See also: laxatives; laxative foods; laxative herbal tea; laxatives for weight loss
Introduction
Data in hand, "natural laxatives" is a very popular keyword on search engines. More generally, the statistics show a renewed interest in the natural, with particular attention to everything that can be drawn from the plant world to seek health.
But be careful: as we have repeatedly emphasized, natural is not always synonymous with health. The rule, of course, also applies to laxatives. In fact, numerous preparations of natural origin contain more drastic and dangerous active principles than synthetic ones.
Laxatives to Antrachinoni
In the figure to the side, taken from the textbook "General and applied pharmacognosy of Alessandro Bruni, Ed. Piccin" we find a list of the main natural anthraquinone laxatives, ordered according to the power of their laxative effect and according to the importance of the relative contraindications.
Not surprisingly, the two characteristics go hand in hand and as the one increases, the other increases as well. Still considering this widespread category of natural laxatives, the purgative effect also varies according to the conditions in which the plant has grown and the methods of processing used to produce the drug. In synthetic laxatives, on the contrary, the active ingredient is purified and precisely dosed.
In addition to the aforementioned sources of purgative substances, nature offers us further remedies to promote or accelerate bowel movement.
| NATURAL LAXATIVES | SUMMARY OF SUMMARY | |
| Plant origin | Mineral origin | |
Anthraquinone drugs:
Castor oil Olive oil and other vegetable oils Dietary fiber Fiber Supplements:
Laxative foods | Inorganic salts Mineral oil | phenolphthalein bisacodyl picosulfate Dioctyl sulfosuccinate sodium Sorbitol lactulose Methylcellulose polyethylene glycol |
We must not be deceived by the idea that a natural laxative is necessarily safe; some, in fact, have very important properties and side effects. Before resorting to "makeshift preparations" driven by DIY, it is recommended to seek the advice of a doctor, a pharmacist or a qualified herbalist. | ||
Laxative Recipes
Combine the natural laxative properties of the ingredients wisely, creating recipes capable of delighting not only the palate, but also the intestine, "awakening" it in case of occasional constipation. Alice and MypersonaltrainerTv are pleased to present you their loosely laxative recipes.
Laxative cake
X Problems with video playback? Reload from YouTube Go to Video Page Go to Video Recipes Section Watch the video on youtube| Dosage and time of onset of some laxatives | ||
| Laxative | Average daily dose (per os) | Action onset (hours) |
| Seine | 15-60 mg | 6-12 |
| Cascara (fluid extract) | 5 ml | 6-12 |
| Bran | 20 g | 12-72 |
| Psyllium | 4 - 30 g | 12-72 |
| Magnesium salts | 2 - 30 g | 0.5 - 3 |
| Methylcellulose | 4 - 6 g | 12 - 72 |
| Sorbitol (syrup) | 15 - 60 ml | 24 - 48 |
| Lactulose (syrup) | 15 - 60 ml | 24 - 48 |
| Castor oil | 30 - 60 ml | 2-6 |
| Mineral oils | 15 - 45 ml | 6-8 |
| bisacodyl | 10 - 20 mg | 6-8 |
Among all the listed, the laxatives that act in a more delicate and "natural" way are undoubtedly those of food origin (prunes, figs, apple juice, fiber-rich foods and their supplements); the last category, in particular, exploits the swelling effect of the fiber in contact with water. The so-called "mass" laxatives must therefore be accompanied by generous amounts of liquids: their effect will manifest itself on average within 12-72 hours of ingestion, so a little patience is needed to understand whether they work or not. Subjects with gastrointestinal and esophageal ulcers, stenoses or adhesions should avoid their use.
