Re: Herbal Tea Laxative?

Laxatives are bad for you. They tend to cause a pseudo-constipation, with the need for ever-increasing dosages. In some cases they are thought to poison the nerves to the bowel causing extreme bowel problems after long usage.

Even common herbal ones such as Senna have never been tested as safe for long term use.

If you have tried a high fibre diet, ideally via more fruit and vegetables or if necessary by cereals or bran, more exercise and fluids, and have sought medical advice to be sure that there is no underlying cause for your constipation, minimal doses of magnesium sulphate (Epsom salts) are effective, and likely to be safest for long term use. But it is an exceptional person who really needs them.

There you are! Some free medical advice, which I am sure is totally unwanted, but possibly of interest to others..

( PS Don't take phenolpthalein - it is a good laxative, but like Senna is a potent cause of melanosis coli)

Peter Moran