut or powdered bark or bark extracts are used for making teas or decoctions. About 2 g of chopped bark is typically steeped in 150 mL of boiling water. The daily dose should not exceed 20 - 30mg of total hydroxyanthracenes.
Active Ingredients: In the fresh bark, the active compounds are present as anthrone- or dianthrone-glycosides (frangularoside and glucofrangularoside) (6%). With storage or heat treatment, these are oxidised to anthraquinone glycosides, mainly glucofrangulin A (bis-glycoside with glucose and rhamnose), glucofrangulin B (bis-glycoside with glucose and apiose), frangulin A and B (monoglycosides with only apiose) and frangulaemodin 8-O-glucoside. Also present are free emodin, physcion and chrysophanol.
Pharmacological Effects: The anthracene glycosides act as prodrugs and are partly converted to the active anthrones and anthranols in the large intestine.
Status: Traditional medicine; Pharm.; Comm. E+. ESCOP 5; WHO 2.
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Directions
Fresh drawn, boiling water contains the most oxygen, thereby giving the fullest taste to tea. Water that has been boiling for some time looses the oxygen and thereby the best taste.
Allow full expansion during the infusion and easy removal after the time for steeping has elapsed.
Draw into a tea pot or kettle the best fresh water that you have available.
Warm the teapot and cups while the water is boiling.
Cautions
Avoid Buckthorn if you have an intestinal obstruction, an acute inflammatory intestinal disorder such as Crohn's Disease, ulcerative colitis, appendicitis, or any abdominal pain of unknown origin.
Not for use by children under 12.
Buckthorn can cause abdominal pain or discomfort. If it does, reduce the dosage.
Do not take Buckthorn for more than 1 to 2 weeks without consulting a doctor. Long-term use can lead to potassium deficiency, intestinal dysfunction, heart problems, kidney disease, swelling, and bone problems.
Avoid combining Buckthorn with other medications that flush water and potassium from the body, including diuretics such as Diuril and Lasix, steroid drugs such as prednisone, and licorice root.
Potassium plays an important role in regulating the heart, so depleting it through long-term use of laxatives can affect the action of certain heart medications. There could be an increase in the effect of drugs such as digitalis and digoxin (Lanoxin). Medications taken to steady the heartbeat could also be affected.
Consult with your doctor before using Buckthorn while pregnant or breastfeeding.
Stimulant laxatives should never be used for more than a week or two without seeking medical advice. They should also not be used during pregnancy (risk of abortion) or while breastfeeding.
Additional Information
PhytoVie manufactures a wide selection of therapeutic and aromatic teas. The PhytoVie manufacturing process guarantees the quality and consistency of each and every tea bag. Our buyers select only the highest premium quality teas each season, importing from around the world. Each tea bag contains only the finest quality ingredients.
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."
