Senna Leaves have been used for thousands of years as a potent cathartic and laxative remedy. Senna plants grow along the Nile in Egypt and in southern and eastern India. Senna contains the dianthrone glycosides, sennosides A & B, which form during the drying process of the leaves and pods. Senna should not be taken in excess, or nausea, diarrhea, griping pain and irritable bowel may ensue.

Cascara Sagrada is Spanish for "sacred bark". It is a small tree that grows in the Pacific Northwest. The bark must be cured for at least one year after collecting as to allow the harsher laxative constituents, called anthrones to be naturally oxidized to lesser active forms. The active principles are anthraquinone glycosides called cascarosides A, B, C, & D. It is known to have a bitter taste and should not be using by pregnant or nursing mothers.

Rhubarb Root does not come from common garden rhubarb, but a Chinese species, sometimes called "Turkey Rhubarb". This root is an extremely potent laxative, containg the anthraquinone glycosides emodin, aloe-emodin, physcion and chrysophanic acid.

Yellow Dock Root is a perennial weed that has been used for hundreds of years as a laxative and alterative herb. Like many members of the Polygonaceae family, it contains anthraquinone derivatives, including emodin, chrysophanic acid, and physcion .