The Story behind Bowel Detox. Psyllium has been part of Indian Ayurvedic Medicine for nearly 5,000 years! It grows natively in India and parts of Asia and has been used to support gut health and to aid elimination. Ever since it was introduced to Spanish settlers in the 1600s, cascara sagrada bark has been used as a natural laxative throughout the world. Native American tribes shared this wonder with the Spaniards, and by the late 1800s, cascara was being exported overseas. The explosion of its use eventually led to overharvesting in the last century. But this resilient species of the buckthorn family has made a healthy resurgence.  More than 2,000 years ago, the Phoenicians used activated charcoal to help purify their water. In fact, some sea voyagers stored their drinking water in charred barrels. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, recommended charcoal for vertigo and other conditions. Charcoal poultices and powders regained popularity in the 18th and 19th centuries.