Supplement Forms/Alternate Names ; Sacred Bark; ; Chitum;
Californian Buckthorn; Bitter Bark; Buckthorn; Chittem Bark;
Dogwood Bark; Purshiana Bark; Rhamni Purshianae Cortex; Sagrada
Bark; Yellow Bark Cascara sagrada means ‘sacred bark’ in
Spanish. The bark of this tree, which grows mostly on the west
coast of the United States and parts of South America, is mainly
used to treat . Cascara sagrada can be found as an ingredient in
over-the-counter laxatives. In addition to relieving
constipation, cascara sagrada has also been used by Native
Americans to treat liver problems, joint and muscle pain , upset
stomach, and dysentery (infection in the intestines that causes
pain, fever, and Cascara sagrada bark contains anthraquinones.
Anthraquinones are substances found in plants that give them
their color. Because of this, they have been used as dyes.
Certain anthraquinones in cascara sagrada, called cascarosides A
and B, are also responsible for the bark’s laxative effect. When
a person ingests the bark, the cascar