The physician who sees a patient with constipation may suggest a first-line treatment that has no medicines. This treatment is known as high fiber therapy, involving increased consumption of fiber rich supplements and foods. Psyllium and bran are two examples of excellent seed-sources of fiber.

Most people have heard of products like metamucil which contain a high content of psyllium-derived fiber. Metamucil is a supplement agent manufactured by the big American firm Procter and Gamble. However, many people don’t know that there are natural high fiber sources too. Prunes are one such source. But more interestingly, prunes have something else besides fiber that can aid constipation.

Plums have been a part of mankind’s food source for many millennia. Archaeologist evidence shows large number of pits in waste sites that go back to ancient times. Then as now, the process for manufacturing prunes has probably changed relatively little. The plum fruit is harvested from the plant and then arranged in a cool oven structure. The plums are dehydrated at 180 degrees Fahrenheit for a little under 20 hours. The resulting prunes are collected for further processing.

The chemical makeup of prunes is complex, which is one reason for its multipronged effectiveness as a constipation agent. And although we have sufficiently advanced technology to discern these chemicals, we have yet to fully understand the mechanism whereby each chemical aids in laxative activity.

The main fact that is well-known and undisputed is that prunes contain a large amount of fiber. A less well-known but established fact is that prune juice has almost no fiber, yet still is able to provide constipation relief to people who drink it. The reason is due to its sorbitol content. Sorbitol acts as a bulk laxative, and acts synergistically with fiber.

Moreover, people who eat prunes find that it’s a source of high energy because it has both simple and complex sugars such as glucose, fructose, sorbitol and fibers. These sugars don’t act directly as natural laxatives, but ensure that the natural laxative action is accompanied by nutrition.

There are many other compounds in prunes that we don’t fully understand but believe to be of benefit to health. For example, phenolic compounds might synergize with the natural laxative action. Potassium in prunes and prune juice are hypothesized to be good for heart health. Prunes seem certainly like a wonder food.

There is no special preparation needed for eating prunes; they may be eaten plain. However, some studies have shown that prunes can mixed with other ingredients to form highly effective home recipes for natural laxatives. An example of this is the famed Beverley-Travis recipe.

The articles provided for natural laxatives for constipation will be useful to many. Specialty detail resources on natural stool softener are available.

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