Description:
A safe effective
laxative, but too much can cause an excessive reaction.
The bark and fruit were used as a
purgative in the past, though their potentially dangerous violent action and side effects means they are now rarely used.
The wood is hard and dense, but little-used.
Cultivation:
The species was originally named by Linnaeus as Rhamnus catharticus, but this spelling was corrected to cathartica as the genus name Rhamnus is of feminine gender.
It is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing to 6–8 m tall, with grey-brown bark and spiny branches. The leaves are elliptic to oval, 2.5–9 cm long and 1.2–3.5 cm broad; they are green, turning yellow in autumn, and are arranged somewhat variably in opposite to subopposite pairs or alternately. The flowers are yellowish-green, with four petals; they are dioecious and insect pollinated. The fruit is a globose black drupe 6–10 mm diameter containing two to four seeds; it is mildly poisonous for people, but readily eaten by birds, which disperse the seeds in their droppings.
The species is naturalised and sometimes invasive in parts of North America.
Plant info:
Rhamnaceae
Plant Longevity:
Perennial
Max height:
10mm / 0.39
Tags: herbs, alternative medicine, Buckthorn, Rhamnus cathartica,
