🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Any condition involving dry, hard stools, difficulty in defecation, or infrequent bowel movements (e.g., once every few days), severely disrupting normal frequency, is defined as constipation.
After digestion and absorption in the gastrointestinal tract, residual matter forms feces, which are regularly expelled from the colon—a fundamental physiological process. If feces remain in the body too long, various toxic symptoms may arise. Severe cases may disrupt electrolyte and acid-base balance, leading to various diseases.
Traditional Chinese medicine attributes constipation mainly to accumulated heat in the large intestine, qi stagnation, cold accumulation, or deficiency of yin, yang, qi, and blood, impairing the large intestine’s transport function. Additionally, since the lungs and large intestine are interior-exterior partners, lung qi obstruction may also affect defecation.
Clinically, habitual constipation is most common, often developing gradually due to poor dietary habits, irregular bowel habits, reduced intestinal motility, and diminished stress response.
Therefore, constipation patients should follow these dietary principles in daily life:
1. Increase intake of fiber-rich foods such as fresh vegetables, fruits, bamboo shoots, etc., to increase residue.
2. Drink plenty of water daily to soften stools.
3. Consume moderate amounts of foods with moistening and laxative properties, such as honey, sesame seeds, walnuts, milk, cream, etc.
4. Add a moderate amount of cooking oil (e.g., soybean oil, vegetable oil, flaxseed oil, peanut oil) during cooking.
5. Include B-complex vitamin-rich foods like legumes, whole grains, sweet potatoes, potatoes, etc., to promote intestinal motility.
6. Avoid spicy, stimulating foods such as strong alcohol, concentrated tea, coffee, leeks, garlic, chili peppers, and limit fatty, rich foods.
To alleviate constipation discomfort, here are several common, effective dietary therapies for reference:
1. Drink a cup of warm water upon waking in the morning. Suitable for habitual constipation.
2. Eat one banana twice daily (morning and evening). Suitable for habitual constipation.
3. Mix 250ml milk with one egg, boil, cool slightly, add honey, and consume in one go daily in the morning. Suitable for habitual constipation.
4. Boil 250g white radish (peeled and chopped) until soft and consume. Suitable for habitual constipation.
5. Blanch 100g spinach in boiling water, drain, mix with sesame oil, and eat. Suitable for sluggish bowel movements.
6. Mix 50g honey with 25g sesame oil, stir well, then gradually add warm water to dilute into a uniform liquid before consuming. Suitable for intestinal dryness and hard stools.
7. Toast and grind coriander seeds until fragrant, take 3g with warm water three times daily. Suitable for elderly patients with intestinal paralysis and weak motility.
8. Mix 50g walnut kernels, 50g sesame seeds, and 50g honey. First, roast and crush walnuts and sesame seeds, then mix with honey, stir well, and consume twice daily, two spoons each time. Suitable for elderly patients with constipation due to qi and blood deficiency and dizziness.
9. Use 12g Perilla Seed, 12g Hemp Seed, and 100g rice. Crush perilla and hemp seeds into paste, mix with water, filter, extract juice, and cook with rice into porridge. This formula moistens the intestines and promotes defecation. Suitable for elderly, postpartum, convalescent, or weak individuals with constipation and dry, hard stools.
10. Boil 30–60g Prepared Polygonum multiflorum, extract concentrated juice, remove residue, then mix the juice with 50g rice and 5 jujubes in a clay pot, add water and stew into porridge. Add a little rock sugar before eating. This formula nourishes liver and kidneys, replenishes qi and blood, and moistens the intestines. Suitable for elderly patients with blood deficiency and intestinal dryness due to habitual constipation, and also beneficial for those with hyperlipidemia and vascular sclerosis combined with constipation.
11. Use 30g figs and 50g rice. First, cook rice into porridge, then add figs after boiling. Add honey when eating. Figs clear the intestines and moisturize dryness, effectively treating hemorrhoids. Honey also provides excellent nourishment and moistening effect. Suitable for elderly patients with constipation and hemorrhoids.
Constipation is very common clinically, especially among the elderly and obese individuals. Except for rare cases caused by intestinal or other organic lesions, most cases are habitual. Among various causes, diet plays a crucial role. Modern scientific research confirms that dietary fiber increases fecal volume, serves as an effective stimulus for intestinal movement, retains moisture, and prevents excessive dryness. Therefore, eliminating picky eating habits and increasing intake of fiber-rich foods is meaningful for constipation patients. Also, once there is a bowel urge, it is best to defecate promptly, avoiding delays due to work pressure or inadequate toilet facilities, as prolonged delay may lead to constipation. Of course, long-term constipation patients should seek medical examination to identify the underlying cause and receive timely treatment.
<Dietary Management of Constipation>