Easy Home Remedies for Constipation Relief

Epsom Salt

Posted by Lightbelly (Uk) on 02/12/2018
★★★★★

Hi- am reporting in that Epsom salts (ES) are the stars - had tried Senna tea, fibre, flax seed, water, lemon etc etc but to no avail. Had trouble locating it - pharmacies in the UK don't seem to sell the raw ingredients any more, and when it finally arrived (ebay) I tried it and nearly threw up. This was probably from having done maybe too many liver cleanses and developing an aversion to the taste. Thanks to EC - someone had suggested putting some lemon juice to hide the taste (why didn't I think of that?! ) and it really did the trick - a few drops of lime juice and no ew before bedtime. The morning relief is amazing, I'm sleeping again and the tension has gone, I feel lighter, more vital and ready to take action!

Epsom Salt

Posted by Gord235 (Vancouver, British Columbia) on 04/30/2018
★★★★★

I take one heaping teaspoon mixed into one large cup of warm water, then sit back and wait. Within an hour I can feel my bowels starting to rumble and once I feel my sphincter starting to tighten I make sure I am positioned on the toilet. Soon there is a big woosh and relief arrives; maybe a couple of wooshes but in any event the problem is gone. I have tried several of the common fibre laxatives and have found Epsom salts to be the cheapest, fastest and best solution. It is great for those times when you long for a total evacuation after a few days of not going. I purchase it at my local drugstore, store it in the cupboard and only use it when the usual remedies don't work. Caution: make sure you are close to a toilet when using.

Flaxseed

Posted by H (Usa) on 12/02/2013
★★★★★

Like the original poster said, you have to boil the flax seeds in water till it gets gelatinous. Strain the seeds, keep the gel. Let it cool, then add 1 tbsp. apple cider to a cup of warm water, along with some of the flax gel poured in. That's what gives it the benefit. The flax seed alone, in it's hard shell won't work. The shells have to be broken down.

Yellow Dock Tea

Posted by Sis Morgan (Monterey, Ca) on 11/15/2012
★★★★★

Yellow dock has worked for a chronic constipation problem where all other remedies failed. I had tried magnesium, and although this at first worked, it failed to work with repeated use. Likewise, a concerted try of psyllium powder did not produce the intended result. I had read about yellow dock in a Chinese herbal book and its wonderful, reliable effects for constipation, and read many testimonials in the book about the herb. I began to drink a tea of yellow dock at night. Results in the morning were immediate. The best part is that it has continued to work! I can now drink this tea every evening and go to bed knowing with certainty that I will have a bowel movement the next morning. It doesn't matter what I have eaten or even the amount of water I have drank during the day, the results are always reliable.

I have suffered from constipation for many years and this is a godsend remedy. You can buy yellow dock tea online for steeping or make your own tea from the dried root. I put about two teaspoons of yellow dock root in a metal tea strainer and pour boiling water over it and allow it to steep until the tea is a rich yellow tan. Begin with small doses for best results and work up to the dose that gives you results. Some people have to drink more than a cup a day for chronic problems. If you take too much yellow dock you can have intestinal cramps, so begin slowly for best results.

If you have had chronic constipation for many years with no help from the usual remedies, I highly recommend yellow dock tea. It has been a miracle herb for me. If the flavor is too bitter, mix some molasses with the hot tea. It's delicious!

Castor Oil

Posted by Karen (Los Angeles, California) on 01/23/2012
★★★★★

What works for me for severe constipation is Castor oil. One tablespoon. But if you try it, take it only on a weekend you have off. Stay home because you don't know when it's going to work.Works on me like drain-O on a drain.

Dietary Changes

Posted by Laura (Houston, Texas) on 12/17/2011
★★★★★

I have had terrible constipation for as long as I can remember (I am 42). I always thought myself lucky to go a maximum of 4 times per week. I have tried eating more fiber, drank gallons of water, followed blood type diet for a year, exercised, used ACV & EVCO, all with limited success. Well, my "cure" as it turns out was to drastically increase the amount of raw fruits and veggies in my diet. Now you can set your watch by me! I still fully cook ground beef, poultry & fish (except sushi), but I eat a minimum of 3-4 whole fruits and 4-5 raw veggies a day. I've also begun drinking kefir. Give it a try!

Molasses

Posted by Gavin (Manganui, Northland, New Zealand) on 05/01/2011
★★★★★

As a suggestion if you take a teaspoonfull of blackstrap molasass a day, you will find your problems will end.. Plus the eradication of any hemorrhoids over a few days. Put it in your mouth and wash it down with fruit juice.

Baking Soda

Posted by John (Greenport, New York, Usa) on 09/16/2010
★★★★★

For chronic constipation, it helps to drink a glass of water mixed with a teaspoon of pure baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) before bed every night. Be sure it's pure baking soda (no aluminum).

Triphala Churna

Posted by Wfc (Hb, Ca) on 06/27/2010
★★★★★

My GF was very constipated and I bought her a bottle of Triphala. It worked right away and as long as she takes 4 caps a day, 2 in the AM and 2 before bed.

Triphala Churna

Posted by Jennifer (Sunrise, Florida) on 02/28/2011
★★★★★

I've had terrible constipation since I was young... I would have a bowel movement maybe every 2 weeks. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism a few years ago, which made the problem much worse. Typical remedies like laxatives, prunes, and fiber have absolutely no effect on me. Triphala has been a miracle for me. It's not a laxative, but it encourages regular bowel movements because it acts like a tonic for your colon and digestive system. It's extremely gentle but very powerful. I have a bowel movement almost every day, without any pain or discomfort. It completely regulates my digestive system and makes me feel great. As an added bonus, it has a ton of antioxidants, which is great for your body! I use a very good-quality brand, because some lower quality brands have little to no effect on me. Look for brands that have guaranteed potency.

Lemon Juice and Olive Oil

Posted by Fitnessgal (Fort Worth, Tx) on 09/03/2012
★★★★★

So very thankful to have found this solution as I am 8 months pregnant and there are not a lot of things I can try for constipation. It had been over a week since I've been able to go with no avail. I took 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp lemon juice, & a pinch of salt. It took 5 hours and finally had a small movement. Then in another hour had another small movement. The next day I was able to go again. I'm so much more comfortable now! Will skip a day and then take the solution again at bedtime as another user suggested. Thanks for posting this!!!!!!!

Bentonite Clay

Posted by Joyce (Glasgow, Scotland) on 03/29/2008
★☆☆☆☆

WARNING!

I digested Psyllium and Bentonite clay for a colon cleanse. This was to ruin my whole life and caused immediate gastritis and triggered rosacea/rhinophyma. The onset of symptoms was abrupt, immediate and extremely severe. I now have blepharitis and meibomitis as a result.

I was very stupid and digesting this product has ruined my whole life. DO NOT TAKE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lemon Juice and Olive Oil

Posted by Kat (USA) on 07/16/2006
★★★★★

Lemon Juice/Olive Oil is one of the best & natural ways that I was able to stop my constipation. I had everything I needed at home. The lemon and oil didn't mix completely, but i would put a pinch of salt in the lemon juice to take away the sourness.

Lemon Juice and Olive Oil

Posted by Linda (Erlanger, Ky) on 11/25/2008
★★★★★

Wow, I tried this concoction and yes indeed it works. Just a TBSP of each in a small glass, gulp it down, late in the PM and low and behold the next AM we have a BM! haha Thanks for the great advice!

Baked Apples

Posted by Nat (Brooklyn, NY) on 01/18/2022
★★★★★

For several days in a row, eating a diet of mostly, or only, baked apples can help for cleansing the body and for relieving constipation.

The apples should be eaten with the peel. (Before baking, they can be scrubbed a bit with a food wash or even dish soap, and then rinsed well, to lessen preservatives on the peel, since the peel should be eaten.) The apples, Cortland cooking apples, can be baked with olive oil drizzled onto the apples and also some spices such as nutmeg and a bit of cinnamon, but without added sugar. Since cinnamon can be constipating for some people only a pinch or so should be added per apple.

The apples can be baked at around 425 degrees Fahrenheit, for about an hour and a half or more. If the apples are baked until the inside starts to caramelize and turn brown, the apples will be sweet even though no sugar was added. (Even regular apple sauce can be simmered very slowly for several hours without added water or sugar. If the apples are good quality cooking apples, such as Cortland apples, the applesauce will be sweet.)

In the writings of the psychic, Edgar Cayce, we find reference to an apple diet. That is, eating only apples for three days, prepared any which way, after which one is to sip a quarter of a half cup of (hot) olive oil for body cleansing.

For many people, the Cayce apple diet is a hard program to follow.

A modified, mostly apple diet is easy to follow and satisfying. While such a program may not be as effective as a total apple diet, it is easy to try out.

One should start eating the baked apples in the morning and if in the evening one feels the need for other food one can eat a small amount of light food such as a few spoonful's of small curd cottage cheese and maybe some hot water with blackstrap molasses with some spices, and a bit of milk (a small amount, such as an eighth or a quarter teaspoon, of salt, added to the molasses drink makes it taste better), or one can drink a tea with some honey in it. Throughout the day, if one feels the need, one can also drink molasses with hot water, or coffee, or tea.

Prune Juice

Posted by Rob (Kentucky) on 02/18/2021
★★★★★

A classic cure for constipation is prune juice. The fruit works as a natural laxative because it has high amounts of fiber, and contains sorbitol. Sorbitol softens stools because it is a natural carbohydrate that is not easily ingested, causing it to draw a lot of water as it passes through the intestines and adding bulk to stool. Be careful though-too much and sorbitol can cause gas and make stool too soft.

Drink one glass of prune juice (8oz) in the morning and one at night to relieve constipation. It should start working within a few hours, so it's important to let one glass pass through your intestines before attempting to drink another or else you risk diarrhea. You can also eat several prunes instead of drinking the juice if you prefer.

Ted's Remedies

Posted by Robert (London, UK) on 07/23/2019
★★★★★

Since switching to a low-carb vegetarian diet for health reasons, I've had issues with mild constipation. I found the suggestions on the Earth Clinic website very helpful and I started trying them. My constipation has now gone, I am able to have an easy bowel movement every morning which is soft and moist.

I previously found that I couldn't eat egg yolks because they would block me up, but this is no longer the case.

The remedies the worked for me are as follows, starting with the most effective and proceeding in order down to the least effective: - 1/4 tsp of bicarbonate soda dissolved in 1/4 cup of water 1 hour after each meal. This is one of the remedies recommended by Parhatsathid Nabadalung (aka Ted from Bangkok, Thailand) in his book pH Balanced for Life! The Easiest Way to Alkalize. -

1 tbsp of olive oil dissolved in 1/4 cup of water every morning, after my bowel movement and before my first meal. - Before each bowel movement, drink 1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt dissolved in 1 cup of warm water. - Eat some cucumber with every meal. I tried lots of other things including abdominal massage and eating coconut oil, but the above four worked the best for me. If anyone is interested in my diet, a typical meal for is 3 cups of vegetables with 2 boiled eggs, plenty of healthy fat (avocados, olive oil, coconut oil), and spices (garlic, ginger, turmeric etc). I drink plenty of plain water - I don't take other liquids.

Thank you to the people who run this site. You've helped me find a natural cure to my problem, which was causing me a lot of stress. I'm going to make a donation by way of thanks.

Acupressure

Posted by Mary Beth (Pittsburgh) on 02/06/2017
★★★★★

Constipation (and probably diarrhea too) better with acupressure

Large Intestine

The poster originally used "sedation" of the large intestine to reduce constipation, but "tonifying" may help with the opposite problem, diarrhea.

Tonifying:

On the right side, press lightly (a nickel's weight worth) on the outer side of the elbow crease (i.e., the thumb side) AND if manageable, also press a "body hand width" at a spot below the kneecap bone.

A body-hand-width for the person-who-posted means about one inch, measuring from the middle of the edge of the palm of the hand to an opposite spot on the non-palm side.

Press these two spots at the same time for one minute.

Then on the left, press on the same points for another minute.

Then do the second set of points:

On the right side, press a point in the hollow side of the thumb side of the wrist crease on the non-palm side of the hand. (This point is between the hand and the lower arm bone.)

At the SAME TIME, press in at the depression that is on the little finger side of the hand, moving up the side of the hand, over a little bump of the wrist bone. I found this spot by starting at the part of the lower arm bone near the hand, then moving upward toward the little finger, by sliding upward, over that bump in the wrist bone. I used two fingers, to make sure I had the right spot. Hold these for thirty seconds.

Do the same again on the left side.

I only had to do this two times on my bladder meridian, to stop being incontinent. It has not been completely foolproof, as my disease has progressed, but mostly it has freed me from the potty substantially.

Sedation:

It is important that I also tell you how to sedate your large intestine. This practice was very useful to relieve my constipation.

Also, if you over-tonify, your meridian/muscle can get too tight, so I had better tell you how to loosen it.

To sedate, on the right side, you'll want to press a point on the right hand -- and, if you are flexible enough, ideally you can also, at the same time, press the other point on your right foot. I can JUST do this: but if it is difficult, do one point at a time, starting with the points on the right, then do the same points on the left.

It really does not matter if you do the right points first, and then the left. But you are supposed to do all the right hand points, at one time, then all the left hand points at one time.

Use your left hand to press a point that seems to be close to the knuckle of your pointing finger, at the bottom of the finger, and on the side of the finger that is closest to the thumb. AT THE SAME TIME, use your right index finger (since it is still NOT doing anything) to press on the point on the side of your foot, just a smidgen down the foot from where the toe meets the foot. Hold this at a "nickel's weight" for one minute.

Then do the left side the same way.

The second set of points is the same as the points for tonifying, copied and pasted from above:

On the right side, press a point in the hollow side of the thumb side of the wrist crease on the non-palm side of the hand. (This point is between the hand and the lower arm bone.)

Do the same again on the left side.

This remedy worked for the poster in two days later -- and she has been "loose" ever since!

The poster used the pictures and descriptions from "Touch for Health" by John and Matthew Thie -- and "Energy Medicine" by Donna Eden.

Cabbage

Posted by Dawn (Calgary, CA) on 02/02/2015
★★★★★

I suffered from constipation for a long time until I found a home remedy. I made fermented cabbage drink at home which I drank 2 glasses everyday which by the way is probiotic drink. Now I also eat probiotic yogurt everyday, I was also lactose intolerant, not anymore. Lactose intolerant people should try cabbage drink first then slowly introduce yogurt to your system. For cabbage drink, one can find recipe on the you tube, it is basically chopping 1 cup of cabbage and add 6 cups of water and leave to ferment for 2 days in an air tight jar. It tastes a bit sour. I wish I had known about this earlier, I suffered for many years.

Green Iced Tea

Posted by Loie (Naples, Fl) on 09/30/2014
★★★★★

I have tried many different remedies from an early age.....over the counter and natural.....for my lifelong battle with constipation and nothing last more than a few months. I started drinking organic green iced tea in place of water all day long, knowing that I will get the water that my body needs while enjoying the taste of the iced tea.(I hate plain water). After about 2-3 weeks I noticed that I was having a BM every morning and sometimes in the afternoon! Every day....no straining.

I have had this problem since I was a little girl. I am now 71 years old and wish I had found this organic green iced tea solution a long time ago.

Not sure this would work for everyone, but it sure works for me.

Vitamin D

Posted by Nat (Brooklyn, Ny) on 09/10/2013
★★★★★

Vitamin D helps in constipation issues. It is better to take at least part in an oil based form since Vitamin D, an oil based vitamin, is better absorbed with fat.

Mayo Clinic's site states that people who are deficient can take about 50,000IU weekly for three months and then smaller amounts daily. They write that up to 4000IU daily is safe for people who are not deficient. It is reported that about 70% of people are Vitamin D deficient.

Other place recommend higher doses. They write that at times a 250,000 IU dose was given to children with rickets with no negative results. This high dosaging was given once in about three months.

Vitamin D should be taken with K2. (K2 keeps calcium in the bones and out of the arteries.)