Constipation is a common condition and many people find it difficult to defecate without using laxatives. However, most laxatives damage the intestines over the long term and make them more and more sluggish – with the result that those affected become dependent on these drugs. Many natural home remedies, on the other hand, resolve constipation in a simple and healthy way – without becoming addicted or causing harmful side effects. On the contrary. Often activate, detoxify and heal the gut.
Constipation: Which home remedies help and which don’t
Constipation affects many people, in fact, for many, constipation is a permanent condition – a condition that can have a massive impact on their health. Because constipation not only puts you at risk of re-poisoning (because the stool cannot be passed), it also increases the risk of hemorrhoids and colon cancer.
The most common symptoms of constipation are irregular or infrequent stools and difficulty in passing. In children, constipation is the most common cause of abdominal pain.
Possible causes of constipation
By the way, constipation is difficult with a healthy diet. Therefore, in most cases, it can be assumed that constipation is the result of years of high-starch, high-sugar and low-fibre diets, which unfortunately often go hand in hand with a sedentary lifestyle.
Of course, in some cases, there are other causes as well. For example, according to a 2016 study, viral infections can lead to chronic constipation, e.g. herpes , Epstein Barr (glandular fever) or infections with chickenpox or the cytomegalovirus. The viruses appear to travel through the spinal cord and into the intestines, where they damage the nerves that would be responsible for moving the food in the digestive tract. In the case of chronic and therapy-resistant constipation, this cause should also be considered.
Please note that one of the side effects of many medications can be constipation. If you take medication, you should find out whether it might be the cause of your constipation.
Coffee – Unsuitable as a laxative
A lot of people only have a bowel movement in the morning because they drink coffee. In reality, however, these people are constipated and dependent on a laxative. Their laxative is called coffee.
As a rule, however, people who are addicted to coffee will never find out that without coffee they would suffer from serious constipation because they no longer want (or can) do without their coffee.
Coffee puts the body under permanent artificial stress because it causes the release of stress hormones and irritates the intestinal mucosa. This unnatural stimulus ultimately ensures an equally unnatural defecation.
It is, therefore, worthwhile to tackle a coffee withdrawal and use natural digestive aids until a healthy diet or the home remedies presented below lead to the desired regular bowel movements.
Of course there is nothing wrong with a cup of coffee, as long as you don’t need it to go to the toilet.
Do not stop taking laxatives abruptly
Now, if you’ve been taking laxatives, then there’s no point stopping them immediately and expecting the home remedies presented here to work immediately and in exactly the same way. In many cases, this actually works perfectly, but often it doesn’t. Because the intestine has gotten used to the strong medicines and now needs time to get used to them again and to get along without them. Therefore, the drug should be slowly tapered off. At the same time, you choose two or more of the home remedies presented below, which you then implement consistently (depending on your tolerability, of course):
Plums help with constipation
A proven and natural food against constipation is prune juice. When buying, give preference to the naturally cloudy juice (in organic quality), as this still contains a large part of its natural fibre.
Start in the morning with a small glass (3 cl = 30 ml) of prune juice on an empty stomach (about 15 minutes before breakfast). If you don’t get the desired result, drink a little more of the juice the following morning. But please not too much at once, otherwise your intestines could overreact, which could result in stomach pain and diarrhea. You can also try drinking a small glass of prune juice several times a day. Try out which approach works best for you.
If you don’t want to drink prune juice, you can use prunes (unsulphured, pitted prunes from health food stores). Soak them in filtered water overnight. The next morning, eat the plums and drink the soaking water.
Another option is to blend the prunes with the soaking water and drink the resulting prune smoothie. If you like, add a piece of fresh ginger to the blender. It tastes great, disinfects the stomach and intestines, drives away parasites, strengthens the immune system, and warms and invigorates. You can also drink the soaked plums or the plum smoothie on an empty stomach before breakfast and/or in the evening before going to bed.
In 2011, a randomized, single-blind study with 40 patients was published, most of whom were dissatisfied with the previous drug therapy for their chronic constipation. For 3 weeks they first received dried plums (50 g per day, which corresponds to 6 g of dietary fiber) and then psyllium (11 g, which also corresponds to 6 g of dietary fiber) for a further 3 weeks.
Both were very well tolerated and showed no unpleasant side effects – with the dried plums helping against constipation much better than the psyllium. The researchers involved even recommended that prunes should be used as the very first measure for constipation before resorting to medication.
Dried figs help with constipation
If you don’t like plums, you can test whether dried (unsulphured) figs have a similarly good effect on you. They contain soluble and insoluble fiber that helps cleanse your intestines. In addition, just five figs cover at least 20 percent of your daily fibre requirements.
At the first sign of constipation, snack on five figs and slowly drink at least a large glass (250 ml) of water with it. Better yet, soak the figs in water overnight, which will make the fruit nice and juicy. As already mentioned with the plums, you can also mix the soaked figs in the blender and drink the resulting fig smoothie.
If necessary, eat two or three of the soaked figs or have a small glass of the fig smoothie every three hours. Keep doing this until you see results.
Since figs also have antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory and even anticoagulant properties ( Journal of Ethnopharmacology , 2008), eating figs not only has a positive effect on digestion.
Unfortunately, animal studies and fewer clinical studies on the digestive effects of figs have been carried out so far. But these also showed that figs have a very good effect against constipation – whether in dogs or rats. You can also use the dried fruit on your pet if it suffers from constipation.
Even with medication-related constipation – e.g. loperamide (a diarrheal agent, e.g. Imodium) – figs can help to stimulate digestion again.
Grapes are great for digestion
Grapes are another food that has an exceptionally cleansing effect on the digestive system. It is the combination of cellulose and organic acids that make grapes a mild laxative. In order to activate intestinal activity with the help of grapes, at least 350 grams of these fruits would have to be eaten every day.
For the best possible result, it is better not to choose seedless grapes. These are particularly sugary breeds. With their often unnaturally high sugar content, they put more strain on the organism than they could be of any use to it. Therefore, choose seeded varieties and eat the whole grape, including the skin and seeds. Eat grapes very slowly and chew them thoroughly, especially the skin and seeds. The seeds should therefore not be swallowed whole.
The grape skin alone provides a relevant amount of dietary fiber, which contributes enormously to healthy intestinal function. In addition, the grape skin contains highly valuable secondary plant substances, such as e.g. resveratrol (in dark grapes), quercetin and ellagic acid. They all have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects.
However, if you choose grapes with seeds, they also provide you with fiber and other secondary plant substances, such as e.g. the well-known connective tissue strengthening antioxidant called OPC (also commercially available as grape seed extract).
No wonder that with this abundance of highly helpful substances, grapes are also suitable for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases – according to a study from 2009. Because the grape substances prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol and thus prevent arteriosclerosis, they improve its Vascular functions, reduce high blood pressure, regulate blood clotting, reduce inflammation levels and prevent premature aging of the cells.
Whenever possible, buy organically grown grapes, as grapes are one of the fruits most commonly treated with pesticides and fungicides in conventional farming, along with strawberries.
Watermelons are draining
Watermelons also possess laxative properties. Also, when buying watermelons, only choose pitted varieties. Chew up the small black seeds, because they are extremely rich in minerals, very tasty and much too valuable to throw away.
Watermelon can also prevent kidney stones or, if you already have them, help remove them by flushing the kidneys.
Please remember that watermelons should not be combined with other foods and should never be eaten as a dessert. They are best eaten by themselves on an empty stomach. Because watermelons are digested very quickly. Their passage through the stomach and intestines is therefore very short.
If you were to eat it with or after other foods, they would interfere with the watermelon’s rapid digestion, which could lead to fermentation in the digestive system.
Spicy vegetable cocktail
If you love vegetable juice, you can make an excellent and effective mixture against constipation. The ingredients are tomato juice, carrot juice and sauerkraut juice. Mix 150ml tomato juice with 100ml carrot juice and 80ml sauerkraut juice.
A little cayenne pepper or chilli is also ideal for lovers of fiery tastes. If you make your own vegetable juice, simply add fresh chilli pepper to your juicer – or even better, just a piece of it, as fresh chillies are much hotter than the powder. In addition, chilli enhances the laxative effect of this cocktail, at the same time disinfecting the digestive tract and acting as a deterrent against any parasites that may be present.
Fibre helps with constipation
As mentioned above, dietary fibre is essential for healthy digestion. Constipation cannot occur with a high-fibre diet. Therefore, you should significantly increase the consumption of high-fibre foods.
Switch from ready or semi-ready meals to freshly prepared meals. Integrate more and more raw vegetables into your diet in the form of green leafy salads and fruits and switch to whole grain products. If you also reach for nuts instead of chips and like chia pudding or flaxseed, almost nothing can happen to you.
In addition to linseed and chia seeds, psyllium or psyllium husk powder are also available in the form of food supplements (capsules or powder). They are all excellent colon cleansers because they contain large amounts of mucus and fibre.
However, it is important to remember that fibre intake only promotes digestion if you drink enough water at the same time. If you were to take the above seeds dry, they would make constipation even worse. The strong swelling capacity of these seeds means that they absorb a great deal of water, which would dry out the food pulp if there was a lack of water absorption.
However, with enough water (300 – 400 ml per teaspoon of seeds), the seeds swell and form mucilage, which means that the chyme slides easily through the intestines, and the stool volume increases, peristalsis (intestinal movements) is stimulated and the stool is lighter and can be eliminated.
If you let the seeds swell in water before eating, then it is sufficient if you drink 250 ml of water per tablespoon of the swollen seeds. S
Konjac powder regulates digestion
Konjac powder is also one of the dietary fibres. It is derived from the Asian konjac root and has numerous health benefits. The regulation of digestion is one of them – regardless of whether you have previously suffered from chronic diarrhea or chronic constipation.
The konjac powder stimulates intestinal peristalsis and thus helps to facilitate bowel movements. Important. Just as with the seeds, a lot of still water (about 2 to 2 ½ liters) must be drunk throughout the day when taking konjac powder.
In addition, taking konjac powder is an easy way to lose weight. With just 3 grams of konjac powder per day, the body can shed more weight than it could with dieting alone.
Konjac powder also reduces high blood fat and blood sugar levels, maintains intestinal health, promotes the development of healthy intestinal flora, prevents colon cancer and fills you up quickly.
There are also noodles made from konjac powder. They are gluten-free, have almost no calories, are alkaline and can be prepared in just under 1 minute. Information about Konjac noodles can be found here: Konjak – the alkaline noodle
Fruits and vegetables are great for constipation
Eat as many fruits and vegetables as you can every day. At each meal, either one or the other should make up the bulk of it. You should therefore not eat fruit and vegetables in addition to your usual meals, but increase the proportion of vegetables and instead eat less pasta, less meat and fewer potatoes – and instead of unhealthy snacks, you can eat fruit or smoothies in the future. Pasta, potatoes, meat etc. should only remind you of a small side dish in terms of quantity. Because studies have long shown that the more fruit and vegetables you eat, the lower the risk of developing constipation.
Fruits that are particularly good for constipation (apart from those already mentioned) are apples, oranges, persimmons , guavas and pears. High-fibre and naturally laxative vegetables include beans, peas, kale, and spinach.
Often studies on constipation are devoted to older people. But constipation is also widespread in a completely different age group, namely children. Here, too, the cause is mostly in the diet. Because if children often get fruit, vegetables, salads, smoothies (apple, pear, kiwi, plum) and enough still water, they suffer from constipation much less often.
Probiotics ensure regular bowel movements
Probiotics are also an important tool that helps to bring the intestine back into its healthy balance – especially those probiotics that contain Lactobacillus (L.) reuteri, but also probiotics with L. casei, L. plantarum, L. rhamnosus , Bifidobacterium, B. bifidum, B. infantis and B. longum.
If you are constipated, dairy products should be avoided
Especially with children who are chronically constipated, it should be checked whether they might be suffering from a milk protein allergy. This often shows up in children (but also in adults) with constipation – and nobody thinks that the milk could be responsible for it. Studies have therefore shown that these children’s constipation disappears as soon as they stop drinking milk and eating dairy products.
Sport or abdominal massage help with constipation
The human body loves movement. Just as your lungs expect you to breathe, all of your organs expect you to move. Lack of exercise, on the other hand, prevents the organs from functioning properly.
In particular, however, the intestine suffers from a lack of movement. They need vigorous exercise so that they can do their digestive work perfectly. Sport not only boosts your fitness, but also the activity of your internal organs. When you’re active, your gut is too – and the more you exercise, the better your gut works.
If you are bedridden, simply massage your abdomen clockwise around the navel several times a day for 10 minutes at a time. You’ll find that it’s quite tiring, but it’s worth it! After just a few minutes you can feel your intestines beginning to “live”. Alternate between gentle massage strokes and vigorous walking. You can also use a scented massage oil if you like.
Constipation: drink water
If you drink 2 to 2.5 liters of pure, non-carbonated water every day, not only will your general health improve, but your digestion will automatically improve as well. Drinking sufficient amounts of water also moisturize the intestines, among other things, so that bowel movements are made significantly easier. If you eat a lot of fruit, salads and vegetables, then of course smaller amounts of water are sufficient, since these foods already contain a lot of liquid.
Olive oil or linseed oil stimulate digestion
While inferior cheap oils severely affect all your organs, and thus also your digestive system, high-quality natural oils have the opposite effect. Just a teaspoon of olive oil or linseed oil in the morning lubricates the intestinal mucous membranes and thus stimulates digestion and elimination. If you can’t bring yourself to swallow pure oil early in the morning, it doesn’t matter, since you now know many other measures that are also lower in calories.
Slippery Elm Bark
The slippery elm (Ulmus fulva) is a tree native to North America. Its rind contains natural mucilage that can “soften” dry stool stuck in the colon, making it easier to empty.
For many centuries, North American Indians have used slippery elm bark as a remedy for gastrointestinal disorders because it can relieve both colic-like pain and irritation associated with chronic inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease).
Preparations made from slippery elm bark are not only an effective laxative but also excellent intestinal care and intestinal cleansing agent.
The bark gel is also effective against diarrhea and heartburn, so it has an overall regulating effect on the digestive system.
Simply stir 2 teaspoons of the bark powder into 250 ml of cold water, boil the water while stirring, put the pot off the stove and stir vigorously again. Allow the gel to cool down, fill it in a sealable bowl and store it in the refrigerator (it can be stored there for about 5 – 6 days). You take it as needed, e.g. 2 times a day 2 tbsp.
The gel can also be given to dogs suffering from gastrointestinal problems. Dogs up to 10 kg receive 5 ml with food twice a day. Dogs over 10 kg 10 ml twice a day.
Natural squatting makes it easier to have a bowel movement
Since today’s toilets no longer allow the natural squatting position that people have relieved themselves in for thousands of years, this aspect also contributes to the widespread spread of constipation.
In the case of constipation, you could try to simulate this posture on the toilet with simple measures. This alone often helps to have much easier bowel movements again.
* A medical toilet stool for the natural squatting position can be found here at this link .
Acupressure can relieve constipation
A measure that costs nothing and is always at hand in the truest sense of the word is acupressure. To do this, in the case of constipation, light pressure is exerted on the perineum with the index and middle fingers. This is the area between the vagina and anus or scrotum and anus. The pressure is maintained for several seconds and is applied backwards towards the back. Then release the pressure and press again. The first results can often be seen after several pressure pulses.
In a study from April 2015, the researchers led by Dr. Ryan Abbott of the University of California instructed patients suffering from constipation on how to do acupressure in their homes for the next four weeks – whenever they felt the need to go to the bathroom. The acupressure was then applied three to four times a week and had enormously positive effects.
The stool became softer, the muscles relaxed and those nerves that caused stronger bowel movements were stimulated and thus faster stool excretions happened. More than 80 percent of the study participants were so enthusiastic about the effects of acupressure that they continued to do so after the end of the study. More than 50 percent of the participants also reported that existing hemorrhoids had improved thanks to the acupressure.
The intestinal enema immediately helps with constipation
Want to get rid of your constipation NOW? Then just do an enema. All you need is an irrigator, which is available for less than $100, some water and 30 minutes.
With an enema, the intestine gets what it lacks for the rapid elimination of the stool, on the one hand the liquid and on the other hand an activation of the intestinal peristalsis.
While pharmaceutical laxatives can also come with unpleasant side effects, an enema has nothing but benefits. You feel liberated, relaxed and really comfortable in your skin again.
If you don’t want to give yourself an enema. Go and have a colonic with a well-trained practitioner who will give you a good belly massage and be able to give you lots of good tips to avoid constipation in the future.
