Which Herbs are Best for Constipation ?

People who loves to eat fast food daily, often face the problem of constipation. Bad eating habits really effects on your digestion. This unhealthy eating habits interrupts your daily bowel movement. When there is formation of Ama because of our eating habits in the body it disturbs the digestive system due to which constipation occurs. A digestive says that if someone has less than three bowel movements in a week is because of the disturbance and it leads to constipation.

Constipation

Under such condition, the individual has hard feces that are very difficult to expel. It’s an uncomfortable problem faced by millions of people. There are numbers of factors such as lack of fluids, sedentary lifestyle, and poor eating habits cause the problem of constipation in people. The herbs which are a rich source of laxatives can ease the problem of constipation. Laxatives help in peristalsis that is a contraction of intestine which helps to move the food from colon to rectum. There are numbers of herbs which helps to get the bowel movement every day. We have mentioned some herbal remedies which are really very effective during constipation.

Herbal Remedies for Constipation

1. Amalaki (Emblica Officinalis)

Amla

Amalaki and Amla is the best and most used herb in Ayurveda. The main reason behind this is its great medicinal properties. This herb and tree grows in India due to its great health benefits. Amalaki bears sour taste and Amalaki is its Sanskrit name. Amla is the rich source of vitamin C and contains 20 times more than of an orange. It boosts your metabolism and supports the digestion and eliminates the toxin substances from the body. Amla is the very good antioxidant and protects our body cells from free radical damages. According to Ayurveda, this is the best herb for constipation problem and medicinal properties of Amalaki are: it is sour, bitter, sweet, astringent, pungent in taste, coolant in qualities, after digestion it undergoes sweet taste and cold in potency. Due to theses ayurvedic medicinal properties, it balances all the three dosha. The regular consumption of amla provides relive form constipation bowel.

2. Haritaki (Terminalia Chebula)

Haritaki (Terminalia Chebula)

This is one of rejuvenating herb which belongs to Combretaceae family. This plant is mainly grown in South East Asia, including India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Thailand. Constipation can cause lots of discomfort and it imbalances your regular bowel movement. Regular and continuous consumption of haritaki by constipation patient, increase their digestion power and it clean and clears your bowels. According to Ayurveda the medicinal properties of Haritaki are: it is pungent, bitter, sweet, sour, astringent in taste, hot in potency, light and dry in qualities, and after digestion, it converts into a sweet taste. It acts as a laxative, astringent, anti-oxidant and carminative in nature. Due to the antioxidant activity of this herb it reduces the action of free radicals in our body.

3. Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis)

Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is the succulent plant mainly grow in dry, tropical areas and having lots of ayurvedic benefits. This herb grows up to the height of 60 to 100 cm and belongs to the Liliaceae family. Aloe vera contains several digestive enzymes which help us in the breakdown of fats, sugar and ultimately helps in the improvement of our digestion. This herb maintains the pH balance in the human stomach and beneficial for the people with intestinal bowel syndrome. There is one of the most important laxatives “anthraquinones “present in Aloe vera, which helps to increase the intestinal water content and stimulate mucus secretion. Which helps to improve the problem of constipation in the human body. The main chemical constituents in Aloe Vera are Aloctin, aloenin, glycosides, b-sitosterol, and alocutin A&B. This herb is bitter in taste, slimy, sticky, heaviness and oily in qualities, cold in potency, undergoes pungent taste after digestion and due to these properties, it helps to balance all the tridosha in the body.

4. Katuki (Picrorrhiza Kurrao)

Katuki

Picrorrhiza kurrao is the powerful herb used in the treatment of constipation problem. This herb is distributed in the Himalayan region from Kashmir to Sikkim. The main chemical constituents of this herb are Kutkiol, apocyanin, androsim, minecoside, and picrorhizin. The main Ayurvedic medicinal properties of Katuki are: bitter in taste, light to digest, cold in potency and undergoes pungent taste after digestion. The main parts which are used for herbal treatment are roots and stems. This herb has great ability to balance the pitta and kapha dosha without elevating the digestive fire. Katuki contains laxative due to this it helps to treat indigestion problems and maintain your bowel movement. This is a great herb for constipation problem.

5. Bibhitaki (Terminali Bellerica)

Bibhitaki (Terminali Bellerica)

This is another used herb for the constipation treatment. It is a deciduous tree grows up to the height of 30 meters. Bibhitaki distributed throughout India. This herb is very effective for pacifying the tridosha and also provide nourishment to the dhatus. According to Ayurveda the main medicinal properties of this herb are: astringent in taste, dry, light to digest, hot in potency and undergoes sweet taste after digestion. The main role of this herb in Ayurveda is to balance the kapha and pitta dosha. Terminali bellerica treat the digestive disorders including both constipation and diarrhea. It shows very good laxative action this is why it is used for digestion problems.

6. Fennel Seeds

Fennel Seeds

This herb has been used in Ayurveda from ancient time for the treatment of piles and constipation. It acts as a mild laxative and volatile. The oil found in fennel seeds promotes the production of gastric enzymes and starts proper digestion. The Ayurvedic medicinal properties of this herbs are: sweet, pungent and bitter in taste, hot in potency, and after digestion, it undergoes sweet taste. Due to this fennel seeds balances the vata and kapha dosha. This herb has great gastrointestinal benefits. If you are struggling with regular constipation problem, you should drink fennel tea, it will help to remove the toxins from your body and also provide relief from gas, bloating and stomach cramps.

7. Psyllium Husk

Psyllium Husk

This herb is most commonly known as isabgol, which is best for the treatment of constipation and piles. It’s a small bushy shrub that grows up to the height of 2-3 feet. This herb is cultivated all over India. It is one of bulk-forming laxative, which helps to create bulk stool. According to the medicinal point of view, this herb is sweet in taste, cold in potency, and undergoes sweet taste after digestion. Due to these properties, it helps to balance the pitta and kapha dosha. This herb treats constipation problem by increasing the water absorption capacity which ultimately enhances the moisture content of the stool.

All these herbs which are mentioned above are best to ease constipation. If you are suffering from constipation then you should try these at least once. 

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Dr. Vikram Chauhan (MD-Ayurvedic Medicine) is an expert Ayurveda consultant in Chandigarh (India). He has vast experience of herbs and their applied uses. He has successfully treated numerous patients suffering from various ailments, throughout the world. He is CEO and Founder of Krishna Herbal Company and Planet Ayurveda in Chandigarh, India. He researched age old formulas from ancient Ayurvedic text books to restore health and save human beings from the worst side-effects of chemical-based treatments.