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Question
#51288. gmackematix
asks:
Why do laxatives pass through the body so quickly?
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satguru
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It depends how it works- bulking agents like psyllium husks create less stickiness (sorry to be graphic but you did ask) so allow everything to glide more easily. In cases that need more help, I assume more powerful methods would irritate the gut as chilli does and make it want to expel everything asap. Finally, laxatives that go in 'backwards', like suppositories, stimulate the gut directly, and introduce extra material where it isn't expected to be, so gets a short visit before it's sent back out. I hope I haven't missed anything as I'm far from an authority on laxatives (though I have to admit the suppository story is from experience...).
Sep 28 04, 6:53 PM
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gmackematix
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Yay Satguru! It would seem that the most famous laxatives; Ex-lax and senna pods are contact or stimulant laxatives. These somehow speed up the peristalsis (rippling) of the gut that pushes food through the system. How they do this is a bit of a medical mystery.
As usual Wikipedia quickly goes through the motions:
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laxative
Sep 28 04, 7:31 PM
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