Medicinal plants against constipation

Very often, a person does not want to immediately use chemical drugs to treat constipation. And then medicinal plants come to his aid. What are the properties of medicinal plants against constipation and how to use them correctly?

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General information about plants

Anthraglycosides, dietary fiber, vitamins, mucus and trace elements in herbal medicines can create a laxative effect. Such substances can act on the mechanism of constipation development, can increase intestinal contractions, eliminate pain, increase and liquefy fecal matter, reduce inflammation in the intestinal mucosa.

How are herbal preparations classified?

According to their specificity, herbal preparations used to eliminate constipation are divided into several groups. Medicinal plants used as a laxative to induce stool are not recommended for constant use. In order to maintain bowel function, it is recommended to use preparations with weak laxative properties. Then they will have a mild effect on the intestines. Another group consists of herbal carminative preparations, they are able to eliminate flatulence and bloating, which usually accompany constipation.

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Medicinal plants that have a laxative effect

Most medicinal plants can be simply purchased at the nearest pharmacy. The main thing is to know how to take them and in what quantities. Naturally, you should first consult a doctor, and only then start treating constipation with medicinal plants.

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Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica L.)

Buckthorn is a small bush or even a small tree up to 5 meters high with red-brown branches that often end in a thorn. Buckthorn blooms from May to June. Buckthorn fruits ripen in September. Buckthorn grows in black soil zones, on slopes or hills. It is not difficult to recognize their fruits - they are black, shiny and their fruit is called a drupe, these are fruits with an unpleasant smell and astringent taste. For medicinal purposes, this plant is used due to the content of anthraglycosides, flavonoid rhamnetin, zhosteran and fatty oils.

For chronic constipation, this plant is used to make a decoction or tincture. The laxative effect of this plant is very strong. It is not recommended to use buckthorn for a long time, as this plant can poison the body. Sometimes buckthorn bark is also used to treat constipation, because it contains tannins, but this is done extremely rarely.

Cassia acutifolia L.

This plant is classified as a legume. It can be found growing wild in Africa or India. In Russia, this plant is grown artificially to produce drugs from it. The leaves and fruits of cassia (otherwise known as Alexandrian leaf) are used to make drugs, as it contains anthraglycosides. Decoctions, extracts and tinctures are made from cassia. In addition to the fact that this plant has a laxative effect on the digestive tract, it is also a choleretic drug. Bowel laxation occurs in 4-6 hours. Alexandrian leaf can also cause side effects, such as abdominal pain and flatulence, but they occur rarely and usually pass quickly.

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Alder buckthorn (Frangula alnus Mill)

This plant looks like a small bush or tree with reddish shoots, with many light lenticels. Buckthorn reproduces with the help of seeds and shoots. It grows in Russia. For treatment, the bark of shoots is used, saturated with alkaloids, anthraglycosides and organic acids. Tannins and vitamin C, in the composition of the plant, can have a therapeutic effect on the body. Buckthorn bark is not used immediately after it is collected, about two years must pass. And all this is because freshly collected bark in addition to laxative properties can also exhibit strong emetic properties.

Preparations made from buckthorn bark have laxative and anti-inflammatory effects and can heal wounds. Buckthorn decoction and extract are used for chronic constipation. Very often, this plant is included in laxative teas and gastric infusions. There is one "but" in the use of this plant - buckthorn is contraindicated during pregnancy.

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Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.)

Flax is an annual plant up to 60 centimeters high, its stem is very thin and flutters upward. The plant blooms with blue flowers, and its stem has lanceolate leaves. It is interesting that you can determine the time by the flowering of flax, since they bloom at 6-7 am and curl up at 4-5 pm. The flowering period of flax falls on June-July, and its fruits can be collected already in August. Flax fruits look like round boxes filled with seeds. Flax, as a cultivated plant, has been known since ancient times. It was grown in Rome, Ancient Greece and Egypt, and in Russia this plant began to be grown only in the 13th century. Nowadays, flax can even be found on the side of the road in the form of a weed.

Flax seeds are very rich in chemical and biological substances: it contains 29% fatty oils, 12% mucus, 33% proteins, 26% carbohydrates, vitamin A, enzymes, organic acids and glycoside linamarin. Swollen flax seeds, getting into the intestines, lubricate it and have a laxative effect - they loosen the contents in the intestines and activate the movement of fecal matter through the intestines. This plant is used for chronic constipation and intestinal weakness.

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Tunguska rhubarb (Rheum tanguticum maxim)

Tunguska rhubarb is a common herbaceous plant with a dark brown rhizome and a hollow stem growing up to 3 meters. The stem is covered with large leaves and reddish spots. The leaves are collected at the root in a rosette and have fleshy petioles. The leaves of the stem are smaller in size and have special sockets through which rainwater should flow to the base. Rhubarb blooms in June, it throws out pinkish-white or reddish inflorescences. The fruits, similar to triangular nuts, ripen closer to July.

The Arabs have known the special properties of this plant since ancient times. In the 19th century, N.M. Przhevalsky brought rhubarb to Russia and since then it has been cultivated throughout Europe. It is almost impossible to find rhubarb in the wild, but it is grown in a cultivated form by amateur gardeners and in medicinal farms.

Rhubarb root contains catechins, anthraglycosides, resins, tanoglycosides, microelements, pigments. This plant is used in treatment in the form of extracts, decoctions, syrups and tinctures. This plant is used for stomach diseases, constipation and other diseases of this type. Rhubarb root has astringent, laxative, choleretic and antibacterial properties. It can irritate the intestinal walls and increase their contractions, and this promotes the movement of feces through the intestine.

Rhubarb stalks also have great medicinal value. They contain vitamins, mineral salts, and various acids, so they taste like apples. Delicious compotes, jam, preserves, marmalade, and other sweets are prepared from these stalks. But rhubarb is contraindicated during pregnancy and in acute abdominal diseases.

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Plants with mild laxative properties

Plants that have less obvious laxative properties can also be used to treat constipation. However, they also have a positive effect on the intestines and digestion, especially if they are used in combination with another herbal preparation.

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Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis L.)

If you notice a plant up to one and a half meters high with light pink flowers on the banks of reservoirs in the middle of summer, know that it is marshmallow. This name arose from the Greek "althein", that is - to heal. The stem of the marshmallow is not branched, its lower part often becomes woody and covered with hairs. Marshmallow blooms in the period from June to September, and bears fruit in October. It is widespread in the steppe and forest-steppe. Marshmallow is an endangered plant species, and therefore it is listed in the Red Book. Marshmallow roots are used for treatment, having previously dried them. They contain asparagine, fatty oils, mucus, starch and mineral salts. It can be used in the form of powder, tincture, extract, decoction or syrup. In addition to the fact that the marshmallow root helps with constipation, it also has an expectorant effect.

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Polygonum persicaria L.

This herbaceous plant, related to the buckwheat family, grows up to 60 centimeters in height. Knotweed is widespread in Siberia, the Caucasus region and the Far East. The stem and leaves with flowers of this plant are used for medicinal purposes. Knotweed contains mucus, essential oils, vitamins C and P and sugar. It is usually used in the form of a tincture.

The properties of knotweed do not end with the fact that they are able to cure constipation. It is also able to restore blood formation, strengthens blood vessels and is an anti-inflammatory agent. Knotweed is useful for constipation, which is accompanied by hemorrhoids and intestinal atony.

Fireweed or Koporye tea (Chamaenerion angustifolium)

This herbaceous plant can grow up to one and a half meters in height, its stem is erect, and the leaves are lanceolate. It blooms in July-August. Large purple-pink flowers are collected in a pointed brush at the top. The fruit of Koporye tea is a box with small seeds. Different parts of this plant are used to treat different diseases. A decoction of the leaves and inflorescences of fireweed is used in phytotherapy to coat the intestines, as a choleretic and laxative. Fireweed is also brewed into tea, it is very similar to real Chinese tea, and its effect helps with insomnia and headaches.

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.)

Nettle is known to many, as touching it inevitably ends with a burning sensation. Nettle flowers are inconspicuous, green in color, similar to spike-shaped inflorescences. For medicinal purposes, leaves are usually used, which are collected during the flowering of nettle. They are saturated with microelements, contain many vitamins, as well as carotene, much more than carrots contain, and they contain more vitamin C than lemon. Liquid extract and preparations from nettle are used to treat constipation, to stop bleeding, as an anti-inflammatory agent.

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Common toadflax (Linaria vulgaris Mill)

Toadflax is a herbaceous perennial plant, it has an erect stem up to a meter high, it has almost no branches, but the stem of the plant is densely covered with linear leaves that resemble flax leaves. Toadflax blooms from June to September, its flowers are yellow and usually gather at the top in a racemose inflorescence.

The fruits of the toadflax are dry capsules, they open upward with teeth, and ripen by July. Tinctures and decoctions of the herb, which was collected during flowering, are used for treatment. Usually, toadflax is used as a laxative or choleretic drug.

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Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale Wigg)

The most common annual plant is the dandelion. It can be found absolutely everywhere: in a field, in a meadow, in a forest or even on city streets. Dandelion roots are used to make medicines; they are collected in the fall, and the leaves are collected during flowering. Dandelion is a diuretic, analgesic, healing and tonic. An infusion of dandelion leaves and a decoction of its roots are used to stimulate appetite or as a mild laxative.

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Blackthorn (Primus spinosa L.)

Blackthorn is a thorny shrub up to three meters high. Its multi-point shoots are dark brown or reddish and usually covered with a film. This shrub blooms in April-May, and its flowers are easily recognized by their white color. The fruits are spherical drupes of dark blue color with a bluish bloom. The taste of blackthorn fruits is sour-sweet, slightly tart. They ripen in June, but become edible after the first frosts.

For medicinal purposes, you can use the bark, roots, flowers, fruits and leaves. They contain a lot of vitamin C, fatty oils, carbohydrates, carotene and tannins. Blackthorn preparations are astringent, expectorant, diuretic, anti-inflammatory and laxative. It is the decoction of flowers or their water infusion that has a laxative effect on the intestines.

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Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.)

This rhizomatous plant up to one and a half meters in height can grow for several years. The root system of licorice is very powerful and well-branched. Its stem is erect, and usually bare. Licorice leaves are very small and sticky to the touch. The flowering period is from June to August. Licorice flowers are collected in racemose inflorescences, and their color is purple. Licorice is widespread in the south of Russia. For treatment, roots are used, dried after collection in the fall or early spring. Dried licorice roots are yellow when broken, sweet to the taste. Licorice is very rich in carbohydrates, essential oils, resins, tannins and acids. Decoctions from licorice root can not only have a laxative effect, but are also effectively used for coughs, as well as for spasms and inflammations. It is used to treat the gallbladder, constipation, lungs and stomach diseases.

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Field horsetail (Ononis arvensis)

This small shrub has straight, hairy, glandular branches and a dark brown rhizome. The restharrow blooms in June-August, its flowers are pink or purple. The fruits are hairy beans with 2-4 uneven seeds that ripen closer to September. The root of the restharrow is used for medicinal purposes, it is harvested in the fall or early spring. The root of this plant contains resins, essential oils, ononin, tannins, citric acid and mineral salts. Infusions and decoctions of the restharrow are used as anti-inflammatory, diuretic and laxative drugs.

Herbal remedies for constipation can be of great help to you, especially in the early stages of this condition.

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