Herbal remedies for constipation

Talk about constipation can be somewhat taboo. Lots of people are uncomfortable talking about the healthiness of their bowels but why? Let's face it everyone has to excrete the waste that their body doesn't need and the honest truth is your getting rid of unwanted waste; this is healthy! And constipation is not healthy! Constipation, stool, laxative, diarrhea etc... these are words that you should become comfortable with saying because the better you are able to articulate your bowel discomforts the more likely you will be able to find a solution.     

Throughout time people have been treating constipation naturally with the help of herbs, oils, exercise and diet. A recent study performed by Dr. Zhao-Xiang Bian of Hong Kong Baptist University tested the effectiveness of hemp seed pill (HSP). Hemp is a plant that is harvested for it's fibers, seed, seed meal and seed oil. Chinese medicine has used HSP for many years to help relieve the discomforts of constipation. The study took a group of 120 people half had the actual HSP and the other half had a placebo pill. The study revealed that 40% of those taking the HSP had increased bowel movements. The participants did express new symptoms related with taking the HSP. They experienced stomach pain, cramping and bloating but said that these side effects were more bearable than the constipation related symptoms. For the study constipation was defined by 3 or less bowel movements a week.

Constipation can also be reduced naturally by increasing daily fluids, the amount of fiber rich foods consumed, exercise and the massaging of aromatherapy oils on the abdomen and bowel area.