The first is cascara sagrada, an herbal laxative that helps to cleanse the colon.  Long used by Native Americans, this herb contains compounds called anthroquinones, which produce this laxative effect in the body. In fact, today it’s probably the most common of the herbal laxatives

Cascara sagrada also helps to strengthen the muscle tone of the walls of the colon.  And as your muscle tone grows stronger, your constipation will slowly begin to fade.  This herb also helps to stimulate bile production in the liver, which also helps to speed the removal of toxins from your system.  You can find cascara in several forms, including capsules liquid extracts and as dried bark.  If you choose dried back you can make this into a tea.  Cascara sagrada tea has a natural bitter taste.

An average serving of cascara sagrada is 300 mg when taken in capsule form.  You’ll want to take it in the evening to give it time to stimulate a bowel movement by the following morning.  This herb usually takes between six to 12 hours to work.

You shouldn’t take this natural plant for more than seven days consecutively.  Nor is this herb intended for use by children.

Chickweed is another excellent herb for relieving constipation and helping to clean out the colon.  It works relatively fast and will help move the stools through your system with several hours.  Not only that, but it also helps to strength the stomach muscles and the bowels themselves which are the first steps toward long-term relief.  It’s also noted for cleansing the system of toxins.

If you’re looking for "an all-purpose herb," look no further than slippery elm.  This herb is not only a wonderful natural remedy for constipation, but it’s also an extremely effective herbal aid for diarrhea.  Slippery Elm normalizes the stools while it soothes, coats and heals the lining of your intestines.  For the best effects and to help it move quickly through your system, you’ll want to drink plenty of water when you consume it.

Senna is another herbal laxative, albeit a strong one.  It works quickly; expect it to work shortly after you’ve taken it. It’s also acts as a purgative, cleansing the bowels naturally.  Normally, this herb is taken in tea form.  It also helps to stimulate peristaltic contractions, which help to move the fecal matter through your colon.  Many individuals are convinced of the effectiveness of this herb.

We must, however, add a word of caution about senna.  It makes some folks ill. Some report that they get nauseous when they take it.  But adding some ginger or cinnamon to the senna when you take it may help alleviate this problem.

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The following suggestion doesn’t fall into the herbal category, but it is a natural therapy which is very popular.  It’s activated charcoal, a type of carbon made from wood, vegetable and other materials.  It resembles a fine black powder and is believed to have a great absorption capacity.  And it’s this ability that allows it to bind with the unwanted matter and toxins in the colon.  You can also find activated charcoal in liquid form.

You might not have heard of this second natural remedy.  It’s bentonite, a clay that is now available in supplement form.  The primary ingredient in this material is hydrated aluminum silicate.  Other ingredients found in bentonite include calcium, magnesium and iron.  Once the bentonite gets into the system, it begins to absorb water.  It stays in the digestive tract where it’s thought that it not only binds to the toxins, but renders them harmless in the process.  Bentonite then promotes the excretion of these toxins.

An herb traditionally used in Chinese medicine that may help you clean  your colon is rhubarb. Not to be confused with the plant your grandfather grew in his backyard, this legendary herb contains powerful compounds associated with laxatives and in fact contain anthraquinones, the same ingredient found in the herb cascara sagrada which stimulates bowel movements.

Rhubarb, though, also contains something called tannins, which are thought to reduce the inflammation in the colon.  Because of these tannins, Chinese medicine uses rhubarb to help alleviate diarrhea.

You can find rhubarb in capsules, as liquid extracts and as a dried root.  Rhubarb works within six to 12 hours after being ingested.

Psyllium seeds have been popularized recently because of the host of fiber additives on the market today.  Psyllium seeds contain a category of fiber called mucilage.  Mucilage enters the digestive tract and absorbs water.  When it does this, it swells, making the stools in the colon bulkier.  This, in turn, triggers contractions of the colon walls.  These contractions then lead to bowel movements.

You’ll only need one to two teaspoons of ground psyllium seeds mixed with eight ounces of water.  Usually taken one to three times per day.  When you take this natural remedy, be sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day.  If you don’t, you run the risk of obstructing the colon and only making your constipation worse.

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But did you know that regular exercise can help your colon perform better on a daily basis in a very noticeable way.  It’s true.  Regular physical activity can help you avoid constipation.

Other natural ways to keep your colon health include eating foods high in fiber.  On the whole, those individuals who eat a fiber-rich diet are less likely to become constipated.  And constipation may ultimately lead to even greater health risks.  Eating foods high in fats, such as cheeses, eggs and meats can also trigger chronic constipation.

Fiber is that portion of grains and fruits and vegetables that is not digested by your system.  Soluble fiber can dissolve relatively easily in water and eventually transforms itself into a soft, gel-like texture in the intestines.  Insoluble fiber, on the other hand, passes through the intestines nearly unchanged.  The bulk and the soft texture of fiber help to prevent the hard, dry stools associated with constipation.

The average American eats between 5 and 14 grams of fiber daily.  This is far less than the 20 to 36 grams recommended by the American Dietetic Association.  As a nation, we eat too much in the way of processed foods which have no natural fiber.

Don’t ignore that need to go!  Quite frankly, too many of us simply ignore the initial need to go to the restroom.  We get involved with a project at work, we’re busy around the home or we simply procrastinate.  This not only eventually causes chronic constipation, but leads to continued poor colon health.

Drink more! While drinking more water may not actually cure constipation, many people find that water add bulk to the stools which makes them a little easier to pass.  If you are bothered with chronic constipation, try drinking liquids every day.  The best liquids are water and fruit juices.  Try to avoid coffee, tea and soda.  The caffeine content in these just makes your condition worse, acting as diuretics.  The caffeine takes liquid out of your body. Alcohol also acts as a diuretic.

Don’t touch those laxatives!  Initially, it may seem like the right thing to do, but it may lead to a larger problem. Some people actually become dependent on laxatives.  The body then grows reliant on these in order to have a bowel movement.

Consider an enema.  There may come a time, especially so if you’ve ignored your health for any length of time, that you may want to jumpstart your healing and put yourself on the fast track to health.  The best way to "start anew" in a sense is through an enema. 

An enema flushes much of the old, dry, fecal build up on the walls and pockets of the colon very quickly.  This allows your system to eliminate the accumulation of toxins fast.  If you think you may want to take this route to colon health – and improve your overall well being – visit your natural health care practitioner.  If he can’t help you, he’ll direct you to a professional who can.

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At least this is the number whose colon problems are so bad that they consult with the health care practitioner.  There are untold numbers of people who struggle with bowel and colon problems who don’t seek professional help.  They either believe that the problem isn’t severe enough or they don’t even realize a problem exists.

Constipation is only one of many problems that can attack the colon. Diarrhea is another health problem of the colon. Other more serious problems include cancer, polyps, colitis, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis and diverticulitis.

But colon and bowel problems can be more than merely uncomfortable, but they can also cause nutritional deficiencies, regardless of how great your diet is or how many vitamin and dietary supplements you take.

When your body cannot properly eliminate the food it brings in and the toxins that accumulate, then fecal matter builds up either along the walls of the colon or in the pockets of the organ.  And this is when even a mild case of constipation is serious.

These deposits, as they sit in the colon, may not get eliminate for weeks, even months.  In fact, it’s not unusual some experts say that some may cling to the colon for even years. Eventually this fecal matter becomes irritated.  When this happens it may manifest itself in a spastic or an inflamed colon, both conditions that interfere with vital nutrient absorption in addition to the healthy bowel function.

When the fecal matter goes from merely being irritated to decaying, then real trouble begins.  The decaying matter releases toxins and poisonous gases which seep into the blood and if left untreated, eventually begin to poison all of your organs and tissue.  The bloodstream itself could get polluted which in turn poisons the entire body.

This just creates a domino effect.  For when the body is affected by toxins, the individual cells of your system cannot take in the nutrients from the blood.  The fluid surrounding these cells is too congested with wastes from the sluggish lymphatic system to allow anything inside the cells.

And this internal poisoning can initiate a host of other seemingly unrelated problems.  It can cause a mental depression accompanied by morbid thoughts.  You’ll also feel sluggish because the B vitamins are being properly processed.  They’re being eliminated before they can become attached to the proper bacteria and get carried to the bloodstream to nourish the body.

http://www.tuberose.com/Colon_Health.html

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What is it? Your colon. You may also hear it called the large intestine, even though the large intestine is only one portion of the colon.  In either case, it’s an essential part of your health. In order to stay healthy and vital, your body needs to effectively and efficiently eliminate the food you eat and other bodily waste.

Your colon, though, doesn’t work alone.  Working in conjunction with your lungs, skin and kidneys, the colon eliminates toxins that are found throughout your body including the intestines, blood and your lymph system.

The physical appearance of this organ is quite different from other organs as the kidneys or the liver.  It’s approximately five feet long and is, in fact, the last quarter of the digestive tract that’s nearly 28 feet long. The colon, moreover, is not a single organ, but rather a collection of three separate organs – the large intestine, rectum and the anus.  The main tasks of the colon are water and nutrient absorption and the formation and elimination of feces.

This organ contains a whole host of bacteria, both of the good and the bad variety.  With nearly 60 varieties of microflora or bacteria to aid digestion, the colon is vital to the digestion and processing of nutrient production.  Good bacteria, the majority of which are bacillus coli and acidophilus are essential in the processing of the B-complex vitamins and folic acid.  In fact, it’s in this area of the body that the B vitamins combine with bacteria that then carries these vitamins, important for energy production, throughout the blood stream and ultimately to all the organs.

The entire process of elimination – in a healthy body – normally takes between 12 to 24 hours from the time the food is ingested to the time it’s eliminated.  Experts claim that if your colon is healthy, you should experience two to three bowel movements daily, one after each meal is eaten. Elimination, ideally, should be complete and easy.  And it shouldn’t hurt!

All healthy stool has common characteristics – no matter your age or sex. The stool in a healthy elimination is light brown in color and it should  be long, large and round.  Contrary to popular opinion, stools should not have an offensive odor.  Another characteristic of a healthy stool is that as it’s flushed down the toilet, it should break apart.

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