Cascara, taste

Ca.sca.ra. Sagrada. Cascara sagrada, also known as sacred bark, chitten, dogwood, coffeeberry, bearberry, bitter bark, and bearwood, is the dried bark of Jdamnus Purshiana DeCandoUe. It is ia the form of browa, purpHsh browa, or brownish red flattened or transversely curved pieces, 1- to 5-mm thick, and has a characteristic odor and bitter taste. It should be collected at least one year prior to use. The active constituents are aloe-emodin... 

Cascara sagrada is used as a cathartic. It is most useful when prepared as a fluid extract, and tends to be a mild laxative causing Htfle discomfort. However, on prolonged use it may result in characteristic melanotic pigmentation of the rectal mucosa. The bitter taste can be lessened, owing to neutralization of the acid constituents, if the ground substance is moistened and mixed with magnesium or calcium hydroxide. This treatment may lessen the potency of the preparation. 

One might suppose on the basis of the amount of attention PTC has received that it is quite a unique substance in its ability to elicit different responses from different individuals. Actually this is not the case at all since wide interindividual differences in taste threshold and taste reactions can be observed with almost anything that can be tasted. Hundred-fold variations in taste thresholds are very common (even when small groups are studied) with respect to substances like sodium or potassium chlorides or hydrochloric acid.41 Saccharine, quinine, cascara, and mannose are among the substances, in addition to creatine mentioned above, for which individuals are known to show highly diverse taste reactions.42 Richter found some children who could not taste 20 per cent sugar solutions.43... 

Cascara sagrada is available in tablets, capsules, liquids (fluid extracts), and syrups. Fluid extracts are more reliable than the solid dosage forms. Aromatic cascara fluid extract is less bitter and less active than cascara sagrada fluid extract because of the use of magnesium oxide in its preparation (Curry, 1986). Cascara tea is available, but has an extremely bitter taste (Tyler, 1994). 

Licorice extracts are used extensively as ingredients in cough drops and syrups, tonics, laxatives, antismoking lozenges (see lobelia), and other preparations. They are also used as flavoring agents to mask bitter, nauseous, or other undesirable tastes in certain medicines (e.g., cascara, ammonium chloride, and quinine preparations). 

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