Constipation - Herbal and Home Remedies

What is a Constipation ?

Constipation means different things to different people. For some people, it simply means infrequent stools, while on the other hand for others, constipation means hard stools. The cause of each of these "types" of constipation probably is different.

Constipation, a condition of the digestive system where a person (or animal) experiences hard feces that are difficult to eliminate ; it may be very painful. Almost everyone gets constipated. In most cases, it lasts for a short time and is not serious, but sometimes in some severe cases it leads to symptoms of bowel obstruction.

Symptoms of Constipation ?

Symptoms of constipation vary from person to person. Some people just experience a spot of difficulty, having the stool very hard and have to 'strain' on the toilet, while others may have physical discomfort, particularly:

1) Bloated stomach.
2) Stomach pains/stomach cramps.

The main symptom of constipation is the urge to void the stools but the inability to do so. Constipation continuing over a long period may lead to distension of the stomach and severe discomfort. If you feel constipation continues for some time, it may lead to a feeling of like:

• Heaviness in the abdomen
• Headaches
• Lethargy
• Nausea
• Loss of appetite
• Vomiting
• Weight loss
• Feeling uncomfortable

What are the Causes of a Constipation ?

Some of the main causes of a constipation are:

• Eating food grain cereals which have no bran or roughage.
• Frequent eating of foods like fish, meats, spices, condiments.
• Dehydration.
• Sparse use of leafy and green vegetables, like mustard, spinach, salads etc.
• Lack or absence of milk, ghee, milk cream, curd, whey and butter from diet.
• Use of liquors like wines, whiskies, tobacco.
• Lack of water in the body.
• Lack of exercise.
• Tension in the muscles of the colon, rectum an anus.
• Eating too much of concentrated protein.

Herbal Treatment for Constipation

Some of the herbal treatment options available are:

1) Mix 4 gm's of Senna leaves, 3 gm's of pulp of Amaltas, 5 gm's of rose buds and 5 gm's of harad. Now you may take this mixture with milk, at night. Don't take it with water.

2) One - two teaspoons of castor oil taken daily with hot milk at night is beneficial in curing constipation.

3) One - two teaspoons of Isabgole Husk taken with hot milk is also good for constipation.

3) You may also take medicines like - Swadishta Virechan, Lasuna Kshira, and Avipittakar Churna.

Some Home Remedies for Constipation

1) You may take sufficient amount of liquids - water, milk, and other liquids ­ so as to reduce the dryness of the intestines, which will help in curing constipation fast.

2) Take a small amount of Harad. Now fry it in desi ghee (Pure) or castrol oil. Now break it into powder form and you may take this powder daily.