Cascara Sagrada Side Effects

Laxatives are used for the treatment of constipation, inducing the bowel movements, etc. One such effective laxative, which is used by North Americans since time immemorial is, cascara sagrada. The cascara sagrada herbal tree is a deciduous tree, found extensively in the north west Pacific region of North America. It is also known by names such as Chittem Bark, Cascara, Sacred bark etc.

The cascara herb derives its medicinal properties from the bark of the cascara tree. The cascara bark is stripped from the tree and then left off for an aging process, which takes almost a year to complete. The bark thus prepared is used for medicinal purposes. The most important benefit reaped out of Cascara sagrada is that it relives the user from constipation and improves digestion and bowel movements, if consumed in the prescribed quantities.

Composition of Cascara Sagrada

The chemical composition of cascara sagrada consists of about 105 anthraquinone glycosides, which in turn consist of cascarosides A, B, C and D. These cascarosides constitute the major part of the composition. Other glycosides present in smaller quantities are chrysaloin, barbaloin and frangulin. Emodin, emodin oxanthrone, chrysophanol, aloe emodin, dianthrones based glycosides are also present in minute concentrations. Moreover, compounds such as freeaglycones and heterodianthrones palmidin A, B and C form a small part of the overall structure of cascara sagrada.

Benefits of cascara sagrada are quite simple to understand and it has also proved effective for many people. However, there have been some cases in the past, wherein people have suffered from cascara sagrada side effects. Some of those possible side effects are discussed below.

Cascara Sagrada Bark Side Effects

Cascara sagrada, in the primitive days was consumed by extracting the medicine out of the cascara bark. But, nowadays it is consumed in the form of cascara sagrada capsules. The following are a few of its common side effects.

Diarrhea
One of the most common side effects of cascara sagrada. People who can't digest the cascara capsules or take it without a proper prescription have high chances to suffer from bloody diarrhea.

Weakness
In some people, general weakness was also observed. The loss of essential body fluids might be the probable reason behind it.

Abdominal Pain
Another common side effect is abdominal pain. This may happen because of prolonged exposure to the medicine or due to allergic reactions taking place in the body after consuming the capsules.

Nausea and Vomiting
Over dosage of the capsules in some people have resulted in disorders such as nausea and bloating. In a few cases vomiting was also observed.

Other rarely found side effects of cascara sagrada are electrolyte imbalance and urine discoloration. Swelling in fingertips and liver problems such as liver toxicity have also been detected as side effects of cascara sagrada.

It is found that almost anyone, consuming cascara sagrada for a long time and with an incorrect dosage can suffer cascara sagrada side effects. However, people that suffer from ulcerative colitis, anemia and Crohn's disease, are more prone to it and therefore cascara sagrada is not prescribed to those suffering from any of the aforementioned diseases. To stay away from the side effects of cascara sagrada, it is advised to seek doctor's consultation before using it and get all the details pertaining to its use and amount of dosage.