Try the world’s easiest, cost-free constipation cure

By Sari Huhtala

Someone once told me constipation runs in her family. That’s ridiculous. How can a symptom run in one’s family? Horrible dietary habits run in the family, but that’s another story. Want to know the world’s easiest, cost-free remedy for constipation and to promote regularity?

Drink one to two glasses of cold water first thing in the morning upon rising. I recently read this idea in the book, Ancient Healing Secrets, by herbal and folk medicine expert Dian Buchman, PhD. For years I have guzzled down four cups of room temperature or cool water immediately upon rising, for energy and vitality. I had only recently connected the dots, realizing that this health hack was actually getting things moving, sometimes almost immediately.

This old age practical cure is based on the premise that guzzling cold water begins the process of peristalsis in the digestive tract, contractions in the intestines that will push matter out.

Just as an aside, doctors prescribe medications to treat constipation, and these medications work by drawing water into your intestines to help speed up contractions that will move stool out. Wonder how many prescribe water therapy for relief?

Figs, watermelon and senna tea are other constipation remedies noted in Ancient Healing Secrets.

Early Swiss herbalists used figs to promote regularity, claiming the seeds push digested food through the intestines to move stools out. Eat one or two dried figs each morning, they recommended.

Watermelon was considered a Hawaiian medicine holistic helper for constipation. Perform a watermelon fast to cleanse the system and eliminate waste. Fast and consume small pieces of red watermelon throughout the day, and drink water.

Ancient Greek doctors used tea made from the leaves of the Senna plant as a remedy for constipation. Look for it at your local health food store.

Sari Huhtala is the publisher and editor of Alive and Fit Magazine. She has over 25 years experience in journalism, and is a mother of 3 adult children. She has spent over 20 years navigating a healthy path for her family, one health hack at a time, as a single mom feeding her kids healthy on a shoestring budget. She has over 15 years experience as a certified fitness specialist and personal trainer and 10 years experience as a reiki practitioner.

Photo credit: ©[By Andrea Piacquadio] via Canva