Cascara Sagrada ~ Rhamnus purshiana

Cascara Sagrada

Latin name: Rhamnus purshiana

Family: Rhamnaceae

Part used: bark, stored for at least 1 year

Habitat: native to the west coast ofN. America

Main constituents: anthraquinone glycosides (cascarosides A, B, C, D), emodin-type glycosides

Energetics: bitter, cooling, drying

Main herbal actions: laxative, tonic (tones intestinal wall)

Minor herbal actions: cholagogue

Main medicinal uses: chronic constipation, dyspepsia, digestive complaints

Minor medicinal uses: piles, anal fissures, hemorrhoids, hepatic sluggishness

Preparations: powder: 1-2.5 g qd; 1:5 tincture: 2-5 ml; decoction: 1 heaping tsp/cup water (note possible discrepancies for doses of different preparations)

Contraindications: extended periods of time: will deplete electrolytes through excessive bowel movement; may potentiate cardiac glycoside activity; don’t use with intestinal obstruction, pregnancy, abdominal pain of unknown origin, children under 12 years

Toxicity: vomiting, intestinal spasms, bloody diarrhea, kidney inflammation

Sources: Sharol Tilgner, N.D.: Herbal Medicine from the Heart of the Earth; Wren, R.C. Potter’s New Cyclopaedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations