Medicines or substances that help people have bowel movements by loosening the stool; treatments for constipation.
From Latin 'laxare' meaning 'to loosen or relax,' combined with '-ative' (having the quality of). The word literally means 'things that loosen.'
Laxatives have been used for thousands of years—ancient Egyptians used castor oil, and the Romans used a plant called senna, both still used today!
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