Nutritional Supplement
Buckthorn
Parts Used & Where Grown
Buckthorn is a tall shrub native to northern Europe. The dried berries and dried bark are used medicinally. The bark is allowed to dry for up to a year before being used, which reduces the potential of buckthorn to cause vomiting.
How It Works
Buckthorn bark and berries are high in anthraquinone glycosides. Resins, tannins, and lipids make up the bulk of the bark’s other ingredients. Buckthorn berries also contain flavonoids. Anthraquinone glycosides have a cathartic action, inducing the large intestine to increase its muscular contraction (peristalsis) and increasing water movement from the cells of the colon into the feces, resulting in strong, soft bowel movement.1 It takes six to ten hours for buckthorn to act after taking it by mouth.