Praktické lekárnictvo 1/2012

Herbal laxatives – overview and dispensing minimum

Laxatives are a group of drugs taken to induce bowel movements and to loosen the stool. Digestive disorders (including constipation) rank high among health problems often treated by self-medication. Many preparations are available over-the-counter. The retail pharmacist is often the only healthcare practitioner for the patient to consult. Few synthetic drugs, aside with lactulose, have found their way to practical therapy, so herbal drugs, mainly anthranoid and mucilaginous, remain the most used ones in this indication, also in agreement with the principles of Evidence Based Medicine (EBM). These two groups of herbal drugs differ significantly in their mechanism of drug action. Phytochemical research often leads to the isolation of pure plant-based compounds for the use alongside herbal drugs. However, anthranoid laxative drugs show a typical example of synergy, a phenomenon observed as an interaction of a mixture of compounds (e.g. a crude herbal drug) in ways that enhance the therapeutic effect of the mixture that so exceeds the sum of the respective effects of individual compounds administered separately.

Keywords: laxatives, anthranoid and mucilaginous herbal drugs, dispensing minimum.