Purgen medicine: laxative or poison?

We meet with the Purgen medicine at school, although most teachers of chemistry are silent about it. The official name of this substance is phenolphthalein.

In chemistry, it is used as an indicator thatalkalies are colorless, and in acids change their color from pale pink to crimson. The older generation used this substance to brighten linen and to get rid of constipation. They called this substance so: "Purgen." Laxative of any kind is now often called just such a word.

Why is the medicine in the past?

The drug entered into many jokes for a reason.He was called the best remedy for coughing, because the effect of the medicine "Purgen" (laxative and not only) came very quickly and sometimes suddenly. The drug does not dissolve in the stomach: only in the intestine under the action of acids. 85% of it moves through the intestines with food, 15% enters the blood. Not all of the drug is excreted in the urine: a part of it goes back to the liver. This is what causes the sharp uncontrolled effect of the drug, which lasts 3-4 days. This was one of the reasons why doctors began to abandon the medicine "Purgen": the laxative effect lasted too long, sometimes leading to dehydration.

Many people had many side effects of taking the drug: vomiting, nausea, severe dizziness. There have been cases of colic, heart rhythm disturbances, even collapse.

Finishing touch

However, the inconvenience of use and the mass ofeffects did not cause a complete abandonment of the composition "Purgen." A laxative, the price of which was worth a few kopecks, was popular for many years not only among the people, but also among professional doctors. So far in 1999, American researchers have not figured out that the use of phenolphthalein leads to cancer. Purgen is a laxative (the instruction explains it) on the basis of phenolphthalein. He has in the medical world another 14 trade names. The chemical has a negative effect on the liver, even with a single dose.

With the frequent use of the drug the patientrisks of complications such as nervous diseases, liver cancer, kidney cancer, epilepsy, tachycardia, etc. That is why, in 2002, almost all countries seized the Purgen medicine from sale. The laxative is now recommended not on the basis of phenolphthalein, but on the basis of plant extracts: senna herbs, walnut oil, etc.

What else is phenolphthalein for?

The medicine "Purgen" is a laxative.In chemistry, a substance is used to recognize an acidic or alkaline environment. In the 50s and 60s of the twentieth century, housewives would dissolve the pill in water and then rinse underwear in it. It was believed that so white can give a pleasant shade. With very low quality bleaching and bluing agents, this was true. In the pioneer camps used tablets for very evil jokes. Today, most countries in the world have banned not only the production of this drug, but also the addition of phenolphthalein to any formulations intended for oral administration. As a laxative, drugs are recommended not on a chemical, but on a plant basis.