Homemade Laxatives

When a person has infrequent hard to pass bowel movements, he is said to be constipated. This condition can lead to severe other symptoms. There are various causes of constipation, which can range from dietary issues, hormonal changes, side effects of medications, poisoning caused by heavy metals, etc.

In order to relieve oneself of constipation, one can make use of laxatives. Laxatives that are homemade are as good as the commercial ones, and at the same time, they do not have any side effects.

Ingredients available at home are used to make natural laxatives. Some of them are as follows:

• Prune juice is one of the natural food laxatives. If only prune juice does not work, then you can combine ½ cup of prune juice with ½ cup of coffee and 15 cc milk of magnesia. 

Warm up the mixture and drink it before you hit the sack. You will get to know the effectiveness of this homemade laxative when you wake up.

• Prune juice can also be combined with milk of magnesia to make a natural laxative. Mix 8 oz of prune juice with 2 tablespoons of milk of magnesia. Combine the ingredients and consume it immediately.

• Take ¼ cup of raisins, ¼ cup of pitted prunes, ¼ cup of figs, ¼ cup of currants, ¼ cup of dates, and ¼ cup prune concentrate. Combine all the ingredients in a blender till a thick juice is formed. Store the mixture in the refrigerator. Have two to four tablespoons of this mixture once a day.

• You can also consume fruits like guava, apple, pear, orange, papaya, and banana to help relieve constipation. It is recommended, that you eat guava along with the seeds for the laxative effect.

• Bring one cup of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of broken licorice root. Let the water and licorice root boil for about an hour till the water is reduced by half. Remove the concoction from heat and strain with a mesh colander. 

Add ½ cup of fruit juice of your choice to the licorice tea. Fruit juice will dilute the tea and make it palatable. Drink one cup of tea and fruit juice mixture in the morning and one cup before you go to bed.

• You can also make a laxative spread at home. Take ½ cup of senna tea and steep it in 2 ½ cups of boiling water for about 5 minutes. Drain the tea and add 1 lb raisins, 1 lb prunes, and 1 lb figs to the tea water and let it boil for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove it from tea, and add 1 cup of brown sugar and ½ cup of lemon juice to it.

Let it cool, and then place it in a blender and make a smooth paste. Store the spread in the refrigerator. You can have the spread with toast, or you can add the spread to hot water and make a drink or eat it straight.

If you suffer from constipation even after using the aforementioned remedies, then you may visit your health care professional to know what is wrong with your digestive system. At the same time, remember that it is better to have a healthy lifestyle with healthy diet and regular exercise routine to avoid constipation.

Disclaimer: This story is for informative purposes only, and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.