Over-the-counter laxative medication represents one of the largest markets for consumer medication in the United States. A few of these medications contain natural products but a large number have chemicals as active ingredients. In 1996 the FDA asked many companies to contact safety studies to find out whether these ingredients were a danger to humans after the same agency discovered troubling side effects in animals.
In particular, the animal studies that ultimately led to this directive were conducted on rats by a government lab. High doses of a compound known as phenolphthalein was fed to these rodents which caused a number of tumors. The caveat is that these rats received doses that are far above what humans. Even so it is worrying that a chemical we regularly ingest for treating gastrointestinal problems can be implicated in cancer.
Over forty medical laxatives are sold over the counter (OTC) which have more than one of these chemicals that were part of the FDA warning: senna, aloe, bisacodyl, phenolphthalein, and cascara sagrada. As of now, senna, bisacodyl and phenolphthalein continue to be marketed as laxative products whereas aloe and cascara have been declared to be too dangerous.
These safety concerns have been echoed in the public sentiment by an increased interest in natural laxatives. Prune juice is one such natural laxative drink, derived from the dried prune. It is a wonder food as far as constipation is concerned due to its immensely high levels of dietary fiber, as well as the carbohydrate sorbitol that has been shown to have beneficial properties for people with constipation.
For the people trying to find other natural remedies, a few non-medicated options and several chemical possibilities are available. A first tactic that even a primary care doctor may suggest is maximizing dietary fiber. Such a treatment strategy consists of eating a lot of typical foods that are high in fiber or taking in nutritional supplements containing fiber.
Some are unhappy that the attention required in to find natural fiber-rich foods is excessive. A possible way out to this issue is to try out supplements with psyllium. These are powders that are liquified with water to give rise to on-the-go drinks. As is true with food-based therapies, it can require about half a month until the sufferer and his or her physician are in a position to judge efficacy.
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