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:''For other uses, see catharsis (disambiguation)''
In medicine, a cathartic is a substance which ''accelerates'' defecation.
This is in contrast to a laxative, which is a substance which ''eases'' defecation, usually by softening the stool.^[1] It is possible for a substance to be both a laxative and a cathartic. However, agents such as psyllium seed husks increase the bulk of the stool.^[2]
Cathartics such as sorbitol are sometimes used in response to poisoning.^[1]
As an adjective, cathartic means psychotherapeutic, healthful, emotionally beneficial; releasing; emotionally purging (e.g. of art): viewing the crying faces in Picasso’s Guernica is a cathartic experience.

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2. http://www.ilpi.com/msds/ref/catharsis.html
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