Nothing bogs you down for the whole day (and even for a few more coming days) like constipation does. It’s but natural to only think about the discomfort that goes on in your stomach. You cannot concentrate on your work. And that struggle every morning and evening in the hope of relieving yourself is quite a big one. You cannot even eat properly, everytime you do, you are reminded of how all that you are eating will add to the ongoing discomfort which you are not able to overcome. You can’t discuss with friends, and when you go to the doctor, he hands over a laxative to you. While you can always use laxatives for constipation, how far it is desirable to depend upon medicines? You can’t do it for the whole of your life. Therefore, you should first experiment with some home remedies to relieve you from constipation and then try to bring changes in your diet and lifestyle to avoid recurrence of constipation.
Home Remedies to Cure Constipation
1. Have lemon in the morning to cure constipation
Forget that cup of tea or coffee that you have in the morning. Instead, have lemon with warm water and salt first thing in the morning. You need to stimulate your intestine and this solution aids in cleansing this organ of your body. A dash of salt in the lemon water helps you pass stool smoothly.
Get this:
- Lemon juice- 1 tsp
- Warm water- 1 glass
- Salt- a pinch of it
Do this:
- As soon as you get out of the bed in the morning, heat water to get a glass of warm water. It should be warm to the extent that you can have it. Don’t set a very low bar. Remember, you can have hot tea and coffee so why not a little warmer water!
- Mix the lemon juice in this warm water.
- Add a pinch of salt and mix well.
- Have this every morning, even after you have cured your constipation.
2. Natural laxatives raisins can cure constipation
Want some natural laxatives? Depend upon simple and sweet raisins. Health with taste! Raisins are high in fiber and you definitely know that most of the cases of constipation are due to having a diet which lacks in fiber. What is good that these can be had by everyone- kids as well as expecting mothers too. However, pregnant mothers still need to consult their physicians as they may have their own unique set of complications. So, how do you take raisins for constipation? Soaked ones in the morning!
Get this:
- Raisins- 10-15
- Water- ½ cup
Do this:
- Soak raisins in half cup of water overnight.
- In the morning, have the soaked raisins along with water, preferably first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.
3. Have Guava fruit the right way to cure constipation
Guava, although cheap and tasty, is an underrated fruit in spite of its many benefits. For constipation too, you can have guava regularly. Why is it so beneficial for constipation? Because of its soluble as well as insoluble fibers present in its pulp and seeds respectively. Not only this, guava helps in producing mucus in the anus along with aiding in contraction of intestinal lining for smooth passage of food into the stomach. So, are you up for having guava? Yes! Good but you must understand the right way of eating this fruit.
Do this:
- Get guava which is not too ripe or raw.
- Have the fruit with your breakfast. However, if you also suffer from gastric problems, have it after lunch. Don’t have any fruit at night.
- When eating a guava, do not chew its seeds. This may negatively affect you if you suffer from a stomach ulcer. Chewing seeds of guava can also lead to constipation instead of curing it.
- The right way of eating guava is to cut it into quarter pieces. Eat the outer portion of seedless guava, close to its peel, first. Then have the inner portion which is its soft pulp with seeds. Do not chew hard, just chew it slowly to make the pulp a little softer. Then gulp the thing without chewing the seeds.
You might be wondering about the way of eating guava but after a few attempts, you will not have to even think of how to eat this fruit properly. It’s just a matter of developing the habit.
4. Flaxseeds also cure constipation
It’s all about the fiber content! Flaxseeds have high amounts of fibers in them and have been recognized as a bulk-forming herbal laxative. These types of laxatives work by drawing water into stool so that it becomes larger, softer, and easier to pass out of the body. They can be called the safest types of laxatives that stimulate your colon naturally and thus can be taken daily. However, you must have plenty of fluids when having bulk laxatrives like flaxseeds. And yes, use flaxseed powder, preferably ground at home because whole seeds can pass out as they are without doing anything in your body to relieve constipation.
Do this:
- Take a tablespoon of ground flaxseed powder and mix it with a glass of warm water and have it in the morning.
- Alternatively, add flaxseed with your morning breakfast cereal.
5. Use Ayurvedic Triphala powder to cure constipation
Ayurveda, the ancient Indian medicine, has a miracle herb mixture in the form of Triphala powder. Triphala (meaning three fruits) is a combination of three very useful herbs- Amla (Indian gooseberry), Haritaki (Chebulic Myrobalan) and Vibhitaki (Bellirica Myrobalan). It is a wonder herb for all digestive problems. It not only acts a mild laxative but cures the peristaltic movements (contraction of intestine) to aid for smooth passage of food into the stomach and out of it. It also aids in metabolism by stimulating the liver to secrete bile, the digestive juice.
Get this:
- Triphala powder- 1 tsp
- Warm water- 1 glass or Honey- 1 tbsp
Do this:
- Mix Triphala powder with warm water or honey.
- Have it before going to bed at night.
- Alternatively, you can have it in the morning on an empty stomach.
6. Have Castor oil to cure your constipation
The oil derived from the castor plant has long been used by Egyptians for many conditions like heartburn, menstrual cramps, sunburn and for constipation. It is one of the fine natural stimulant laxatives. This type of laxatives make the bowel contract and squeeze so that you can pass stool comfortably. When you have castor oil, you can expect to have a bowel movement within 5-7 hours.
Get this:
- Castor oil- 1 tsp
- Warm milk- 1 glass or Warm water- 1 glass
Do this:
- Add castor oil to warm milk and mix well.
- Have this milk at night before going to bed.
- If you cannot stand milk or have allergy from it, use warm water to dissolve the oil and have this water at night.
7. Include Spinach in the diet to cure constipation
Both, Ayurveda and Chinese herbal medicine advocate for spinach as a good remedy for constipation. Spinach is capable of clearing your intestines and regulate bowel movement. Not only this, it even rebuilds and renews the intestinal tracts due to the presence of many nutrients in it. So, include spinach extensively in your diet if you face constipation each and every day. However, if you suffer from kidney problems, it’s better to take the advice of your physician first about what amount of spinach can you have during the day.
Do this:
- Make a juice of spinach and add an equal amount of water to it. Have this juice twice a day.
- Alternatively, you can make spinach soup by boiling a bunch of chopped spinach leaves in 2 cups of water for 2 minutes. If desired, add a pinch of salt to it and have this soup at least twice a day.
8. Have orange and grapes to cure constipation
These two fruits are tasty treats along with a cure for your constipation. Apart from having a great amount of Vitamin C, oranges are a very good source of fiber. It stimulates your bowel and helps in preventing waste accumulation in your colon. Have at least two oranges- in the morning and evening-0 daily to relieve constipation.
Grapes have in the organic acid and cellulose which make them a natural laxative. If you suffer from chronic constipation, grapes are the fruit for you. Remember the raisin remedy- they are nothing but dried grapes! However, you can have fresh grapes during the day. You may even have grape juice which tones the internal muscles of your stomach for giving you relief from constipation.
9. Diet and lifestyle tips to cure constipation
Constipation is fully manageable if you follow these diet and lifestyle rules.
- Avoid refined foods lacking fiber. For example, have less of refined flour (instead have whole wheat flour), white sugar and processed foods.
- Have frequent meals every 2-4 hours but do not take junk foods. Apart from three main meals, you can have fruits, dry fruits, seeds and nuts as snacks.
- Include fresh fruits and fibrous vegetables in your daily diet. Fruit juices are also good but don’t depend wholly on them as they lack fiber. Have whole fruits instead.
- Add such spices as turmeric, cumin, fennel, carom seeds etc. in your gravies and curries to aid digestion.
- Drink lots of water during the day. Have a glass of warm water (preferably mixed with lemon juice and salt) in the morning and at night. At night, however, you might like to have some other remedy like warm water or milk with castor oil in it.
- Move your body, exercise regularly because this also helps in strengthening your muscles including those in colon, intestine and stomach so that you do not suffer from constipation at all.
Susan Dafun says
Amazing…& very helpful way..
Laarni Ramos Juat says
will definitely try some of them…thanks….very helpful.
Nag Bhusan says
thkx
Kirit Shah says
very useful
Annie Pechangco Sacudit says
like it…
Aljermaine Stewart says
helpful tip definitely will try some of them ……………. thanks
Kalra Kamlesh says
Good article
Neeta Tiwari says
Very useful. .
Thanks..
Apa Guna says
My DS is facing constipation for a week! His poo poo is hard and little only. Moms, do you have any idea? I so worryyyy!
Ebing Che says
Totally agreed on the solution listed above for children constipation, it worked well for me at 1st. But then its for short while only la, better start looking for long term solution. What I did was I looked for milk formula which contains prebiotic, it helps preventing children constipation prob.
Dominic Uee says
Mamil does not contain sugar and has high level of DHA.. This is why it is very effective for constipation and also the pre-biotic in milk. Try for a week on Mamil, it works! My daughter used to have hard stool and sometimes constipation but after drinking Mamil, she does not encounter this problem anymore for few months..
Sue Yee Tee says
Giving them more fruits and vege , it think should be not enough fibre!! Remember to drink more water, kayyyy!
Caraumun Chan says
But really eating more vege helps? better to see doctor! =)
Siti Narutoo says
Mamil worked very well for me as my DD been drinking Mamil since last 2 years and her stools looks pretty healthy. Can try it out to prevent constipation even if ur LO doesn’t have constipation yet, I mean just incase.
See La says
Mamil worked very well for me as my DD been drinking Mamil since last 2 years and her stools looks pretty healthy. Can try it out to prevent constipation even if ur LO doesn’t have constipation yet, I mean just incase.
Ak Azad says
Ready I am apprecating & thank to you for unique health of our body
which we can use in normal life with very simple and thanks.
Ehtasham Aziz Awan says
Does anybody tell about the remedy of constipation in severe hiatus hernia.
Vijay Singh says
Looking useful, but I want to know, whether 3or4 laxatives maybe taken in one day or not.