Sacred Bark

One AIM ingredient with an extensively long history for promoting bowel movements is sourced from the bark of Frangula purshiana, better known as cascara sagrada. Growing as both a shrub and a tree, cascara sagrada is also the common herbal name that was assigned to it centuries ago by the Spanish after Native Americans introduced them to the bark’s bowel-moving benefits.

When you really can’t go and then given part of a tree that gives you relief, it’s probably not a coincidence that the Spanish words, cascara sagrada, translate as sacred bark. This effective herb has been providing relief from constipation over millenniums to present day.

AIM Members and Customers can enjoy the benefits of cascara sagrada in combination with other cleansing herbs whenever they take Herbal Release or the U.S. formulations of Herbal Fiberblend. All of these products include this purgative herb that provides gentle relief by softening stools and stimulating the peristaltic action that eliminates them from the body.

The compounds in cascara sagrada that deliver a laxative effect are termed anthraquinone glycosides. Those from this herb are specifically termed cascarosides, which help stimulate intestinal secretion of electrolytes and water and increase the tone of smooth muscle in the wall of the colon, effecting the contractions that promote bowel movements.^{1, 2}

As with all ingredients sourced for AIM’s natural health products, cascara sagrada is of the highest quality and formulated in amounts that are safe and effective. And just like taking any AIM product, follow the recommendations printed on the labels of Herbal Fiberblend and Herbal Release for the optimal use of sacred bark.

References:
¹ bit.ly/AnthraquinoneGlycosides
² bit.ly/Cascarosides