Laxatives 101 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Corn oil

Corn oil is used for cooking only!

Liquid paraffin coats the bowel to lubricate the passage of material. Glycerine works by holding water in the intestine thus softening and speeding the passage of the stools. You can also use a small dose of olive oil (one or two tablespoons) for a mild case of constipation.

Answer: Pessary

A pessary is inserted into the vagina to deliver medications. Clearly not a place to administer a laxative!
Suppositories are one of the fastest acting laxatives and you should go straight to the toilet after application. Chewing gum is a simple way to deliver a laxative agent, usually an irritant. And who can forget the chocolate 'Ex-lax, the effortless laxative', containing senna pods. Many kids (and adults) have substituted this for real chocolate as a joke. NB this is not a good idea and is never recommended.

Answer: White rice

It's the cellulose that usually carries the fibre, so while brown rice contains some (not as much as bran though) white rice is binding and will have the opposite effect. Plums and most fruit will help, except bananas which are a treatment for mild diarrhoea. Plums are best taken as stewed prunes, and stewing other fruit such as figs and apricots is also a good idea to help.

Answer: It has less chilli than the others

It's the chilli that does the job (excuse the pun) by the burning which irritates the bowels. Most other curries have a lot more chilli so are best avoided for those with sensitive bowels.
Korma is made with cream, coconut milk, ginger, garlic and other curry spices but not enough chilli to be noticeably hot, so should be free from effects. The other ingredients have no effect either way in that area, it's the relative lack of chilli that makes it the safer option.

Answer: None, they all worked about the same

In a test of four of the main types of commonly used laxatives, the overall results did not vary significantly for all types used in prescribed dosages.
Laxatives are prescribed according to each patient's needs and some could disagree with existing medical conditions.

Answer: Henna

Henna of course is used externally as a red temporary dye. Aloe has various uses externally and internally for calming irritations and injuries. Senna and cascara are both stimulants/irritants.

Answer: Liquorice

Liquorice root and tea have been used as a mild herbal laxative since ancient times and also act as mild antiseptic agents.
Overconsumption of the others will just make you fat from the high sugar content!

Answer: Bulking agent

The reason for this is it mimics fibre already present in food so it causes no alteration to the digestive system. Many cases will respond to a simple increase in fibre, which is essential for normal motions and will cause constipation if lacking. The other types of laxatives would be used if the constipation was more persistent or if they were recommended by a doctor.

Answer: False

Technically a laxative does not work between the mouth and small intestine, so
by the time food reaches the colon, all of the calories from the food have already been absorbed by the body.
Taking laxatives in this way will irritate the system however, and ruin one's health if done repeatedly. That may cause the weight loss indirectly rather than the laxatives themselves.

Answer: True

It is a stimulant laxative that works by activating the 5HT-4 receptors of the enteric nervous tract. The medicine is called 'Tegaserod' and not to be confused with any of the other types of serotonin stimulants. Sales ceased in 2007 because of concerns about cardiovascular side-effects.