Home Remedies For Constipation In Kids And Adults

2. Warm lemon juice or Lemonade

Lemon is awesome for mild constipation. Maybe you knew of it beforehand, yeah, lemon is so common, its not so potent ! Hey, lemon is really very powerful. Here is the perfect recipe. 

• Ingredients
  2 lemons
  Warm Water ( 1 glass - approx 250 ml )
• Directions / How to use ( The Recipe )
  Step 1 : Juice the lemons with the rind , yes with the rind on in a juicer. You should get a more greener juice.
  Step 2 : Add this to a glass of warm water. ( You can add some sweetener, like cinnamon or stevia, or sugar )
  Step 3 : Drink this warm. 
• Why it works
  Lemon juice stimulates the colon and helps you pass out. Plus, it is wonderful cleanser, detoxifies the liver and helps it to produce bile in good amounts. 

" You can add honey to this when it cools down and that makes it even more potent for constipation. "

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3. Spinach and tomato juice 

This is a marvelous combination. It can lead to some gas production, so if you are a chronic acidity sufferer, you can as well opt it out. But, otherwise, it is great for constipation. 

• Ingredients
  Fresh spinach
  Fresh red tomatoes
  Juicer
• Directions / How to use
  Juice out equal parts of spinach and tomato. Make it to about 2 glasses ( 500 ml ).  It provides relief from even the stubborn constipation and it is quite nutritious as well. 
• Why it works
  Spinach is a nice cleanser of the colon. It is extensively used in colon cleanse therapies. Tomato juice adds some tangy taste to the juice, because spinach juice is pretty awful in taste. But, you got to drink lots of this for it to work ( 1 ounce of spinach juice would probably not work as the human colon is pretty big ). Spinach also improves the normal corkscrew mechanism of digestive tract to move food down. 

Alternative : If tomato doesn't work out well in the recipe, an alternative is to add carrots. Then you would make Spinach - Carrot juice combo for constipation.

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4. Grapes 

" Are grapes good for constipation " You're right, they are. Actually, too much grapes can cause diarrhea. Just eat a whole bowl of grapes to provide relief from occasional constipation. It is a natural laxative and can help the bowels in emptying completely. 

• Ingredients
  Any kind of grapes ( green ,red, black but seeded are better ) 
• Directions / How to use
  Either feast on grapes or you can juice them and drink 1 glass juice 3 times a day. It takes some time to work, but you would most probably witness a difference in the color of fecal material. 
• Why it works
  Grapes have a mild colon cleansing effect. Plus, they are hydrating and stool becomes easier to pass. Consuming large amounts of grape juice can cause colored stool ( green, red or purple ) and watery stools, which provides relief from constipation.

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5. Dark coffee
Make your coffee with enough coffee powder, less milk and warm works nice in relieving occasional constipation without making you want to go to the bathroom very quickly. It doesn't act that quickly. Coffee acts gently and helps with mild constipation.

• Ingredients
  More coffee powder or beans than usual ( You are going to make a stronger coffee )
  Milk ( If you do not like milk, then you can use nut milk, like almond milk )
  No sugar
• Directions / How to use
  Make your coffee and drink it warm. Do not drink this early in the morning. It should bring about a bowel movement in half and hour or so.
• Why it works
  Coffee mildly stimulates the colon and liver and it can provide a bowel movement, even if it be untimely. This is probably attributed to the mental effects of caffeine in coffee. It works on the brain. 

Word of Caution : Excessive coffee consumption leads to constipation, so keep your coffee intake under control .

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6. Honey in cold water ( or slightly warm water , never hot )
Honey is easily available in our homes. It can be used as a constipation remedy, however, it may not work for all.

• Ingredients
  Honey ( pure, organic and raw is best )
  Water
• Directions / How to use
  Take 3 tablespoon of honey and add it to warm water. Then let this water cool down and drink it. About 1 glass of liquid should do the trick.
• Why it works
  You may think that honey would worsen constipation because it is very viscous. But, not the case. Honey actually helps in evacuating the bowels. It is a mild laxative.

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7. Extra Virgin Olive Oil ( Gulp it straight down )
This is one remedy that I am sure many people from the Mediterranean would always recommend, edible grade olive oil. Now, some of you may be averse to drinking oils, but it is certainly healthy, if you are within your daily intake limits. Olive oil is a fantastic oil for the body ( it is mostly unsaturated fat ). It lubricates the intestines well and constipation is a rarity if you take olive oil regularly.

• Ingredients
  Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  Lemons
• Directions / How to use
  Take 2 tablespoon of olive oil and gulp it down your throat. If you can't take it directly, put 2 tablespoons lemon juice in it and then drink it.
• Dosage Issues :
  If your body fat percentage is on the higher side, like 25 - 30 %  and you are overweight, then you should probably take 1 tablespoon of olive oil daily. Otherwise, 2 tablespoons is ideal dosage to get rid of constipation.

" If you still don't like the taste, well, its okay. You can drink it in orange juice, grapefruit juice or any other juice of your choice. "

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8. Dandelion Greens
Most of us think dandelions are weeds. Yes, they are wild, but dandelion greens are edible. They serve as a nice home remedy for constipation, if you have them.

• Ingredients
  Dandelion greens
• Directions / How to use
  You can juice them, eat them raw or put them in a cooked food recipe, any one you like. Personally, I juice them. That way, you have it more potent and in its raw form.
• Why it works
  Dandelion is a powerful liver stimulant. It improves the functioning of  liver, which ultimately helps in your digestive and excretory response in many ways. In fact, it is the liver which coordinates most of the chemical reactions in our body.

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9. Epsom Salt For Constipation
Epsom salt is usually associated with bathing. But, it can also be ingested, but precaution needs to be taken, as it is a salt. Epsom salt can help with constipation.

• Ingredients
  Epsom Salt
  Water
• Directions / How to use
  Take 1 -2 tablespoon of epsom salt and dissolve it in warm water. Then drink this water. It is a mild laxative, so you may expect results after some time ( 1 - 2 hours ). You can repeat it within 6 hours , but not more than that.
  Caution : Do not consume salt regularly because it can be harmful to the body.

You can also use Epsom salt as an enema, but the technique is a bit complicated, you should consult someone who is expert in enemas. But, that too helps with severe constipation.

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10. Baking Soda 
Baking soda, too is a salt. It is alkaline in nature, and is useful in number of conditions. It is therefore, the most versatile and most useful chemical to have at home. However, it should not be taken in regular amounts for long periods of time. as it may alter the pH of blood. So, just use it to cure your constipation, but not for chronic constipation.

• Ingredients
  1 tablespoon baking soda
  1 glass warm water.
• Directions / How to use
  Dissolve just 1 tablespoon of baking soda in 1 glass warm water and drink this. Wait for the bowel movement. This is a slow acting remedy, so it may take some time for the bowel movement to come.
• Why it works
  Baking soda works in numerous home remedies. It is quite incredible how it is so useful in all these conditions, like UTI, sore throat etc.

11. Apple Cider Vinegar and Honey
We have already discussed how to use honey alone for constipation. It can also be mixed with Apple Cider Vinegar to get a more powerful home remedy for constipation.

• Ingredients
  Apple Cider Vinegar ( organic, raw, unprocessed ). ( You can also make yours at home )
  Honey ( organic )
  Water
• Directions / How to use
  Take 2 tablespoon each of honey and ACV and dissolve in warm water. Then cool it down and drink this. Never drink the honey when the water is warm, as it is harmful.
• Why it works
  ACV is a colon cleanser. When mixed with a natural laxative, like honey, it becomes a constipation home remedy. ACV also contains soluble fiber from apples, that is pectin and other fibers, which help to bulk the stool. That is why I stressed to buy unprocessed or even better raw homemade organic apple cider vinegar.

Plus it can be used regularly and it provides relief from chronic constipation as well.


12. Flax seeds - Yogurt Smoothie ( delicious constipation remedy )
Most constipation suffers use laxatives. But they taste awful. Some chronic constipation sufferers regularly take organic flax seeds, as it induces regular bowel movements. There are two kinds of flaxseeds - the yellow ones and the brown ones. They have certain differences in nutrition, but for constipation, you can use either of them.

• Ingredients
  Flax seeds
• Directions / How to use
  Just eat a handful of flax seeds. make sure to chew them up really well, because then the body can digest it optimally. But, the better way is to prepare a smoothie of flax seed with some frozen yogurt. That way, it tastes better.
• Why it works
  Flax seeds are very high in dietary fiber ( 27 grams in 100 grams ). Fiber is needed for proper large intestine functioning, which you can get a lot from flaxseeds. That is how it relieves constipation. Yogurt contains probiotics. They improve digestion and functioning of the colon." In the end I have mentioned a list of some common high fiber foods for constipation. "

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13. Black strap Molasses ( excellent for constipation )
There are many types of molasses ( light, dark and the black strap ). The last ones contain very sugar, because most of it is extracted from the sugarcane, or beet or whatever is used to extract sugar. So, this is actually the concentrated sugarless juice of beets / sugarcane etc which is incredible healthy. This is pretty bitter but it can be used conveniently to relieve constipation.

• Ingredients
  Black strap Molasses
  Water
• Directions/How to use
  Take 1 glass of warm water and add 1 tablespoon of black strap molasses. Stir well. The bitterness decreases considerably. Drink this up. Wait for the bowel movement.
  P.S. - It is quite nutritious.

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Powerful Juice recipes for constipation relief

Below are some juice recipes which are awesome for constipation. But, they are very powerful and can even cause temporary pain, although eventually you should get complete relief from congestion in the colon.

Note : They have to be freshly extracted juices.

14. Beet Juice
Beets are a strong colon mover and liver stimulant. Drink 1 glass of pure beet juice. It would taste very rough and can be tough to ingest, but it is a miracle for constipation. Don't panic if you see reddish colored stool or urine.

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15. Aloe Vera Juice
The leaves of aloe Vera contain a gel. Its known for its hydrating and skin improving qualities. Besides, aloe Vera is excellent for the digestive system.

• Ingredients
  Aloe Vera leaf
  Juicer
• Directions / How to use
  Take 3- 5 aloe Vera leaves and remove the layer of skin to expose the gel. Now, run them through the juicer and top it up with lime or orange juice. So, you get a glass of lime/ orange juice with the juice of some aloe vera leaves. Drinking this liquid is great for constipation.

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16. Apple Juice
This is the ultimate remedy for constipation. Juice 4 apples. To the juice, add 2 tablespoons of apple pulp which comes out as waste from the juicer. It takes some work to do but it is well worth it. The juice now becomes thicker. Drink this up and you are going to witness relief from constipation pretty quickly ( 10 minutes ).

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17. Turnip Juice
This one comes out of the blue. I once tried turnip juice. It was not good tasting, very pungent, kind of a meeker version of an onion juice shot. As soon as i had ingested it, there was slight burning sensation inside my abdomen. After about 15 minutes, I had to rush to the toilet for a bowel movement, even though I had no constipation. The bowel movement was slightly painful, but complete. I had taken about 150 ml of it.

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These were the remedies for one time constipation. But, a lot of people are chronic sufferers of constipation. If you suffer from chronic constipation, then it is sure to be a trouble in life. Chronic constipation strikes again and again. People who are on some kind of medication may be even more affected. There is often stress and discomfort. These are some powerful home remedies for chronic or recurring constipation.