Top 12 Home Remedies for Constipation
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Home Remedies for Constipation
No one wants to talk about constipation unless they are dealing with the problem. Then it becomes a hot topic of interest. While this might not be a fun topic, it is a common health concern for millions of people and the following 12 home remedies for constipation can definitely help.
What is Constipation?
First, what exactly is constipation? Officially, you are considered as being constipated if you have 3 or less bowel movements a week.
Natural health practitioners believe you should have at least one bowel movement every day. Especially if you are eating a sufficient amount of calories every day.
On thing we know for sure is that hard, dry, uncomfortable stools are a definite sign of constipation.
You need to listen to your body. If you are uncomfortable, or have a bloated stomach, and it is difficult to have a bowel movement, then you are constipated. If it takes too long to have a bowel movement and you dread even attempting it, you are constipated.
Constipation is a major health concern, but don’t worry, there is help for constipation using home remedies.
Constipation is Very Common Today
Today we are seeing a huge increase with people suffering from constipation. People are stuck at home more and doing even less activity than before. Many people are anxious, stressed out, financially hurting or just plain afraid to leave their homes. This means their level of activity is dropping drastically which is having a negative impact on their health, specifically bowel health.
Increase in People Suffering from Pain
There is also a dramatic increase in people suffering from chronic pain. Chronic pain requires daily doses of pain medicines which have a side effect of constipation. This can get quite severe due to the impact of pain medicine on the colon muscles. A healthy alternative to pain medication can be found here.
Laxatives can appear to be a quick fix. The problem is that they end up doing more harm than good and can be addicting. They should probably not be looked at as a solution to the constipation crisis we are seeing today.
What Can You Do for Constipation?
What can you do for constipation if laxatives are out? Easy! All of the following. Here are the top 12 remedies for constipation. Read over the list. Decide for yourself if one of these areas fit your particular situation. Begin today to reverse this problem and get your health back.
Try several of the remedies until you find the one home remedy, or the combination of home remedies that work for you. While this is a serious health concern, you can be proactive and find the relief you are looking for.
1. Diet
First things first. Change your diet! I hate to start here but it happens to be too true. Bowel trouble very likely can be caused by diet. You could be eating an unbalanced diet, or have an allergy or intolerance to a particular food such as dairy, wheat, nuts, or fish just to name a few of the common allergens.
One issue in particular is celiac disease or gluten intolerance. Most people think celiac disease just causes diarrhea. The truth is that many people with this disease suffer from constipation and have suffered this problem their whole life. Once gluten is removed from their diet, the bowel troubles disappear.
Diet is the first place to look when there is constipation.
Start a Food Journal
You can start a food journal and see if you notice a pattern. Maybe you will start to see that every time you eat one particular food, you become constipated. Eliminate this food and see if this helps. A food journal seems like such a bother to do but you will be very surprised to see what you uncover. The time it takes to complete the journal is well worth the effort.
Are you eating a lot of junk food? If the answer is yes, you will have to eliminate most of it. Junk food tastes great and is so easy to eat but it’s lacking all the nutrients that your body is screaming for, especially if you are constipated. You could start by picking a couple of days a week to eat carryout food but all the other days to eat healthy. Gradually, you would just start to eliminate junk food completely.
Add More Fiber
Add more fiber to your diet. This can be in the form of nuts, seeds, beans, oats or wheat bran (if you’re not allergic), barley, strawberries, blueberries, greens, vegetables and fruits. Fibrestore is an easy way to add more fiber into your diet. Combine it with Classic and you will have all the nutrients your body is craving.
Eat Prunes!
Eat prunes! Prunes are great for constipation. You can also try warm prune juice alone or add to your tea of choice.
So number one, change your diet, keep a food journal, and get more vegetables, fruits, and greens into that diet.
2. Greens/Magnesium
Your body wants more dark green, leafy vegetables that are full of magnesium when you are constipated. Magnesium is great for constipation and many people are not getting enough. Kale and spinach are two familiar greens that are so good to eat anytime but especially when you are constipated and have a high level of magnesium. Both can be put into a smoothie to drink first thing in the morning.
A tip from Juliette de Bairacli Levy in Common Herbs for Natural Health is to grind up some kale. Steep it in warm water. Flavor with salt and a little red pepper and drink before every meal. This gives your body added vitamins and minerals along with all the other great things it will do for your body.
Broccoli and Brussel sprouts are two more nutrient dense greens along with collards and different types of lettuces, and spinach. All of these can be put into smoothies along with fruit and honey (recipes below). This is a great way to start the day and will definitely help with constipation.
Magnesium spray is another great way to get more magnesium into your body. I spray this on my abdomen and massage it in a circle. Many people are low in magnesium and this can contribute to constipation.
3. Water
We all need to drink half of our body weight in water every day and most people don’t do this. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, you will need to drink 100 ounces of water a day.
The best way to accomplish this is to measure out the water into a container in the morning and leave it on the counter or in the refrigerator. Then at the end of the day you know if you drank the correct amount or not.
You can add lemons or essential oils (see below) to the water which will give you some added vitamins as well as more support with constipation. Plenty of water every day is very important when you are constipated.
Ozonated water is even better for your colon. It brings more oxygen to every cell in your body. Oxygen is also great for destroying viruses so that’s an added bonus as well.
I ozonate my water in the morning and then drink it throughout the day. Sometimes I will ozonate the water in the afternoon as well because it can lose some of the oxygen when it sits there for many hours. You will also have more energy when you drink ozonated water which is another added bonus.
4. Yes, Exercise is a Necessary Home Remedy for Constipation!
Next, get more exercise or movement into your day. Walk around more. Do an exercise program at home or use some type of exercise equipment.
Whatever your level of exercise right now, add something additional to it. If you don’t do any exercise at all right now, then start with a little walk around your property, or around the block. Just start with something little and then add a little more.
You don’t have to be doing a marathon or anything, but you do need to move your body. You know what they say, “Move it, or lose it!” Keep moving so you CAN keep moving.
Here are two great choices to add some exercise into your day:
5. A Morning Psyllium Smoothie is a Terrific Home Remedy for Constipation
Add some psyllium to a smoothie in the morning. Psyllium will give added roughage to your stool which is great for constipation. Psyllium is one of the easiest and most efficient ways to achieve regular bowel movements.
6. Coffee / Coffee Enema
Drink some coffee in the morning. For many people, this is all they need to keep regular. Caffeine stimulates the bowels naturally.
Try a coffee enema. This might sound bizarre if you never heard of it but it is great for the health of your colon. Many natural health practitioners offer this service if you don’t want to attempt this procedure on your own. Coffee enemas help to break up and remove compacted stool on the walls of the colon. This will help you to absorb more nutrition from your food, which will give you more energy, which will inspire you to move more, which will stimulate a healthy digestive system. This is just a win, win situation for your health.
7. Flax Seed Oil
Add flax seeds and oil to your diet. Flax oil will lubricate the colon and help with dry hard stools. You can take 2 teaspoons in the morning before you eat for great results.
You can also sprinkle flax seed on oatmeal or cereal just to add more healthy colon nutrients to your daily food. A smoothie is another place to add flax seed to get it in without even noticing it.
If you don’t want to eat flax seeds, you can take it in a capsule and just swallow it without tasting anything. If you do buy a flax seed supplement, make sure it is in a dark colored bottle like this. Flax seed oil goes rancid quickly in light. This oil really helps to lubricate your whole digestive system while also adding in a lot of needed nutrients.
8. Herbs and Teas to Use in Your Home Remedies for Constipation
There are many great herbs that will help with constipation. Butcher’s Broom is a famous one. This herb “sweeps” out the colon which can be necessary to clear away a build up of stool on the colon walls. You can take this herb alone or in a combination with other herbs that will also help to alleviate constipation.
Some other helpful herbs are: fennel, sage, licorice, peppermint and lemon scented verbena. You can make a tea with any combination of these herbs.
Other herbs to use that stimulate the bowels according to Mathew Wood are: rhubarb, yellow dock root combo tea, senna, buckthorn, cascara sagrada, and aloe. These herbs can cause cramping and the author suggests that you add ginger to the any of these herbs you choose to use. The ginger will ease any cramping that occurs from stimulating the bowels.
Mathew Wood’s book, The Book of Herbal Wisdom: Using Plants as Medicine is a fantastic book on herbal remedies if you are interested in learning more.
Get Regular and Smooth Move are two teas that combine Senna leaves with other herbs and fruits in a synergisticcombination that is effective, easy and tastes good. Just place a tea bag in a cup with just under boiling water, steep for 5 minutes and sip slowly. You can add ginger root and honey to make this a delicious, healthy tea. Three other tea choices are: Nettle, Yarrow and Chickweed Teas. All are great herbal teas for constipation.
Nettle tincture is a great remedy for constipation. Take 12-15 drops one hour before breakfast.
Constipation Home Remedy Recipe
Rosemary Gladstar gives a home remedy for constipation in her book, Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health that works efficiently. Her recipe is:
- 2 parts yellow dock root,
- 1 part dandelion root,
- 1 part licorice root.
Combine the herbs. Prepare as a decoction. Drink 3 cups daily. This can be used as frequently as needed.
A Stronger Home Remedy for Constipation
She gives another recipe that is stronger and one that you cannot use every day. This one is:
- 4 parts fennel seed,
- 3 parts licorice root,
- 2 parts yellow dock root,
- 1 part cascara sagrada,
- 1 part psyllium seed,
- 1 part senna.
Combine all of the herbs. Prepare as a concoction. Drink 1-2 cups to start and increase dosage if nesessary. Make sure not to drink this herb combination every day. Use only when you have to get everything moving and you did not have results with some of the other remedies.
9. Syrup of Rhubarb
Syrup of Rhubarb is another remedy for constipation. The dose is 1 tsp in the morning before you eat. This is also a great natural tonic for your whole digestive system.
10. Cell Salts
Cell salts are a homeopathic remedy for many every day ailments. Each cell salt is one of the 12 different mineral compounds. According to Dr. Schuessler, these mineral compounds were needed to bring an unbalanced body back into a balanced state. He believed that all illness occurred because of an unbalanced state in the body.
Homeopathic Cell Salt Remedies is a great book for more details into what each cell salt can accomplish.
The best cell salts for constipation according to Dr. Schuessler are: Ferrum Phos, Natrum Phos, Natrum Sulph, Natrum Mur. You can take a combination of all the above in small doses of each. Homepathic Cell Salt Remedies does a great job of explaining all of the cell salt remedies in detail.
Specific cell salts can also be used for specific constipation issues:
Kali Mur is great for constipation with indigestion.
Calc Fluor is great for a bowel that is too relaxed such as the condition when using pain medicines.
Kali Sulph is great for constipation with a hard and knotty stool.
Silica is called for when the stool is very hard to expel.
Kali Phos is the cell salt to use when you are struggling to move your bowels and straining too much. You can purchase cell salts here.
11. Castor Oil Pack
A castor oil pack is great for a general detox and cleansing of the bowels.
Here is how to do a castor oil pack: soak a cotton cloth in organic castor oil. Place the cloth on your abdomen. Wrap saran wrap around the cloth and abdomen to hold it securely in place. Cover all of it with a blanket and hot water bottle if possible. Lie down and relax for an hour. Then remove everything and take a bath or shower.
12. Essential Oils
Essential oils are potent oils distilled from specific plants. They can be found in combinations and in individual oils. Doterra is a well known and trusted company for buying essential oils. You want to be careful to use pure oils that aren’t contaminated with another essence which is why I recommend Doterra oils only. Some very good oil choices for constipation are: Fennel, Ginger, Peppermint, Rosemary, Digestzen and Lemon. You can add these to your water or tea or make roller bottles and massage on your skin.
Make An Essential Oil Roller Bottle Home Remedy
You can make a 10 ml roller bottle by placing 10 drops each of the above oils into the roller bottle. Fill the remainder of the bottle with a carrier oil such as almond oil or jojoba oil. Gently shake the bottle to mix the oils. Roll this oil combination onto your abdomen and massage it into the skin. This can be used in combination with other treatments as well.
I also use Digestzen straight from the bottle by shaking 2-3 drops on my abdomen and rubbing it in. This oil works great when your stomach is swelling from something you ate or from just being constipated. If you want to try digestzen on your stomach, use it with a carrier oil like olive oil or almond oil. The carrier oil ensures that the essential oil will get absorbed through the skin more efficiently.
You can buy Doterra Essential Oils here.
Medicine Wheel
If you like to garden, you can always start your own medicine wheel. You can find more information about medicine wheels here and here.
I hope that you will find the relief you are looking for in some of these remedies. If you found a different remedy that worked well for you, please share it below. Today, so many people are in need of alternative treatments for constipation. Let’s share as many as we can!
Hi there! Some great ideas here for digestive health -thank you! Very informative.
By any chance can you tell me how to get those essential oils you mentioned?
Hi Julia,
Great question! You can order any of these oils and others as well at: my.doterra.com/survivalgardenandmor
Brian