Oxyphenisatine is a laxative

Laxative

Laxatives are foods, compounds, or drugs taken to induce bowel movements or to loosen the stool, most often taken to treat constipation. Certain stimulant, lubricant, and saline laxatives are used to evacuate the colon for rectal and/or bowel examinations, and may be supplemented by enemas under...

. It is closely related to bisacodyl

Bisacodyl

Bisacodyl is a stimulant laxative drug that works directly on the large colon to produce a bowel movement. It is typically prescribed for relief of constipation and for the management of neurogenic bowel dysfunction as well as part of bowel preparation before medical examinations, such as for a...

, sodium picosulfate

Sodium picosulfate

Sodium picosulfate is a contact laxative used as a treatment for constipation or to prepare the large bowel before colonoscopy or surgery....

, and phenolphthalein

Phenolphthalein

Phenolphthalein is a chemical compound with the formula C20H14O4 and is often written as "HIn" or "phph" in shorthand notation. Often used in titrations, it turns colorless in acidic solutions and pink in basic solutions...

. Long term use is associated with liver damage, and as a result, it was withdrawn in most countries in the early 1970s. The acetate

Acetate

An acetate is a derivative of acetic acid. This term includes salts and esters, as well as the anion found in solution. Most of the approximately 5 billion kilograms of acetic acid produced annually in industry are used in the production of acetates, which usually take the form of polymers. In...

 derivative

Derivative (chemistry)

In chemistry, a derivative is a compound that is derived from a similar compound by some chemical or physical process. In the past it was also used to mean a compound that can be imagined to arise from another compound, if one atom is replaced with another atom or group of atoms, but modern...

 oxyphenisatine acetate was also once used as a laxative.

Natural chemical compounds similar to oxyphenisatine may be present in prune

Prune

A prune is any of various plum cultivars, mostly Prunus domestica or European Plum, sold as fresh or dried fruit. The dried fruit is also referred to as a dried plum...

s, but a recent review of the relevant scientific literature suggests that the laxative effect of prunes is due to other constituents including phenolic compounds (mainly neochlorogenic acid

Neochlorogenic acid

Neochlorogenic acid is a natural polyphenolic compound found in some types dried fruits and a variety of other plant sources. It is an isomer of chlorogenic acid.Neochlorogenic acid may have potential as a chemopreventive dietary compound....

s and chlorogenic acid

Chlorogenic acid

Chlorogenic acid is a hydroxycinnamic acid, a member of a family of naturally occurring organic compounds. These are esters of polyphenolic caffeic acid and cyclitol -quinic acid. It is an important biosynthetic intermediate. It also is one of the phenols found in coffee, bamboo Phyllostachys...

s) and sorbitol

Sorbitol

Sorbitol, also known as glucitol, Sorbogem® and Sorbo®, is a sugar alcohol that the human body metabolizes slowly. It can be obtained by reduction of glucose, changing the aldehyde group to a hydroxyl group. Sorbitol is found in apples, pears, peaches, and prunes...

.