In the 18th and 19th century, people used to take antimony pills for stomach relief. Made from the metallic antimony, the little pills were consumed to purge the stomach and intestines. It was reusable after pooping it out, making it very cost effective. Entire families used the same pill, which some times went through multiple generations.
All the patients had to do was expel the pill, wash it thoroughly, then re-ingest once needed. Antimony served as a bullet that pushes through the body to essentially clear the chamber. As the metal is fairly toxic, ingesting it could indeed cause vomiting and diarrhea which would give relief to someone suffering from bowel pain that came from ingesting something spoiled.
Reusable pills being a thing isn’t something I knew about until today. But now I do, and though I am mildly horrified to know of this, I take some comfort from the knowledge that you now know it, too.