Review of phytochemistry and properties of some medicinal plants effective on constipation

Introduction: Constipation is one of the important health problems that affects the health of a significantpercentage of the world's population. This situation can cause people's annoyance by causing abdominal painand distension, loss of appetite and nausea, headache, bad breath, etc., which hurts the health care system andthe quality of life of people. The most common type of constipation is functional or chronic idiopathicconstipation. Various medicinal treatments have been used worldwide to treat this clinical condition, among themost important of which herbal medicines can be mentioned. Some plants have compounds that can be effectivein treating diseases such as constipation. Therefore, the present study reviews the phytochemistry and propertiesof some medicinal plants that are effective in constipation.Methods: This study was conducted as a systematic review using PubMed, Scholar, Medline, SID, CINAHL,Scopus, Elsevier, Iran Doc, and Magiran databases. Finally, ۱۵ articles in the period from ۲۰۱۵ to ۲۰۲۳ wereincluded in the study for the final review, with an emphasis on the relevant articles of the last ۵ years.Results: In recent studies, the most effective herbal medicines used for constipation treatment, are senna leaves,rhubarb, aloe vera, cascara, and frangula. With chemical compounds such as dianthrones (especially sennosideA and B), anthraquinone glycosides, free anthraquinone, and other polyphenols, these herbal medicines help tostrengthen regular bowel movements and increase the volume of liquid in the colon, leading to the improvementof constipation. sennoside A and sennoside B compounds in rhubarb root and senna leaf have the greatest effecton bowel movements. Some studies reported that high and long-term use of anthraquinones could be harmful,or there were concerns about the development of melanosis coli in the colon or the development of dependenceon these laxatives.Conclusion: The investigated herbal medicines, due to having certain phytochemical compounds, are beneficialin the treatment of constipation and play a significant role in improving people's quality of life. However, theadequate dose, the duration of its use, and the safety of its use must be determined, which requires more clinicalresearch. Another important topic that is suggested to be paid attention to by researchers is the type and methodof extracting these phytochemicals to increase productivity.

کلیدواژه ها:

functional constipation ، idiopathic constipation ، laxative ، anthraquinone ، herbal medicine ، phytochemistry