You may have noticed by now that I’m not afraid to tackle ANY topic—especialllllllly when it’s as important as digestion. Our digestive health is representative of our overall health, and yet it’s soooooo common to struggle with constipation.

Infrequent elimination, hard to pass stools, discomfort, or bloating...whatever it is, it’s no fun. And whether you only deal with constipation every once in a while or if it’s a chronic thing for you, I’ve rounded up a few natural remedies that you may want to try to help combat constipation.

Note: As always, I want to provide you with simple remedies for informational purposes. Of course, if you struggle with digestive health more chronically, I recommend working with your healthcare provider for more specific and personalized information. While I hope these tips & tricks are helpful, it is valuable to address the underlying causes of your constipation, especially if it's a regularly occurring issue

So, without further ado, let’s get things movin’! (...Get it???)

try this senna leaf tea

Senna leaf is an herb that is INCREDIBLE for relieving constipation, as it stimulates the nerves in the gut to speed up bowel movements. I’m actually kind of starting out with a bang here—this is one of my very best tips for relieving constipation— but I’d recommend saving it for when you reallllllly need it, because it truly clears ya out (sometimes with *quite* a bit of urgency, so use wisely!). But for those days when you’re really backed up, this herbal remedy is incredibly helpful. I personally use this specific senna leaf tea called Smooth Move. It’s organic, delicious, and POWERFUL. Definitely a great option to have on hand for those days you really need it.

give yourself a belly massage

This may sound funny, but it can be soooooooo relaxing and helpful.

HOW TO: Use your fingertips, knuckles, or the heel of your hand to massage and apply pressure to your belly, digging in, and massaging your abdomen. Start in the lower right corner of your abdominals and move upwards (towards your ribcage), intentionally massaging along the way. Once you reach your right upper abdomen, work across the abdomen, then work downwards from the left ribcage down towards the left lower area of your abdomen (by your hip bone). Basically, you are moving in a “horseshoe” shape, starting in the right lower abdomen and ending by the left lower abdomen. This method has been scientifically shown to stimulate the gut.

For my science-minded friends, here’s a study on abdominal massage and constipation!

Methods: 93 patients were divided into an observation group (n=43) and a control group (n=50). On the basis of basic treatment and nursing care, routine health education on prevention of constipation was given in the control group and in the observation group, abdominal massage was applied in the observation group.
Results: The incidence of constipation was much lower in the group that got abdominal massage than the group with routine care alone. (P0.01).
Conclusion: Active abdominal massage is very effective to prevent constipation.The method is simple and can be used widely.

drink more water

This wouldn’t be The Foundation Blog if I didn’t point out the FOUNDATIONAL cures, right???? While it’s easy to look for “quick fixes,” it’s so important to look at the BIG picture. Are you drinking enough to support healthy elimination? Think about it like this—if a tube is all backed up, would you want to add more bulk to that tube? Ehhhh, likely not. You would add liquid, oils, and lubricants to help break it up & move it along. That’s exactly why we need to utilize fluids & proper hydration when we’re constipated (and continue to do to stay regular!).

As a society, we are chronically dehydrated, and this translates to our digestive system creating hard and dense bowel movements. Hydration is proven to help support healthy elimination, so drinking more water is probably one of the biggest and simplest things you can do for your bowel movements. A general rule of thumb for how much water to drink is to divide your body weight in half and drink that amount of ounces per day. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, you would drink 100 ounces of water per day.

start your day with this specific beverage

Not to brag, but I have gotten SO MANY PEOPLE hooked on the morning elixir drink I make every. single. morning. (this ain’t your average lemon water, honaaaay!). You can see the full post & recipe here. This drink is soooo simple (you probably have all the ingredients in your kitchen right now, *wink*), and while it is amazing for your health in many ways…it specifically supports digestion! Once I started drinking it every day, I noticed much more regular & easy to pass bowel movements. This drink is hydrating (great for digestion), has lemon (great for digestion), AND has fiber (great for digestion). Soooo simple, but makes SUCH a difference. For the full scoop, check it out here!

exercise (but, really…)

I know, I know… “exercise more” is a tip for basically everything. But it REALLY does help in regular bowel movements. This hack may seem simple, but I’m all about getting to the root of digestive issues and doing basic things that can make a big difference. While exercise is soooo impactful for our health in so many ways, one specific benefit is supporting routine bowel movements! Whether it’s walking, running, jumping, yoga, or even rebounding on a mini trampoline, by moving our bodies, we allow other things to mooooove (if ya know what I mean!).

try this acupressure point

You may recognize this rockstar pressure point from the blog post I did on bloating and PMS. Pressure point CV6 is also called the “Sea of Energy” point. Utilizing this pressure point can be a powerful way to stimulate bowel movements. One study of 70 patients found that those who received acupressure had significantly more bowel movements/less constipation than patients that did not receive acupressure, with a p-score of <0.001. Wow! While there are arguably many factors that play into someone’s bowel habits, the results of this study are very encouraging that acupressure points (including CV6!) help to manage constipation in a safe, free, and time-effective manner.

You can find CV6 approximately two finger breadths beneath your navel. You kind of have to “dig” to find it, but once you feel it, you’ll know. It kind of feels like a little button (maybe that’s just me???) and it will be mildly tender. You can press into it to help combat bloat—AND constipation! What you’ll do is hold pressure for 20 seconds while deep breathing, then rest for 20 seconds, then hold again, and repeat this for 3–5 minutes. I’ve used this personally and it’s verrrrry helpful for combating constipation.

invest in acupuncture

While acupressure is something that you can do on your own for free, investing in acupuncture can be really helpful for constipation and has been shown to support healthy elimination. I’ve personally always found acupuncture incredibly helpful—once I had an acupuncture session specifically for constipation and I ended up going to the bathroom within 30 minutes of treatment. My experiences have been remarkable and have always given me tons of relief!

Part of the reason acupuncture is so effective is that it causes your parasympathetic nervous system to activate quickly. You may have heard of your parasympathetic system as the “rest and digest” system (as opposed to the “fight or flight” of your sympathetic nervous system) and wowwwwww does my body start restin’ and digestin’ every time I get acupuncture! Even one session can be helpful, but if you struggle with chronic digestive issues it may be a good idea to set up a few sessions to regulate your system even further. (This study of over 1075 participants showed that consistent acupuncture significantly increased bowel movements.)

drink coffee

For some people, consuming coffee can increase the urge to go to the bathroom. This is because coffee stimulates the muscles in the gut and digestive system. And while I love a good cup of decaf (or another coffee alternative), having caffeinated coffee is 60% more effective at relieving constipation than drinking water, and 23% more effective than drinking decaffeinated coffee. Sometimes, caf is best when you wanna get things movin’!

try this beverage

Truthfully, this one isn’t one of my go-tos, but a lot of people swear by it so I thought I’d include it! This warm drink with beautiful, warming spices can stimulate the bowels very quickly. Mix the ingredients below together well and try to finish the drink within 10 minutes.

INGREDIENTS:
1 tsp cayenne pepper
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp curry powder
12 oz warm water
Optional: maple syrup if you need to sweeten it

eat REAL food (and figure out your food sensitivities!)

Again with the FOUNDATIONAL cures—I would take a really honest look at the food you are eating. When I switched from eating a lot of processed foods (even though they were marketed to me as “healthy”) to eating only REAL food, I found my digestion normalize in a way that I had never experienced. If you want to know more about how I approach eating, nutrition, and grocery shopping, I have a FREE 13-page guide to holistic nutrition. Grab it here!

Going off of that, it could be really valuable to find out any potential food sensitivities if you struggle with consistent constipation or digestion issues. Food sensitivities (or foods that our bodies have an inflammatory response to) can look different for all of us. For some people that means having diarrhea and for others it’s constipation. I personally used to have diarrhea and very frequent bowel movements before I figured out I was sensitive to gluten. Once I cut it out, my digestion normalized sooooo much & I’ve never looked back. On the few times I have accidentally ingested gluten since, my digestion is one of the first places I notice the side effects.

Now I’m not saying you should cut out gluten or eggs or dairy (or any specific thing!), but I would consider working with a naturopath, holistic doctor, or dietician/nutritionist to determine your personal food sensitivities via a nutrition panel. I did a blood test that tested my relative reactions to 108 common foods, and it showed me the ones I’m sensitive to (gluten, eggs, GREEN BEANS, and a few other random ones). After eliminating those foods, my digestion is the best it’s ever been—it was soooooo worth the time to find out what my body was reacting to, and now I feel like my digestive system is working much more optimally! Again, this isn’t mandatory by any means, but could be a really valuable tool if you are wanting clarity around your digestion, inflammation, etc.

eat more (or less…) fiber

I WILL SAY…fiber can be a bit tricky. For regular, healthy, soft bowel movements, some people need MORE and some people need LESS fiber. There can be “too much of a good thing.” With all things fiber, I would just experiment (try different sources, try more, try less, etc.) until you find the amount that is right for YOU and your bod!

While there are TONS of options for getting fiber (apples, prunes, etc.), I want to focus on one in particular: psyllium husk. Non-fermentable soluble fibers, such as psyllium, are some of the best choices for fibers specifically to treat constipation. One 2020 review found psyllium to be 3.4 times more effective than insoluble wheat bran for constipation. Plus, psyllium is super easy to take—I just take this supplement version, and it’s suuuuuuuuper helpful for my digestion.

time to move along (tehe)

Digestive issues are never fun by any means, but I think the above list of remedies is a great place to start. I think it’s a liiiiiiiiiittle hilarious that I’m talking about constipation as a ~BLoGgEr~, but HERE I AM just trying to help a girl out if ya need to move things along. Ultimately, I encourage you to work with your health provider where it makes sense for you, but I hope that some of the things in this list are able to help you out. I’d love to hear if you try anything on the list and if it works for you (if I can talk about constipation on the Internet, we all can...right????).

Go forth and move smoothly, my friend!

Natural Remedies For Constipation