Patient's question:
My son is two and a half years old this year. It may be inherited from his grandmother's physique, and he is particularly prone to constipation. If he doesn't eat vegetables and fruits one day, he feels very uncomfortable when he doesn't have a bowel movement, and his buttocks are always very red. So, I want to ask if there are any home remedies for children with constipation?Doctor's answer:
Here is the English translation of the provided content, with Chinese text translated and original line breaks preserved:---
1. Atractylodes Rhizome Powder for Constipation Treatment: Take an appropriate amount of raw Atractylodes Rhizome, grind it into a very fine powder. Take 10 grams of the powder three times daily. This method is highly effective for deficiency-type constipation. Generally, after 3–5 days of treatment, bowel movements will return to normal. Once normal, the medication can be discontinued. Afterward, take the medicine 2–3 days per week to maintain regular bowel movements in the long term.
2. Modified Peony and Licorice Decoction for Constipation: Take 30 grams of raw Peony Root, 20 grams of raw Licorice Root, and 15 grams of Bitter Orange. Boil in 2 bowls of water until reduced to about half a bowl. Take 1 dose daily, divided into 2 servings. This formula was used to treat 95 cases of constipation caused by various factors, with satisfactory results. It is particularly suitable for elderly or chronically ill adults with constipation but should be used with caution in pregnant women.
3. Forsythia for Constipation Treatment: Take 15–30 grams of Forsythia, decoct, and drink as tea. Take 1 dose daily. For children, mix with sugar or rock sugar (better without sugar). Continue for 1–2 weeks, then discontinue. This formula is especially suitable for postoperative constipation, constipation in women (during pregnancy, menstruation, or postpartum), constipation after trauma (e.g., cranial injury, lumbar fracture, paraplegia), hypertension-related constipation, habitual constipation, elderly weakness-type constipation, constipation due to cerebrovascular disease, and cancer-related constipation.
4. Plantain for Constipation Treatment: Take 30 grams of Plantain daily, decoct with water to 150 mL, and take 3 times daily before meals. One week constitutes a course of treatment. Generally, 1–4 courses are sufficient for recovery. Discontinue other medications during treatment. This formula not only treats constipation but also lowers blood pressure, making it particularly suitable for patients with hypertension and constipation. Additionally, using Plantain as the primary treatment for diabetic constipation has significant short-term and long-term effects.
5. Kelp for Constipation Treatment: Soak 60 grams of Kelp in warm water for a few minutes, then cook it in water. Remove the Kelp when it reaches an appropriate temperature, mix in a small amount of ginger and scallion, and add a moderate amount of salt, vinegar, and soy sauce. Eat the entire serving once daily.
6. Raw Licorice for Constipation Treatment: Take 2 grams of raw Licorice, steep in 15–20 mL of boiling water, and drink. Take 1 dose daily. This method is effective for infantile constipation, with generally satisfactory results. After 7–15 days of use, recurrence can be prevented.
7. Mangosteen for Constipation Treatment: Place 5 pieces of Mangosteen in a teacup or bowl, steep in about 150 mL of boiling water for 15 minutes. After the Mangosteen expands, drink it in small, frequent sips, and also eat the expanded Mangosteen (do not eat the seed). Generally, bowel movements will become normal after 1 day of consumption.
8. Dandelion for Constipation Treatment: Take 60–90 grams of dried or fresh Dandelion, decoct with water to 100–200 mL. Boil fresh Dandelion for 20 minutes and dried Dandelion for 30 minutes. Take 1 dose daily. For young children who have difficulty swallowing, the dose can be divided. Add a moderate amount of sugar or honey for flavor.
9. Mulberry for Constipation Treatment: Take 50 grams of Mulberry, decoct with 500 mL of water to 250 mL. Add a moderate amount of rock sugar. This is the daily dose, taken once daily. A 5-day course constitutes one treatment.
10. Cassia Seed for Constipation Treatment: Take 20 grams of Cassia Seed, place it in a teacup, steep with boiling water like tea leaves. After 20 minutes, the water will turn light yellow and emit a fragrance, then it can be drunk. After drinking the liquid, add another cup of boiling water to steep.
Honey for Constipation Treatment:
- Formula 1: 2–3 tablespoonfuls of honey, 2–3 tablespoonfuls of roasted sesame seeds (black sesame is best), mix with 200–300 mL of warm or cool water to form a paste, and take in the morning and evening.
Dr. Hu Xingmeng from the Gao Shibei Town Health Center in Qianjiang City, Hubei Province, used this formula to treat 50 cases of habitual constipation. The fastest response took 2 days, while the longest took over 10 days. 40 cases responded within 2–10 days, and 10 cases responded after 10 days. All 50 cases showed good results.
- Formula 2: 60 grams of honey, take 30 grams in the morning and evening, diluted with cool boiled water. Suitable for elderly, pregnant, or habitual constipation.
- Formula 3: 60 grams of honey and 6 grams of royal jelly, mix well, and take 2 times daily with warm boiled water. Suitable for habitual constipation.
- Formula 4: 150 grams of crushed bee pollen, mixed with 250 grams of honey to form a paste. Take 1 tablespoonful on an empty stomach in the morning and evening. Suitable for habitual constipation.
- Formula 5: A moderate amount of honey and white radish. Wash and slice the radish, dip in honey, and eat several times daily. Most suitable for adolescent constipation.
- Formula 6: A moderate amount of honey and banana. Peel the banana, dip the flesh in honey, and eat several times daily. Most suitable for elderly or habitual constipation.
- Formula 7: 30 grams of honey and 30 grams of Forsythia. Steep Forsythia in boiling water, add honey, and drink as tea. Take 1 dose daily. Suitable for constipation caused by excess heat and phlegm.
- Formula 8: 30 grams of honey and 6 grams of salt, mix with boiling water. Take 1 dose in the morning and evening. Suitable for weak-bodied constipation and those who should avoid strong laxatives, especially elderly or pregnant patients.
- Formula 9: A moderate amount of sunflower seeds and honey. Crush the sunflower seeds, mix with 1 cup of warm boiled water, and add a moderate amount of honey. Take 1 dose in the morning and evening. Good for lubricating the intestines and promoting bowel movement.
- Formula 10: 30 grams of honey, 100 mL of warm boiled water, mix well to form an enema solution. Use as needed for stubborn constipation.
- Formula 11: 250 grams of honey and 30 grams of soap bark. Grind the soap bark into a fine powder, simmer the honey in a sand pot over low heat until it thickens, then add the soap bark powder and cook until it can form pills. Roll into small finger-thick suppositories (about 5 cm long), let cool, and insert into the rectum. Effective for severe constipation.
- Formula 12: A moderate amount of honey, 1 stalk of scallion (finger thick). Wash the scallion, dip it in honey, and insert it 5–6 cm into the rectum, moving it in and out 2–3 times, then remove. Bowel movement should occur within 20 minutes. If not, repeat the process 2–3 times.
Recommended Foods for Constipation:
- Sweet Potato: Eating sweet potatoes can relieve constipation and make bowel movements easier. This is a common folk remedy. Bencao Qiyuan also records that sweet potatoes "cool blood, invigorate circulation, relax the intestines and stomach, and resolve constipation." They are especially suitable for chronic constipation.
Alternatively, use 250 grams of fresh sweet potato leaves, stir-fry with oil and salt, eat the entire serving, and take once in the morning and evening on an empty stomach. Suitable for dry, hard stools.
- Sesame: Nourishes the intestines and promotes bowel movement, suitable for dry constipation. Shanghai Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine (September 1963) describes a 65-year-old woman with chronic constipation (bowel movement every 4–5 days) and symptoms like dizziness, numbness, bitter taste, and dry throat. She was treated with Sangma Wan from Yi Jing, a formula combining roasted black sesame and winter mulberry in equal parts, honeyed into pills, and taking 12–15 grams daily. After 1 month, her constipation resolved.
- Ejiao: Nourishes yin, blood, and intestines, suitable for weak-bodied constipation. Renzhai Zhizhi Fang recommends: "For elderly weakness and severe constipation, take 2 coins of Ejiao, 3 slices of scallion, and 2 spoonfuls of honey, decoct, remove scallion, dissolve Ejiao and honey, and take before meals." This is also suitable for postpartum weakness and dry constipation.
- Banana: Clears heat, moisturizes the intestines, and detoxifies, suitable for hot constipation and dry constipation. Eat 2–3 bananas (2 per serving) daily.
- Mulberry: Nourishes fluids and moisturizes the intestines, suitable for weak-bodied dry constipation and chronic blood deficiency constipation. Use fresh black mulberry juice, 15 mL per serving, twice daily.
Alternatively, use 2 kg of fresh mulberry, squeeze juice, add 500 g sugar, dissolve sugar in water, add mulberry juice, and simmer into mulberry paste. Take 15 g twice daily, dissolved in warm boiled water, for 1 week.
- Sugarcane: Clears heat, generates fluids, and moisturizes the intestines, suitable for hot constipation. Mix 1 cup of sugarcane juice and honey, take on an empty stomach in the morning and evening.
- Pine Nuts: Suitable for chronic dry constipation, nourishes fluids, moistens the lungs, and promotes bowel movement. Cook 30 g of pine nuts with rice for porridge, or stir-fry 250–500 g of pine nuts, mix with 500 g sugar, add water, and simmer into paste. Cool, store in a bottle, and take 1 tablespoonful on an empty stomach with warm boiled water.
- Walnuts: Suitable for dry, hard stools. Yili Zuan Yao states: "Walnuts moisten the large intestine and resolve heat constipation." Folk remedies often mix 500 g of walnuts and black sesame, roast, grind, and take with honey on an empty stomach. This nourishes the body while treating habitual constipation.
Alternatively, cook 30–50 g of walnut meat with rice for porridge, eating in the morning and evening.
- Chives: Use fresh chives, wash, squeeze 1 cup (30–50 mL) of juice, mix with 15–20 mL of yellow wine, and drink with boiling water. Suitable for constipation.
- Radish: Use fresh white radish (250 g), wash, squeeze juice, mix with a small amount of honey, and take on an empty stomach once daily. Ruyi Bencao says: "Radish relaxes the chest, promotes urination and defecation." Especially suitable for qi-type constipation (difficulty defecating with abdominal bloating and chest discomfort).
- Amaranth: Clears heat and promotes urination, often stir-fried for dry constipation. Diannan Bencao says: "Amaranth treats urinary and bowel obstruction." Bencao Gangmu also notes: "All types of amaranth promote large and small intestine health." Habitual constipation patients can also cook amaranth into porridge.
- Spinach: Ideal for chronic constipation, nourishes blood, moisturizes dryness, and promotes bowel movement. Bencao Feiyuan states: "All vegetables loosen the intestines and stomach, but spinach is particularly cold and slippery." Suxi Ji Yinshi Pian says: "Spinach opens the chest, promotes intestinal health, moisturizes dryness, invigorates blood, and is suitable for dry, blocked stools and hemorrhoids."
- Potato: Suitable for habitual constipation. Zhongji Yikan (1954, Issue 1) describes: Wash potatoes, slice, grind into paste, squeeze juice with a cloth, and take half a glass before meals and after lunch. Dr. Yang Tianqing treated 84 chronic constipation patients with this method, all cured. Most responded within 2–4 days, but some took 20 days.
- Taro: Suitable for constipation. Rich in starch, vitamins B1, B2, and C, and is alkaline. Folk remedies often use taro to prevent and treat constipation.
- Arrowhead: High in vitamins B1 and B2, stimulates intestinal motility, ideal for preventing and treating constipation.
- Sea Cucumber: Clears heat, resolves phlegm, dispels stagnation, and moisturizes the intestines, suitable for dry, hard stools. Gu Fang Xuan Zhu recommends Xue Geng Tang: 30 g of sea cucumber, 4 lotus roots, decoct and drink. Also used for chronic cough and phlegm.
- Honey: Moisturizes dryness and promotes bowel movement, suitable for dry constipation. Shiyong Jingxiao Duanfang describes: "A 61-year-old man with left-sided paralysis and severe constipation for 6 months. Take 180 g of honey and 30 g of black sesame, grind, mix, steam, and take twice daily as snacks. After 1 month, bowel movements returned to normal. After 3 months, he could walk, and after 6 months, he recovered."
- Lard: Moisturizes dryness and promotes bowel movement. Bencao Gangmu recommends: 100 g of lard and 100 g of honey, heat to boil, cool, mix well. Take 1 tablespoonful twice daily, especially for dry constipation.
- Angelica: Nourishes blood, regulates menstruation (common gynecological medicine), and moisturizes the intestines, suitable for severe constipation. Take 15 g of Angelica and 15 g of Polygonum Multiflorum, decoct and drink. Nourishes blood and moisturizes the intestines, especially for blood deficiency and dry constipation.
- Cistanche: Tonifies kidneys, enriches essence, moisturizes dryness, and promotes bowel movement, especially for blood depletion and yang deficiency constipation. Yixue Guangbi Zhi recommends: "For elderly blood depletion and severe constipation, take 3 liang of Cistanche, soak in wine, remove scales, slice, decoct in 3 bowls of white soup to 1 bowl, take in one dose."
- Cassia Seed: Clears liver, brightens eyes, and promotes bowel movement, suitable for habitual constipation. Roast 500 g of Cassia Seed, take 10–15 g daily, steep in boiling water as tea.
- Pumpkin: Warm in nature, sweet in taste, believed to tonify the middle and invigorate qi. Modern research shows pumpkin is low in sugar and calories, with rich fiber for good bowel movement. Ideal for constipation, especially middle-aged and elderly weakness.
- Pork: Tonifies deficiency, nourishes yin and blood, moisturizes dryness, especially suitable for weak-bodied constipation. Suxi Ji Yinshi Pian says: "Pork promotes urination and defecation. Treat constipation: Boil pork, skim fat, and drink."
- Milk: Neutral in nature, sweet in taste, tonifies deficiency and moisturizes the intestines. Suitable for weak-bodied, postpartum, or elderly constipation. Diannan Bencao says: "Promotes large intestine health." Bencao Gangmu also notes: "Milk moisturizes the large intestine, ideal for elderly porridge."
- Sea Cucumber: Nourishing and replenishing, tonifies yin and moisturizes the intestines, and nourishes blood. Yao Xing Kao says: "Reduces fire, tonifies kidneys, promotes bowel movement, and resolves dryness." Recommends: "For dryness due to, take sea cucumber, wood ear, and pig large intestine, cook and eat." Ideal for dry, blood deficiency, or elderly constipation.
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