Herbs for Constipation

Ayurveda doesn’t shy way from talking about bodily functions. In fact, ask any Ayurvedic practitioner about elimination and chances are they will have a rather strong opinion and be able to give you a lengthy description on what it should like, how often it should be happening, and when it should be happening in relation to your meals. I’m not an Ayurvedic practitioner myself but one of my herbal teachers and mentors, Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa, was steeped in Ayurvedic herbalism so I do remember long class discussions on the subject. As for the looks, think of an overripe banana~ brown, in-tact,  and buoyant. With timing, food should take about 18-24 hours to travel from one end of your digestive system (mouth) to the other. If the timing is shorter than that, you may not be getting all the nutrients out of your food. If it’s longer than that, you could be experiencing chronic toxic build-up. If you don’t know how long the process takes for you, eat something that you will recognize when it pops back out such as beets, which like to make quite the dramatic exit if you aren’t expecting the bright red color. (You’ve been forewarned.) Elimination should happen for every meal, so around three times a day is ideal.

One way to get things moving first thing in the morning is to drink a cup of lukewarm water with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. This can also be done at other times of the day, on an empty stomach, but first thing in the morning works best. It’s a nice morning ritual for general cleansing as well.

For occasional issues with constipation, there are two common herbs used traditionally as stimulant laxatives: senna and cascara sagrada. Both should only be used occasionally, because as with any stimulant laxative, herbal or otherwise, they lose effectiveness over time as they train the intestines to rely on the outside stimulation. They do normally produce results within hours of ingesting, (pills, teas, or tinctures), but keep in mind, they are not fixing the root of the problem. Herbalism works best when focused on balancing out health issues at their root, so although these herbs can get you through a rough patch, it’s important to dig deeper into the problem and make adjustments there, so look into the foods you are eating, the amount of water you are drinking, the amount of exercise you might be getting, etc.

There is an herbal combination called triphala that can be taken long-term to enhance intestinal health and kick constipation to the curb (as long as the root of the issue is also properly addressed.) Triphala is a combination of three herbs: Amla, Haritaki, and Bibhitaki. These three herbs each have special benefits for the three doshas, Pitta, Vata, and Kapha, therefore when they are all together they are considered tri-doshic, meaning good for all three doshas. (You can take a dosha quiz here to find your personal doshic profile.) This tri-doshic quality is one of the reasons it is one of the most well-known and popularly used Ayurvedic formulations of all time. In fact, it has been around for over 2,000 years and still going strong. This combination might take longer to work than the herbs above, but within 24 hours elimination should occur and you don’t need to worry about taking it for an extended amount of time. Although it’s a relatively safe formula for most people, Banyan Botanicals lists these cautions: “Contraindications can include diarrhea, dysentery, and if you are pregnant or nursing. There are no known drug interactions with the herbs that make up triphala.1, 6 Some studies do report findings that would advise caution in people taking blood-thinning medicines,7, 8 as triphala may affect platelet function. From an Ayurvedic perspective, if your stools are dry and hard, consider using haritaki in place of triphala.” (Banyan Botanicals)

When I worked at health food stores, the box of tea that was far and away the top seller was Smooth Move by Traditional Medicinals, which, as you might have guessed, is for constipation. It has senna plus other herbs that support the digestive system, and is only supposed to be for occasional use only. They have a couple of different flavors for the teas and also capsules.

As with many health issues, making sure you are drinking plenty of water, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, and actively moving your body everyday will get you far on your path towards optimal health. Herbs offer another level of support in those health, body, and life goals.

Wishing you health, happiness, and at least one herbal ally in your life.