20 Natural Laxatives To Help Keep You Regular


Laxatives are one of the most frequently used medicines as people are facing the issue of constipation in common. But the use of laxatives on the regular term is not good for you. In the long run persistent use of laxatives causes the acid-base imbalance and electrolytes imbalance in the body. These two factors eventually root the heart and kidney damage in the human body. So the regular and frequent use of laxatives are not good for the body functioning. If you are suffering from the constipation issue too often then you need to cure that naturally.

Why laxatives are risky?

There are different reasons for the use of laxatives. You may suffer from the eating disorder like anorexia or bulimia nervosa. In this case you need to use laxatives to relieve constipation. The other group of people involved older adults or middle age group people having a slow digestive system and facing the problem of ongoing constipation.

There is a misconception with the laxatives that they will help you to maintain your body weight. Body weight and be in shape is not actually associated with the laxatives. People believe that the laxatives will help to avoid the absorption of calorie from food they eat. No doubt the passing of stool is very important for the regular body functioning but the often use of laxatives is risky and cause some effects on your body. At the present age the too often use of laxatives is causing some health issues. Some of the laxative abuses are given as under.

  • Electrolyte imbalance
  • Changes in acid/alkaline base
  • Failure to produce sufficient digestive enzyme
  • Dehydration
  • Dizziness
  • Water retention
  • Risk to colon and digestive organs
  • Interchanging condition of diarrhea and constipation
  • Issues with the cardiovascular health
  • Weight loss or weight gain

When we take laxatives the part of digestive system get active which results in eth loss of fluid leading to dehydration. As a result our body rebounds by holding on to all the available water in body which results in edema (water retention) and a short term weight gain. When you stop using laxatives after a frequent use of these pills it slows down your metabolism.

Different types of laxatives and how they work?

In human body’s digestive system involved many facets of your body. With the regular bowel movement the stool is made with the unwanted nutrients, absorption of wastes, electrolytes and presence of water in the gut. These all made a balanced substance of soft and solid stool so that it easily passes out of your body through the digestive tract. The food you eat first comes in the stomach and most of the nutrients are not absorbed by the stomach. After stomach it passes through the small intestine where most of the nutrients get absorbed.

When it comes in the large intestine excess water get absorbed and the stool comes with the balanced amount of water and solid in the colon. If there are some issues with the digestive system the stool would be too hard which make it tough to pass out of body. It causes constipation in the body. The whole digestive system involves electrolytes, water, enzymes, blood flow, hormones and many others. If you are suffering from constipation then it may be due to many different reasons like dehydration, lack of fiber, stress, less sleep and many others.

Types of laxatives

There are different types of laxatives that work in your body in different ways in your body. These includes

  • Bulk-forming laxatives

This is the most recommended laxative by the doctor. This laxative move through the body undigested, engrosses water and super to form stool.

  • Stool softening laxatives

 This laxative increases the amount of water absorbed by the stool. Water absorption makes it easier to pass out stool.

  • Lubricant laxative

It coats the lining of the intestine and the stool surface so that it easily passes out.

  • Osmotic type laxative

It increases the bowel movement which helps the colon to hold more water.

  • Saline laxative

It draws fluid in the intestine to encourage a worthy bowel movement.

  • Stimulant laxatives

It speeds up the digestive system to induce bowel movement.

20 best foods that acts as natural laxatives

If you are suffering from constipation then instead of using any laxatives you should cure it naturally. There are some foods that act as the natural laxatives. The best part is these foods are good for the digestive health and they have minimal side effects.

  1. Chia seeds

Chia seeds are high in the soluble fiber. They have 11 grams of soluble fiber in just 28 grams of chia seeds. Fiber acts as a natural laxatives as it passes through the intestines undigested, improving regularity in the digestive tract and add bulk to the stool. It is scientifically proven that the increase in the fiber intake helps in curing constipation. Soluble fiber absorbs water and forms gel in the tract. It results in the softening of stool and releasing constipation.


  1. My personal experience is that if u eat fruit cocktail for few days once daily your metabolism gets better and you do not suffer from constipation. Give it a trial as it is harmless.


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