Natural Remedies for Constipation – Symptoms, Causes & Diet

If every morning you wake up with the tension of constipation, it’s time to read this article and resume a normal lifestyle with the help of Ayurveda. Constipation is all due to your ultramodern lifestyle. This problem is a boon of a faulty life routine gone awry due to a lack of knowledge about the human body. It is a condition of the digestive system where a person passes hard feces that are difficult to expel out. Constipation makes the feces dry and hard, emptying the bowel become very painful in this situation.

Symptoms of Constipation

• Color of the tongue getting darker
• Digestion of foods taking longer time
• Yellowish color in your stools
• Difficulty in the passage of stool
• Bad taste in the mouth or foul breath
• Bowel movement problem with pain
• Abdominal bloating with cramps and uneasiness is common
• Excessive gas in the stomach
• Loss of appetite due to bloating
• Feeling of in-activeness
• Rectal bleeding may occur in acute conditions
• Nausea and Vomiting
• Weight loss may occur
• Headache and dizziness experienced with false bowel alarms
• Dry, small, and hard feces
• Diarrhea

Causes of Constipation

• If you have a low intake of water
• Following a diet which is deficient in leafy and green vegetables
• Not eating enough roughage on a daily basis
• Decreased physical activity or reduced exercise
• Medications such as diuretics, antidepressants, and antihistamines cause constipation
• Heavy intake of dairy products, red meats, eggs, and refined sugar may also be a reason
• Stress and anxiety
• Problems like hypocalcemia, hypothyroidism, and diabetes
• Health issues like Parkinson’s, fissures, and pelvic dysfunction
• Overuse of laxative and suppositories to soften the stool
• Travelling disrupts your digestive pattern
• Old age is an obvious reason among many
• Hormonal imbalance during pregnancy and periods too cause constipation
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Consuming too much iron via supplements
• Anticonvulsants drugs
• An intestinal obstruction such as ulcers or blood clots
• Poor functioning of the thyroid gland
• Lead poisoning (common in rural settings)
• Long bed rest (in case of accidents and impairing diseases)
• Excessive intake of strong tea, coffee, and alcoholic beverages
• Binge eating and insufficient chewing

Complications Caused in Your Body and Life Due To Constipation

• Hemorrhoids or piles
• Fecal impaction or hardening of stool in your large intestine and rectum which leads to pain and discomfort
• Fecal incontinence
• Rectal prolapse which means fecal matter coming out of rectal tissue from the anus
• Anal fissure
• Rectal bleeding can be common
• Hernia due to pressure while trying to cause bowel movements

Ideal Diet to Prevent Constipation

The primary and the most obvious cause of constipation is your diet. When it is low in dietary fibre and laden with fat, you get in trouble. A fibre rich diet lets you overcome the situation more powerfully and your constipation will not turn into a chronic problem.

• Make sure to chew your food properly every time you eat.
• Aim for a more wholesome diet that contains fruits, boiled vegetables, and preservative-free soups.
• Eat vegetables like radish, turnip, tomatoes, peas, carrot, bitter gourd, sprouts, beetroot, coriander, lettuce, cabbage, etc.
• You should also eat fresh fruits like guava, mango, jamun, orange, papaya, grapes, etc.
• Don’t forget to increase the quantity of salads in your diet.
• Fruits like watermelon, cucumber and musk melons can keep you hydrated and keep constipation at bay.
• Drink more water, around 3 litres a day. Try adding green tea to your daily routine.
• Try to incorporate whole grain cereals, wheat, whole grain bread, bran, honey and lentils in your diet.
• Increase the intake of some milk products like butter, ghee, and cream made from cow’s milk to ease out your motion.
• Eating some quantity of dry fruits like fig, apricot and dates also helps in relieving constipation.

Avoid these foods that cause constipation

• Restrict your daily intake of non-vegetarian items, especially red meat.
• Reduce your intake of fried and oily foods.
• Avoid junk foods at all costs as they are low in fibre and high in empty calories.
• Try to avoid bread, cakes, pizzas, pasta, maida items, burgers, and cookies.
• Avoid strong, warm spices, unhealthy fats and excessive salt intake.
• Strictly avoid white flour, biscuits, preservatives, white sugar from your diet.

Ayurvedic Treatment for Constipation

Chandigarh Ayurved Centre provides a natural & herbal treatment for relieving constipation. “Colon Cleanse Kit” removes constipation from its root cause. This herbal kit comprises of four products.

Detail description of all products:

1. Panchsakar Churna

This is a classical herbal churna used since ancient time for the treatment of constipation. The churna is prepared from ingredients like Haritaki (Terminalia chebula), Shunthi (Zingiber officinale), Krishna Pippali (Piper longum), Trivrit (Operculina turpethum), & Sauvarchala lavana that acts as a laxative. All the symptoms related to constipation are managed with the use of this churna.

Recommended Dosage: Take 1 teaspoonful with warm water at night time.

2. Amrit Ras

This is an herbal preparation that acts as a strong cleanser. It relieves constipation naturally. All the signs and symptoms related to constipation are managed with this Ras.

Recommended dosage: Take 10 ml twice daily.

3. Hingvadi Vati

These are herbal tablets that are prepared from herbs like Hingu (Ferula asafetida), Shunthi (Zingiber officinale), Pippali (Piper longum), Marich (Piper nigrum), etc. The use of these herbal tablets enhances the digestion, relieves pain, abdominal distension, & acts as a good appetizer.

Recommended dosage: Take 2 tablets twice daily with plain water.

4. Yakrit Vati

The herbal tablets are prepared from ingredients like Kalmegh (Andrographis paniculata), Kutki (Picrorhiza kurroa), Bhumiamla (Phyllanthus niruri), & Yavshar (Hordeum vulgare) that reduces abdominal pain associated with constipation. These herbal tablets deal with all signs & symptoms related to constipation.

Recommended Dosage: Take 2 tablets twice daily with plain water.

Panchakarma Treatment for Constipation

In Chandigarh Ayurveda Centre for relieving constipation few panchakarma therapies are given along with ayurvedic medicines that manage all the signs and symptoms.

• Snehan: Massage with the medicated oil is given to the patient for balancing vata dosha in the body.
• Basti: The medicated oil in the enema form is administered through the anus. Thus, it removes all the signs and symptoms related to constipation.
• Nabhi Basti: In this procedure a ring is formed around the navel portion. Medicated oil is filled in this ring this liquid is retained for 10 to 30 minutes. The use of this procedure provide effective result in constipation problem.

Natural Remedies for Constipation

Turn to Ayurveda for the most natural remedies for constipation if the above mentioned measures and changes in your lifestyle and diet have failed to give results. It is not easy for everyone to get back to their normal life in a normal way. Thus, Ayurveda comes to their rescue in the following ways:

1. You can soak Amaltas fruit with tamarind pulp overnight. In the morning mash the soaked ingredients and filter them. Drink this on an empty stomach.
2. Fruit juice that is unfiltered, preferably of fruits such as orange, papaya, beetroot, and carrot consuming twice a day is very useful.
3. You can increase the use of coconut oil in your diet.
4. You can take 5 ml of cow’s ghee along with warm milk at bed time with brown sugar or honey.
5. Spinach juice helps to relieve constipation as well.
6. Isabgol or Plantago ovata and Vitis vinifera can be boiled with milk and taken at bed time with 5 ml ghee.
7. Triphala powder can be taken with a glass of warm water to alleviate constipation.
8. Warm water with half lemon squeezed into it helps in clearing motion.
9. Aloe vera juice helps to clean the intestine as well.
10. Bael fruit is an Ayurvedic and delicious remedy for removing waste from your body.
11. Castor oil should be consumed on a regular basis.
12. Chicory is an all-natural laxative which is used as an Ayurvedic medicine for constipation.
13. Haritaki is also an Ayurvedic herb that is helpful for treating constipation.
14. Spices like cumin, coriander, and turmeric help you to easily digest foods.