Foods, spices, and supplements can act as a natural laxative to help stimulate and speed up digestive process to clear the bowels to relieve symptoms of blockage and constipation. Millions of people choose to use over the counter options and prescription medications to solve this common problem but these solutions can have some negative side effects such as cramps, low blood pressure, dizziness, and emergency runs to the bathroom, among others.
Those who are more health conscious may prefer to use more gentle routes with natural laxatives that have more of a mild effect helping to normalize digestive processes to keep the bowels moving naturally without eliciting such severe responses from the body. Many dietary laxatives are rich sources of fiber, nutrients, protein, antioxidants, and vitamins providing boosts to other areas of health while helping to relieve constipation.
Laxatives are readily available at drugstores in a few types of common non-natural laxatives including stool softeners, stimulant laxatives, bulk forming laxative, and osmotic laxative, to name a few.
Stool softener laxatives make stool slightly slippery often through inclusion of oils that lubricate the intestinal walls and induce excretion.
Bulk forming laxatives add bulk to stool which speeds up transit time through the gut.
Osmotic laxatives cause liquids to be drawn to the gut, when there is a proper amount of fluid in the intestines digestion is much easier.
Stimulant laxatives are the most common and they cause muscle of the intestines to contract and hydrate the intestines.
Natural laxatives bulk up food within the gut, stimulating peristaltic motion making it so bowel movements can pass, relieving inflammation in the small intestines so digestion can occur normally. Typically people go to the bathroom at least 3 times per week, numbers may vary, and constipation symptoms may occur even if one is going 3 times per week. By adding natural laxatives to the diet these symptoms improve in a healthy gradual manner.
Best sources of natural laxatives include aloe vera, olive oil, castor oil, prunes, apples, kefir, coffee, leafy greens, berries, flaxseeds, and water among others.
Apples are high in pectin that helps to bulk up stool and stimulate peristaltic motion.
Olive oil works as a stool softener making it easier for bowel movements to traverse the gut to be expelled.
Aloe vera contains enzymes and active ingredients that act as mild laxatives to soften stool and speed up bowel movements.
Castor oil is a natural stimulant laxative that triggers peristaltic motion in the intestines.
Berries are rich in antioxidants and dietary fiber that cleanses the colon and stimulate faster digestion.
Prunes are high in dietary fiber and bulk up stool while helping to eliminate inflammation in the gut and boost health of beneficial bacteria.
Flaxseeds are also rich in dietary fiber, minerals, and other nutrients that are particularly effective laxatives.
Water is important to all over general health and body functions, without enough water the body will struggle to have bowel movements; drinking at least 8 glasses a day is recommended if you are constipated.
