Re: Stained colon from a Colon Cleanse?

Cascara sagrada contains anthroquinones so it, too, it classified as an anthrnoid laxative. Rhubarb root is another. Although melanosis coli is usually associated with senna, cascara sagrada could also produce this effect.

I have read many herbals and heard many natural healers suggest that cascara was fine to take on a regular basis and it actually improves the functioning of the bowel muscle by exercising it, and the user does not become dependent on it. This is simply not true. As a former colon hydrotherapist I have treated many clients that used it regularly and then became constipated when they stopped using it. Suggesting that people should use cascara on a daily basis is an allopathic approach to the use of herbs and merely putting a bandaid on the problem. If you want to exercise the bowel muscle you need fiber, water and general exercise which helps all the muscles of the body. And if constipation is a chronic problem in spite of these steps, then you need to look for the underlying reason for it ie. mineral imbalances, food allergies , insufficient dietary oils, chronic dehydration, pathological conditions of the colon like strictures, dysbiosis and lack of beneficial bacteria, etc.

Other than tonic herbs (and there are even cautions with these), I would not take any herb on a daily basis. Herbs are natural, but they are still powerful medicines and can cause problems if not used properly.

*BTW...this class of laxative herbs is notorious for creating cramping or gripping, although some are denying this. This is especially true of senna, but cascara and turkey rhubarb can also cause this discomfort in high enough doses.