Natural Herbal Remedies and Cures

Constipation is a problem that affects many Americans every day. Constipation is mainly due to poor eating habits, insufficient exercise, not getting enough fiber and not drinking enough water. Constipation is quite uncomfortable and most everyone knows when they have it. Common symptoms include:

Straining to have a bowel movement

Hard stools – pellet like stools

Not having a bowel movement every day

Not totally emptying your bowels each time you have a movement

If you eat right and adopt a healthy lifestyle, you need not every suffer from constipation, but what can you do in the meantime?

One way to help get things moving is to increase your intake of potassium through eating foods it naturally occurs in. You remember your grandmother telling you to eat prunes to relieve constipation, right? Well that is because prunes are high in potassium!

Potassium works wonders on the walls of the colon and helps to stimulate peristaltic action which makes your bowels move. It also helps to clean out layers of mucus and dried fecal matter that have built up along the colon walls.

Other foods that contain potassium include: tomatoes, broccoli, cucumbers, kale, sesame seeds, wheat germ, brewers yeast, pineapple and cauliflower.

Another natural remedy for constipation is Aloe. This herb that works so good on your outsides can also help your insides too! Aloe and its cousins buckthorn, frangula and senna have natural laxative chemicals and can be very powerful constipation cures It is recommended you take any of these herbs with caution and not for extended periods of time.

Psyllium has long been used to help relieve symptoms of constipation as it is loaded with soluble fiber. Make sure you take psyllium with lots of water.

Flax seed is used in may packaged products that treat constipation. You can buy the flaxseeds and crush them yourself. Take one or two tablespoons a day with lots of water. You will need to make sure you get at least 8 glasses of water a day when using flax.

Rhubarb has laxative properties and is high in fiber. Since the properties that give it it’s laxative qualities are similar to those in senna, this can be very powerful so use with caution!

While using natural remedies for constipation is much better then taking laxatives, the best thing to do is to practice prevention by eating lots of fruits and vegetables, getting adequate exercise and drinking lots of water.

Constipation is usually associated with three things, the pain in bowel movement and the inability to have bowel movement after a long period of straining in the stool and the absence of bowel movement after several days, which is generally three days or more. However, there is really no clear definition on what would constitute a person suffering from constipation because bathroom patterns vary from one person to the next. For example, on person may have to go to the bathroom every single day, but similarly, another person’s routine may involve going to the bathroom only after two days.

Generally though, the person himself will know if he is suffering from constipation if he experiences its symptoms such as irregular and infrequent bowel movement, a sudden decrease in the frequency of the need to go to the bathroom, his bowel still feels quite full even after the passage of stools and the abnormal difficulty in having bowel movements. You should also note that there are various causes of constipation. But in most cases, people suffering from constipation have some similarities with regards to their lifestyle like eating unhealthy food, lack of regular exercise, insufficient amount of fluid in the body because they do not drink enough water and the stress they have to deal with. But other factors can also contribute to constipation. For example, pregnancy can alter your bathroom habits and you may have some difficulty in the passage of stools. Some medical conditions can also prove to have some adverse effects like having difficulties in passing stools.

On the other hand, some people suffer from chronic constipation. This condition is actually very hard to live with because you experience difficulty in your bowel movements every time you go to the bathroom. However, chronic constipation is quite easy to cure if a person is committed to a lifestyle change because more often than not, chronic constipation is a result of an unhealthy lifestyle. Also, you can use some medications such as laxatives that can let you have some relief from this condition.

Meanwhile, you can also try some alternative cures such as herbal medicines because it is proven to help in constipation in some ways. But you should also be careful when choosing herb supplement because like chemical laxative, herb laxatives is also not good for you in the long term if you constantly use it to cure your condition. Also remember that laxatives are generally reserved for people with sever cases of constipation or those looking for an instant relief because of an emergency.

For people experiencing mild constipation, it is better for them to try mineral oils or even the milk of magnesia for them to cure this condition. They can also try the bitter liquid derived from aloe vera, this can be a very powerful laxative if ingested, but this is also not good for long-term use because it can cause a person to have severe and painful cramping. In addition, you should first consult with a healthcare professional before you take any form of medication whether it is herbal or not.