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Herbs For Constipation
For teas, the rule of thumb is, one teaspoon of herb per cup of boiling water unless otherwise noted.
Unless otherwise noted, steep leaves 5 to 10 minutes in a covered container, twigs, bark and roots, steep 10 to 15 minutes (covered).
Aloe Vera
1 ounce of the juice taken internally 4 to 5 times a day. Also soothing to the intestines.
Blueberry
Eat a half cup of fresh blueberries
Cascara Sagrada
Boil 1 tsp of the dried bark (note fresh bark can be nauseating) in water, boil for a minute, let stand 15 minutes, take a cup of this tea in the evening.
Dandelion
1 to 2 tsp dried leaves or root in a cup of boiling water.. can be mixed with peppermint and/or roman chamomile
Flax Seed
In a porridge use 1 to 2 tablespoons of ground seeds with a little hot water to make a porridge, eat one to 2 times daily (note some folks add this to oatmeal... )
Licorice Root
Tea, 1 oz per cup of boiling water, steep a minimum of 10 minutes.
Mullein
In a tea, 1 tsp per cup of boiling water, steeped.
Psyllium
The active ingredient in some commercial preparations.
Raspberry Leaves
In tea (can also be used as an enema)
Slippery Elm
In a tea, 1 tsp per cup of boiling water, steeped a minimum of 10 minutes. (can also be used as an enema)
Senna
In a tea, pour a cup of COLD water over 1 to 2 tsp leaves (or 5 pods) let stand 6 to 8 hours.. take a cup of this tea in the evening. OR mix the leaves with cascara sagrida (some also add fennel and chamomile) to make 1 to 2 tsp herb mix.. pour a cup of boiling water over the mixture, let stand covered for 10 to 15 minutes, take one cup in the evening.
Note:
Do not be frightened if your urine turns red when you use this tea. Also it is suggested that this is taken in combination with slippery elm, or aloe to soothe the intestine.
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