rhamnus purshiana


cascara sagrada

cascara sagrada

Small Tree 15-30ft (5-10m.) Dried bark helps you go to the bathroom by stimulating natural rhythmic contractions of bowel (peristalsis) Tones and exercises the bowel muscle. In other words, it helps push stuff through you and gets it moving, while strengthening colon muscles. Intensely bitter flavor that will numb your taste buds and stay with you for hours. Bark must be dried for a year before using or else it’s too strong and you will be vomiting and spewing from both ends. Leaves shiny on top, dull below. Flowers have 5 greenish yellow petals. Fruit starts bright red at first, quickly maturing deep purple or black, and containing a yellow pulp, and two or three hard, smooth, olive-green or black seeds. Fruit can also be eaten raw or cooked with laxative effect. Found in moist areas. Do not use if you have Crohns, irritable bowel, colitis, hemorrhoids, appendicitis or kidney problems.