This is the most important question on the page, and there are two separate mechanisms to understand.

First, absorption. Flaxseed, marshmallow root and slippery elm all form mucilage, and mucilage can slow or reduce the absorption of oral medications taken at the same time. Increased intestinal transit can do the same thing. Separate Herbal Cleanse from any oral medication or oral contraceptive by at least two hours, and talk to your physician or pharmacist about anything with a narrow therapeutic window.

Second, electrolytes. Extended use of anthraquinone botanicals can affect potassium status. That matters specifically if you take cardiac glycosides such as digoxin, thiazide or loop diuretics, corticosteroids, or antiarrhythmic medication, because low potassium changes how those drugs behave. Do not use this product alongside those medications without physician supervision.

Also review with your physician if you take anticoagulant or antiplatelet medication, or medication for blood sugar. Aloe and flax have both been reported to influence those systems.

Do not use this product if you are pregnant or nursing. Do not give it to anyone under eighteen.

Do not use it if you have abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, or if you have a known or suspected intestinal obstruction. Do not use it if you have an inflammatory bowel condition, a history of bowel surgery, or any undiagnosed change in bowel habit — those all need a physician, not a supplement.

Because rhubarb root is high in oxalate, talk to your physician first if you have a history of calcium oxalate kidney stones or reduced kidney function. Because peppermint can relax the sphincter at the top of the stomach, talk to your physician first if you deal with reflux or a hiatal hernia.

Stop use and contact your physician if you experience rectal bleeding, persistent cramping, or fail to have a bowel movement after using the product.

Treat this as a short course. Conventional guidance for botanicals in this class is not to exceed one week of continuous use without physician supervision, and we are not going to write something looser than that just because it would sell more bottles.

Prolonged use of anthraquinone-containing botanicals is associated with dependence, where normal bowel function becomes harder to maintain without the stimulus, and with loss of electrolytes. Neither is a fair trade for convenience. If you find you need something daily to stay regular, that is a conversation with your physician about the underlying cause.

Three of the seven botanicals in this blend — cascara sagrada, rhubarb root and aloe leaf — belong to the anthraquinone family, which is the same chemistry as the traditional stimulant herbs. Describing this formula as containing nothing stimulating would not be accurate, and we are not going to say it.

What is fair to say is that the blend is buffered. Four of the seven botanicals are demulcent or carminative herbs included specifically to support comfort, and the dose is one you control: start at one capsule, not two. Gentleness here comes from formulation and from how you take it, not from the absence of active botanicals.

Fair question, and the honest answer is that this label predates our current standard. The panel discloses 850 mg across seven named botanicals and does not break out individual amounts.

We are not going to bury that. Full dose disclosure is the standard we hold the line on across the catalog, and when the individual amounts are printed on this label, they will appear on this page the same day. Until then you have the complete ingredient list, the plant parts, the Latin names and every caution that applies.

Evening, with a full glass of water. Botanicals in this class have traditionally been taken at night because the timeframe over which they work tends to land the following morning.

Water is not optional here. Three of the ingredients are mucilage sources that need fluid to do anything useful, and fiber taken without adequate water works against you. Keep intake up for the duration of the course.

Generally yes, with one timing note and one exclusion.

The timing note: the mucilage in this formula can slow absorption of anything taken with it, including your other supplements. Take Herbal Cleanse in the evening and keep your multivitamin, minerals and fat-soluble nutrients earlier in the day.

The exclusion: do not run this alongside another eliminative or cleansing botanical product. One at a time.

Yes. The capsule is cellulose-based, not gelatin. Beyond the botanical blend, the capsule contains rice powder, silica, magnesium stearate and calcium silicate — standard flow and fill agents, present in small amounts.

There are no added colors, flavors or sweeteners in this product.