The term "laxative" appears in literature with a fascinating range of uses, from a strictly medicinal term to a device for wit and wordplay. In ancient culinary texts, such as those by Apicius, laxatives are described as simple remedies and home medicines—clearly outlined in instructions, whether for scrubbing beets with soda [1],[2],[3] or listed among other treatments. Medical texts by T. H. Pardo de Tavera expound on its precise therapeutic uses, detailing doses and effects like increased peristalsis, emetic actions, and even narcotic properties [4],[5],[6],[7],[8],[9],[10],[11],[12]. Meanwhile, literary works often exploit the term’s double meaning. For example, Ben Jonson uses "laxative" in a playful pun that blurs its medicinal sense with nautical imagery in The Alchemist and Every Man in His Humor [13],[14], while Fyodor Dostoyevsky casually references it in conversational dialogue [15]. Even in discussions of beverages, as in Ukers's work on coffee, the term is integrated into broader discourses on bodily effects [16],[17]. Together, these examples reveal how "laxative" has been employed to convey practical remedies and, simultaneously, to inject humor and cultural commentary into literary narratives.