The 9 Best Natural Remedies For Constipation To Try At Home

  references
  
      Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: "Fiber"
    
      Harvard Health Publishing: "Common causes of constipation"
    
      Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: "How Much Water Do You Need"
    
      World Journal of Gastroenterology: "Diet in irritable bowel syndrome: What to recommend, not what to forbid to patients"
    
      FDA: "Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much?"
    
      Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition: "Dried Plums and Their Products: Composition and Health Effects–An Updated Review"
    
      Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics: "Systematic review: the effect of prunes on gastrointestinal function"
    
      LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury: "Senna"
    
      Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology: "Constipation: Pathophysiology and Current Therapeutic Approaches"
    
      Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology: "Exercise therapy in patients with constipation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials"
    
      University of Rochester Medical Center: "Constipation"
    
      Nutrition Reviews: "Water, Hydration and Health"
    
      Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics: "Systematic review with meta‐analysis: effect of fibre supplementation on chronic idiopathic constipation in adults"
    
      Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: "Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Health Implications of Dietary Fiber"
    
      National Center for Biotechnology Information: "Sennosides"
    
      U.S. National Library of Medicine: "Senna"
    
      The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: "The effect of probiotics on functional constipation in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials"
    
      Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility: "Alteration of Gut Microbiota and Efficacy of Probiotics in Functional Constipation"
    
      FDA: "Apples, fuji, with skin, raw"
    
      My Food Data: "Green Peas"
    
      Nutrition & Dietetics: "Evidence for a role of cow's milk consumption in chronic functional constipation in children: Systematic review of the literature from 1980 to 2006"
    
      Nutrients: "Does Milk Cause Constipation? A Crossover Dietary Trial"
    
      Hopkins Medicine: "Constipation"

Is this an emergency? If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, please see the National Library of Medicine’s list of signs you need emergency medical attention or call 911.

Some natural ways to relieve constipation, like adding a little movement into your day, may be all you need to get things moving.

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Light Exercise
Water
Fiber-Rich Foods
Coffee
Prunes or Prune Juice
Probiotics
Senna Tea
Go Dairy-Free
Train Your Body

See a doctor if you have constipation that seems to come out of nowhere, chronic constipation that does not resolve even with home remedies, severe abdominal pain or blood in your stools.

Gentle exercise stimulates gut motility, which can help relieve constipation.

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Struggling to Poop? Try These 3 Core Workouts to Get Things Moving 5 Slow-and-Steady Moves to Help Relieve Constipation

Drinking enough water can help soften your stool and make it easier to pass.

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Most people need to drink between 9 and 12.5 cups of water each day to stay well hydrated, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. If your pee is light yellow to clear, that’s a sign your hydration levels are on target.

The fiber in foods like avocados can't be absorbed by your body, so it passes through your digestive system and bulks up your stool.

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When adding fiber to your diet, increase the amount you eat gradually to avoid side effects such as gas and bloating. Also be sure to drink at least eight glasses of water daily because it makes the fiber more effective. As insoluble fiber travels through your intestines, it traps water, which increases stool bulk, adds moisture and makes it easier to have a bowel movement.

Also be sure to drink at least eight glasses of water daily because it makes the fiber more effective. As insoluble fiber travels through your intestines, it traps water, which increases stool bulk, adds moisture and makes it easier to have a bowel movement.

Food Grams of Fiber Avocado (1 medium) 14 grams Flaxseeds (3 tablespoons) 10 grams Green peas (1 cup) 8.8 grams Bulgur (1 cup) 8.2 grams Raspberries (1 cup) 8 grams Edamame (1 cup) 8 grams Artichoke (1 medium) 7 grams Black, kidney or pinto beans (1/2 cup) 7 grams Pearled barley (1 cup) 6 grams Pear (1 medium) 5.5 grams Almonds (1 ounce, or about 23) 3.6 grams

Source: USDA

Coffee promotes the movement of your GI tract, but how long it will take to poop after you have coffee depends on your body.

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Drinking other acidic beverages — like apple cider vinegar for constipation — does not appear to have the same effect when it comes to promoting bowel movements.

Your grandmother was right: Prunes are considered a natural laxative.

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Why Constipation Gets More Common With Age, and What to Do About It

The probiotics naturally found in yogurt could help keep you regular.

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Senna leaf is considered an instant Indian home remedy for constipation.

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6 Things You Should Never Do When You’re Constipated

Almond milk may be a better pick than cow's milk when you're dealing with constipation.

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8 Things Gastroenterologists Do When They’re Constipated

Try to prime yourself to poop in the morning, when your body is naturally more inclined to go.

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You may come across some advice on the internet that suggests drinking a mixture of baking soda and warm water can help with constipation. However, there’s no evidence that this treatment works to relieve constipation.

      Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: "Fiber"
    
      Harvard Health Publishing: "Common causes of constipation"
    
      Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: "How Much Water Do You Need"
    
      World Journal of Gastroenterology: "Diet in irritable bowel syndrome: What to recommend, not what to forbid to patients"
    
      FDA: "Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much?"
    
      Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition: "Dried Plums and Their Products: Composition and Health Effects–An Updated Review"
    
      Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics: "Systematic review: the effect of prunes on gastrointestinal function"
    
      LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury: "Senna"
    
      Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology: "Constipation: Pathophysiology and Current Therapeutic Approaches"
    
      Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology: "Exercise therapy in patients with constipation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials"
    
      University of Rochester Medical Center: "Constipation"
    
      Nutrition Reviews: "Water, Hydration and Health"
    
      Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics: "Systematic review with meta‐analysis: effect of fibre supplementation on chronic idiopathic constipation in adults"
    
      Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: "Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Health Implications of Dietary Fiber"
    
      National Center for Biotechnology Information: "Sennosides"
    
      U.S. National Library of Medicine: "Senna"
    
      The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: "The effect of probiotics on functional constipation in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials"
    
      Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility: "Alteration of Gut Microbiota and Efficacy of Probiotics in Functional Constipation"
    
      FDA: "Apples, fuji, with skin, raw"
    
      My Food Data: "Green Peas"
    
      Nutrition & Dietetics: "Evidence for a role of cow's milk consumption in chronic functional constipation in children: Systematic review of the literature from 1980 to 2006"
    
      Nutrients: "Does Milk Cause Constipation? A Crossover Dietary Trial"
    
      Hopkins Medicine: "Constipation"