Epson salts is a saline laxative and works by an entirely different mechanism than herbal laxatives. Herbal laxatives are GI irritants and cause the body to purge much like when you have food poisoning. They stimulate peristalsis in an aggressive way which can result in weakening of the bowel muscle. Epson salts...and other saline solutions...are osmotic laxatives that draw water into the bowel in order to dilute the salt concentration and cause the bowel to evacuate its contents because of the quantity of fluid and fecal matter. The only problem with using ES is dehydration and electrolyte imbalance...you are losing your own body fluid when using a saline laxative. As long as you diligently replace fluids and electrolytes...there is no problem with using ES.