Is cascara tea a laxative? No, that is cascara sagrada

No. Cascara tea, also called coffee cherry tea, is the dried fruit of the coffee plant and is not a laxative. The laxative called cascara is a different plant, cascara sagrada (Rhamnus purshiana), a buckthorn bark. They share the name cascara but are unrelated.

The mix-up is understandable. Cascara is Spanish for husk or skin, and two very different products borrow the name.

Coffee cherry cascara, the tea

This is the dried skin of the coffee cherry, the fruit that grows around the coffee bean. It is steeped like a tea and tastes fruity and naturally sweet, with about 25mg of caffeine per cup. It is a food and beverage.

Cascara sagrada, the laxative

Cascara sagrada is the dried bark of Rhamnus purshiana, a buckthorn tree native to the Pacific Northwest. It has a long history of use as a laxative. It is a completely different plant from coffee, and it is not what we sell.

This page is about plant identity, not medical advice. Buddha Beans sells coffee cherry cascara tea only.

Shop cascara coffee cherry tea, or learn what cascara is.