anthraquinones

anthraquinones may be anti-herpetic, but also make you poop.

noni contains anthraquinones, plant chemicals known for their ability to relieve constipation.

relieves constipation, treats cold sores

In Spanish, cascara sagrada means "sacred bark," perhaps because this woody shrub has provided blessed relief for more than a few constipated souls. The reddish-brown bark of this herb is harvested, dried, aged and used as a laxative, either as a powder or a liquid extract.

Cascara sagrada's purgative power has earned it a reputation as the world's most widely used laxative and made it the main ingredient in several over-the-counter laxatives.

"The active ingredients in cascara sagrada - anthraquinones -- probably act by irritating the intestines to produce wavelike contractions of the muscles of the intestinal wall," explains Norman R. Farnsworth, Ph.D., director of the Program for Collaborative Research in the Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago. "Most people see results within eight hours."

Even though laxative products containing cascara sagrada are sometimes marketed as "nature's remedy" or "all-natural," or said to "restore bowel tone," they present the same risks as all stimulant laxatives. If you use them on a regular basis, you can develop a condition known as lazy bowel syndrome -- you can't go without chemical stimulation! "A bulk laxative, such as psyllium, is a better choice for long-term chronic constipation," Dr. Farnsworth says.

Some anthraquinones, including some of those found in cascara sagrada, have the ability to kill herpes simplex, the virus that causes cold sores, reports Heinz Rosler, Ph.D., associate professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in Baltimore.

Another ingredient in cascarda sagrada -- aloe-emodin -- has an anti-leukemia action in laboratory animals, lending some support to the herb's traditional use as an alternative cancer treatment. Unfortunately, aloe-emodin is also quite toxic, and scientists say more research is needed before it can be used to treat leukemia.

-Sydiskis R J et al

Chemotherapy. 1991 Dec. 35 (12) 2463-6

Title: Inactivation of enveloped viruses by anthraquinones extracted from plants.

ABSTRACT

To determine the extent of antiviral activity present in a number of plant extracts, hot glycerine extracts were prepared from Rheum officinale. Aloe barbadensis, Rhamnus frangula, Rhamnus purshisnus, and Cassia angustifolia and their virucidal effects were tested against herpes simplex virus type 1.
All the plant extracts inactivated the virus.
The active components in these plants were separated by thin-layer chromatography and identified as anthraquinones. A purified sample of aloe emodin was- prepared from aloin and its effects on the infectivity of herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2, varicella-zoster virus, pseudorabies virus, influenza virus, adenovirus, and rhinovirus were tested by mixing virus with dilutions of aloe emodin for 15 mins at 37§C. Immediately diluting the sample, and assaying the amount of infectious virus remaining in the sample. The result showed that aloe emodin inactivated all of the viruses tested except adenovirus and rhinovirus. Electron microscopic examination of anthraquinone-treated herpes simplex virus demonstrated that the envelopes were partially disrupted. These results show that anthraquinones extract from plants are directly virucidal to enveloped viruses.

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