Introduction
Constipation occurs when the food is not able to be digested properly due to which there is a difficulty in passing stools. Constipation is thus produced due to indigestion. All signs of difficulty in passing stools such as scanty stools, absent stools, very sticky stools, difficulty and pain in passing stools, etc. are included in constipation. Due to constipation, there are abdominal pains and cramps and a very uneasy heavy feeling in the stomach.
The problem of constipation is a very common problem in people of today's world. Irregular meal times, coupled with more of synthetic, spicy and oily foods are some of the causes that contribute to constipation. However, constipation also stems from various psychological causes such as tensions, depressions, extreme emotions of anger and fear, and also climatic conditions. Eating unhygienic food, or eating food in unhygienic conditions can both cause constipation.
Home Remedies for Constipation
Constipation is sometimes the sign of a larger problem within the digestive system and hence it cannot be ignored. Therefore, if constipation lasts for several days, then it should be definitely brought to the notice of the doctor. However, for treating mild cases of constipation, there are several effective home remedies. The following is a list of all the useful remedies that are effective in curing constipation:-
- Apples are very good fruits to cure constipation problems. If you have continuous problems in passing stools, or if your stomach is extra-sensitive to heavy foods, then you must eat one apple each morning. Do not use a knife; bite the apple and eat it. Your constipation will be gone in a couple of days. In case of constipation, an apple a day really keeps the doctor away!
- Take a thin cloth and spread it on your belly. Then take another cloth, slightly thick, and make it wet. Place this over the cloth that was spread on the belly. Try this out every night when going to sleep. In the morning, the stools will be easier to pass out, and the problem of constipation will be healed.
- Every night before retiring to bed, take a spoonful of honey and put it in a glass of boiled and cooled water. Drink this water. This will prevent constipation.
- Slice a lemon and keep it overnight. In the morning, extract it juice and drink it as it is. This helps in treating constipation. However, keep the lemon in the safe place for the night to prevent insects and ants attacking it. Do not refrigerate.
- You can have a glassful of juice of two fresh oranges each morning with your breakfast. This will certainly help the bowels to get rid of all the accumulated wastes and will help in the treatment of constipation.
- Take a single fruit of the chebulic myrobalan (Terminalia chebula) and fry it in ghee. Then take an equal quantity of black salt and add it to the fried fruit. Every night before going to bed, take a spoonful of this mixture with water that is slightly warm. This is enough to make the bowels function effectively overnight and there will be proper stools in the morning. Continuing this treatment for a week will provide a permanent cure to the problems of constipation. This is one of the useful home remedies for constipation.
- Prepare a salad of the leaves of the beetroot plant and tomatoes. Eat this salad whenever you feel constipated. It will prove to be a very easy and efficient cure to your digestive problem.
- Prepare a pancake (as the Indians make chappati) of unrefined flour. Make it very thick. When constipated, eat a whole chappati prepared in this manner by biting it with your teeth. This will solve your constipation problems.
- The Triphala choorna is a very effective Ayurvedic preparation, which is composed of three major herbs. They are the Indian gooseberry (amalaki, Embelica officinalis), belleric myrobalan (bibhitaki, Terminalia belerica) and the chebulic myrobalan (haritaki, Terminalia chebula). This powder is the best natural remedy for any kind of digestive problem, especially constipation. When you have a constipation problem, then take 20 grams of the powder of Triphala, put it in 250 grams of water and leave it for the night. In the morning, before urinating, drink the filtered liquid of this suspension. This is a sure-shot remedy to have proper stools and get constipation treated.
- Take seven to eight figs and boil them in water. Drink this decoction before going to bed in the night. Even if your constipation problem is a long-standing one, drinking this mixture for about three to four nights consecutively will help to solve the problem. However, this is a strong decoction. Its consumption must be stopped immediately if the stools turn to become profuse. One of the useful home remedies for constipation.
- Salads must be incorporated in every meal if you have constipation problems. These salads must contain green leafy vegetables such as spinach and celery, and they must also contain other nutritive vegetables such as beetroot, carrots, radishes and tomatoes. You can add some slices of coconuts to the salads. Have these salads specifically with the dinner. They will ensure proper motions in the morning.
- One simplest remedy is to have a glass of warm water in which the juice of a lemon has been added and some rock salt for flavoring. Have this each morning before even brushing your teeth. Within some days, it will treat whatever constipation woes you may have. This remedy is safe for children, and works best in them.
- Take some fennel seeds and add them to a glassful of warm water. Drink this water each night before retiring to bed. Fennel has exceptional properties in curing digestive problems. It is traditionally provided in Indian cuisine after each meal. The regular use of fennel will normalize the working of the digestive system and will treat the constipation problems.
- If you have had a heavy meal and you are worrying about constipation in the next morning, then you should eat some slices of papaya. The papaya is a world-renowned fruit in treating constipation problems. The juices of the papaya help in proper digestion and almost magically treat constipation, howsoever difficult it may be.
- Take some grapes and discard their seeds. Put these grapes in a glassful of milk. Each night before going to bed, drink such a glassful of milk and chew on the grapes. This will solve the constipation problems by morning.
- Plantain (the yellow small variety of banana) has very good properties in treating and preventing constipation. Plantains must be had half an hour after each meal. If feeling very constipated in the morning, have two plantains on an empty stomach. You will actually be able to feel the churning in the stomach as the food is getting digested.
- Have a glassful of milk each night, with some dates. Take them in this manner. Chew on one date first and eat it. Then take some sips of the milk. Then chew on another date. Thus, you must alternate between the two. This prevents constipation if you fear its occurrence and will also help in its treatment. This is one of the best home remedies for constipation.
- Take the powder of one dry ginger (Zingiber officinale). Mix to this the powder of some senna leaves. Take the two powders in equal proportions. Then, introduce these powders in a cup of lukewarm water. Drink this water while it is still a little warm each night. This will ensure proper passing of stools in the morning.
- The fruit of the bael (Aegle marmelos) is a good natural laxative. In case of constipation, eat one fruit of the bael. It will tone up the alimentary canal and facilitate the passing of stools.
- Guavas must be eaten fully, i.e. with seeds, when there are constipation problems. This helps in providing the proper roughage for the movement of the bowels.
- Another good home remedy for constipation is to prepare a mixture of carrot juice and spinach juice. Take both these juices in quantities of half a glass, so that you make up one whole glass. Drink this glassful of juices at night before going to bed. This is a sure remedy for constipation.
- In case of continuous problems with constipation, a bowlful of juice of cabbage leaves must be had twice a day before the meals. Cabbage has a high fiber content which helps in the proper functioning of the bowels.
- Have some almond oil handy. Take this almond oil with milk every night before going to sleep. This controls the constipation and facilitates proper voiding of stools in the morning.
Avoiding Constipation
There are several things that can be done in order to treat constipation permanently. The following are some of the most effective precautions that need to be taken:-
(i) Always have a healthy mix of foods. Include fibers in the diet as they provide the roughage for the movement of bowels.
(ii) If the food is heavy, then supplement it with a salad having several green vegetables in it.
(iii) Consume about eight to ten glasses of water in a day, and have more of it in the summer season. Fluids improve the metabolism of the digestive system.
(iv) Eat several fruits. Jackfruits are not good for people who have constant constipation problems. So they must be avoided. However, all other fruits are beneficial. It is very ideal to open the day with fruits in the breakfast and then to have them again half an hour after each meal.
(v) Make a habit of having a glassful of warm milk before going to bed.
(vi) When eating, always keep a cheerful mood. Eating while doing other things such as reading or watching television taxes the digestive system and can cause constipation.
(vii) Do not eat when forced. Do not eat when you are not hungry. Such foods pressurize the digestive system and become causes for constipation.
(viii) Try to eat less in hot climate. In hot summers, avoid red meats and try to subsist more on a vegetarian and fruitarian diet.
(ix) Consume less of oily and spicy foods. The human body takes longer time to digest such foods.
(x) Always keep an ideal gap between different foods. Allow the body to digest one food completely before consuming another.
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