Bekunis ®
What is Senna?
How does it work?
Active Ingredients
Metabolism
Mode of Action
Senna laxatives during pregnancy and breast-feeding
Standardisation
Why should I purchase bekunis instead of an ordinary laxative?
discover natural regularity... with Bekunis ®
If you've ever worried that a laxative might be too strong or the ingredients too harsh, you should know about Bekunis — one of the most respected brands in Europe. Derived from the leaves and/or pods of the Senna plant, one of mankind's oldest natural remedies, Bekunis offers natural, gentle, overnight relief from constipation.
Developed by a leading pharmaceutical company in Germany. Their extensive experience and expertise over the last 80 years has enabled them to establish a reputation for excellence specialising in herbal remedies like Bekunis, in one of the most sophisticated and quality driven natural healthcare markets in the world.
Gentle and natural…
Bekunis brings you the gentle and natural relief that you need. Take Bekunis before bedtime and, while you sleep, its mild ingredients will gently stimulate your body's natural processes to bring you smooth, comfortable relief the next morning. It's as natural as nature itself.
Bekunis works with your body……
Bekunis products contain no harsh chemicals and are designed to work with your body rather than against it. Their unique laxative action encourages the body's natural processes to help clear the body of waste matter.
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What is Bekunis?
Modern medicine is rediscovering the therapeutic qualities of many traditional herbal remedies.
Senna, originally from the arid regions of the Middle East, has been used as an effective herbal laxative for more than 1,200 years. This long history of therapeutic use, means that medicinal plants containing senna are among the best documented medicines.
The fruit and leaves of the Senna plant contain compounds which stimulate the body's natural processes to provide gentle relief from constipation.
Bekunis products use modern production techniques to standardise levels of active ingredients for accurate and controlled dosage and clinical research has shown that senna based laxatives work to relieve your body of constipation.
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How does Bekunis work?
The active ingredient in Bekunis is standised to it's sennoside content which stimulates peristalsis, the natural rhythmic movement of the colon, to relieve constipation through normal elimination.
This usually occurs within 6 –12 hours after the Bekunis has been taken. That is why we recommend that you take Bekunis before retiring at night.
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Active Ingredients
Apart from mucins and flavonoids, Senna contains compounds derived from anthracene, the 1.8-dianthrol derivatives. These have a laxative effect. In the case of sennosides, which are quantitatively predominant, or of their active metabolite in the colon, rhein anthrone, this effect is based mainly on contractions and a stimulation of the propulsive contractions. This results in an accelerated passage through the intestines and, due to the shortened contact time, in a reduction of the absorption of liquid. In addition, water and electrolytes are discharged through a stimulation of the active secretion of chlorine (1-10).
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Metabolism
The sennosides are prodrugs which are neither split nor absorbed in the upper gastro-intestinal tract. In the colon they are broken down by bacterial enzymes into rhein anthrone. Rhein anthrone is the laxative metabolite. The systemic availability of rhein anthrone is very small. In animal experiments, less than 5% is discharged in the urine in the form of the oxidised and partly conjugated products rhein and sennidine. The greatest part of the rhein anthrone (>90%) is bonded to intestinal content in the faeces and is excreted in the form of polymeric compounds.
Small quantities of active metabolites such as rhein find their way into the mother's milk. No laxative effect has been observed in suckling infants. In animal experiments, the presence of rhein in the placenta is extremely low (5-9, 11-18)
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Mode of Action
Today the scientific literature discusses that the mode of action of stimulating laxatives like Bisacodyl, Picosulphate and Senna is based mainly on an influencing of colonic motility in the sense of an inhibition of the stationary contractions and a stimulation of the propulsive contractions.
In addition (second step) water and electrolytes are discharged through a stimulation of the active secretion of chlorine. This is known to be based on a complex mechanism in which very different factors are involved.
• A blockade of the sodium/potassium – dependent ATPase in the cell membrane and thus inhibition of the so-called “sodium pump” and the absorption of water.
• An increase in the permeability of the mucous membranes in the area of the tight junctions between the cells.
• Stimulation of the synthesis of PGE2 in the mucous membranes of the colon.
The importance of the prostaglandins for the action mechanism of antiabsorbent and hydragogue laxatives has been investigated in depth by Beubler (6, 7). In the course of his investigations he was able to prove in vivo in the ligatured colon of a rat that senna, following oral application, reverses the net absorption of water, sodium and chloride ions as a direct function of the dose, and
also increases the net secretion of potassium ions into the colonic lumen.
He also found that with senna the secretion of PGE2 into the lumen of the bowels was increased.
This effect was also a direct function of the dose. As the diagrams show, the net water flux and the secretion of prostaglandins were reduced when the animals were previously treated with the prostaglandin inhibitor indomethacine.
Net water flux in the ligatured colon of rat Prostaglandin secretion in vivo in the colon of rat plus explanation for each identified by dark and clear circle
Due to the fact that the chemical laxatives bisacodyl and sodium picosulphate on the one hand, and the anthracene glycosides on the other, have the same action mechanism, it can not be excluded that in the case of continued use or an overdose an increased secretion of potassium could result in a loss of potassium from the organism. According to Lemmens and Borja (8), the hydragogue effect of the anthracene derivatives is dependent on the presence of free phenolic hydroxyl groups such as those occurring in the aglucones of the sennoside and their effective metabolites in 1.8 position. The sennosides themselves therefore have no influence on the transfer of fluids between the lumen of the bowels and the blood.
The reversion of the net absorption of water into a net secretion simultaneously increases the volume of the faecal matter and thus by means of a dilation stimulus indirectly promotes peristalsis.
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Senna laxatives during pregnancy and breast-feeding
Laxatives number alongside vitamins and anti-emetics/antihistamines among the most common medical preparations taken during the first three months of pregnancy. In a survey of more than 14,500 women in the first three months of pregnancy, it was found that 21.1% of the women took laxatives (9).
From a general medical point of view, however, Bekunis like any other medication, should be taken during pregnancy and lactating periods only after you have consulted your healthcare professional.
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Bekunis & Standardisation
The medicinal senna plant, proven over centuries, has found its modern adaptation to quality standards and drug safety in Bekunis.
Sophisticated production technique ensures that each individual dose (volume measure)of Bekunis Instant Tea and Bekunis Tablets will always contain the same weight/quantity of the active component. This is achieved by a "double standardisation".
For example:
the weight quantity of inactive ingredients is determined on the basis
of the sennoside content in the liquid, aqueous senna pod extract. Sugar free loading materials are added to the extract during the liquid phase, before spray drying. Thus Bekunis Instant Tea is standardised in regard to weight in the first step.
In the second step, the spray-dried tea powder is adjusted to a defined bulk density (g/cm). This is done by compacting the specifically light tea powder in a screw mixer until the preset bulk weight has been reached.
Double standardisation ensures that each teaspoonful of Bekunis Instant Tea contains 20mg of the active component, calculated as sennoside B.
This standardisation is important as it allows you to individualise your dose to suit your specific needs.
You can confidently take just as much Bekunis Instant as you need and easily reduce the dosage as appropriate.
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Why should I purchase Bekunis instead of another laxative?
• Efficacy
• Overnight Reliable Action
• Tolerability
• Simple and Quick To Use
• Individualised Dose
| Strict quality control | Guaranteed consistently high quality products using state of the art production/technology/scientific knowledge in producing medicinal products since 1919 |
Senna | Clinical trials prove this to be an effective and well tolerated medicinal plant |
Works With Your Body Not Against It | Throughout Europe, Bekunis is regarded by healthcare professionals - as well as many satisfied users as a reliable natural choice to relieve constipation. Unlike brands that use synthetic ingredients, its special natural formulation works with your body not against it. |
Natural, smooth comfortable relief | When you take Bekunis at night, it gently encourages the natural processes of your body - to bring you smooth, comfortable relief the next morning. It's as natural as nature itself. |
Standardised active ingredients | Reliable consistent results with defined and individualised dosing |
| Caters for ease of administration and your preferences. |
Packaging | Bright branded packaging re-enforces shelf presence while individual pack sizes allows each product to be easily recognised |
Dose recommendations | Easy to understand and measure the required dosage for each product |
Clinical Trials | 83% of patients perceived Bekunis as effective/very effective. |