What Is the Best Supplement for Constipation in Older Adults?
As we get older, many things in our bodies begin to slow down—including digestion. That’s why constipation becomes more common in adults over 50.
If you’ve been feeling “stuck” or going days without a bowel movement, you’re not alone. The good news is, there are safe and gentle supplements that can help you stay regular without causing cramps or sudden bathroom runs.
In this article, you’ll learn:
Why constipation happens more often with age
What to look for in a supplement
Natural options that work gently
Simple tips to feel better every day
Why Do Older Adults Get Constipated?
There are several reasons:
Slower digestion: Your intestines don’t move food through as quickly as they used to.
Less water: Many older adults drink less water, which makes stools harder.
Medicines: Some common medications (like pain pills, iron, or antidepressants) can cause constipation.
Less movement: Being less active makes it harder for your body to “stay regular.”
Not enough fiber: If your meals don’t include fruits, vegetables, or whole grains, your digestion can suffer.
Can Supplements Help With Constipation?
Yes! A good constipation supplement can help your body do what it’s supposed to do—move waste out naturally.
But not all supplements are the same. Some work too fast and cause cramping or diarrhea. Others are too harsh and can lead to dependency, where your body won’t go without them.
That’s why it’s important to choose a supplement that is:
Natural (made from plants or herbs)
Gentle (won’t give you cramps)
Easy to take (capsules are often better than teas or powders)
A Popular Option for Seniors: Herbal Supplements
Many older adults are finding relief with herbal-based supplements. These often include ingredients like:
Cascara sagrada – Helps the colon contract gently
Aloe vera – Soothes the digestive tract
Senna or psyllium – Adds fiber or encourages movement
One supplement that uses several of these ingredients is called My Gentle Detox. It was made specifically to help adults feel better without feeling rushed or uncomfortable.
Many people say it works overnight, and they wake up feeling lighter and more comfortable.
🕘 Create a bathroom routine – Try to go at the same time each day
🛑 Limit processed foods – These can slow digestion
When Should You Talk to a Doctor?
If constipation lasts more than a week, or if you have pain, bleeding, or swelling, it’s always smart to check with your doctor. You may need to adjust your medications or try a different approach.
Final Thoughts
Constipation is very common in older adults—but it doesn’t have to be a regular part of life.
With the right mix of healthy habits and a gentle, natural supplement, you can feel like yourself again and stay regular without worry.
If you’re looking for a supplement made with herbs, designed for seniors, and trusted by thousands of people…
What to Do When You Haven’t Pooped in Days — Safely and Naturally
Let’s talk about something uncomfortable — but very real.
If it’s been a few days since your last bowel movement, you’re probably feeling a little… stuck. Literally and figuratively.
The bloating, the sluggishness, the discomfort that seems to creep into everything — even sleep and appetite.
For many adults over 50, this isn’t a one-off. It’s an ongoing struggle. And it’s not always solved with fiber, water, or a walk around the block.
The good news? There are gentle, natural ways to encourage your body to “go” again, without resorting to harsh laxatives or emergency cleanses.
When Constipation Becomes a Real Problem
Occasional irregularity is normal — but if you haven’t had a proper bowel movement in more than 3 days, your system is trying to tell you something.
You may feel:
Bloated or uncomfortably full
Low on energy or mentally foggy
A dull ache in your lower belly
A sense that “something’s there” — but it won’t move
And while it’s tempting to wait it out, the longer it goes, the harder it can become to pass stool comfortably. That’s when people reach for quick fixes — and often regret them later.
Why the Common Fixes Don’t Always Work
You may have already tried:
Drinking more water
Eating bran or fiber cereal
Taking a fiber supplement
Moving around more
Those are all good habits — but when things are already backed up, they’re often too little, too late. Fiber, in particular, can make things worse if your stool is already dry or compacted.
On the other hand, many over-the-counter laxatives can be unpredictable — causing sudden urgency or harsh cramping, especially in more sensitive digestive systems.
Gentle First Steps You Can Take Today
Before jumping to extremes, try these natural methods that support your body’s own rhythm:
1. Hydrate Consistently — Not Just Once
It’s easy to get behind on water without realizing it. Try to drink a glass of warm water with lemon first thing in the morning, then sip steadily throughout the day.
Mineral-rich water or adding a pinch of sea salt can also help restore balance.
2. Use Movement to Stimulate Digestion
Light walking, stretching, or even seated yoga can help encourage intestinal activity. Focus on gentle movement — your goal is to wake up your gut, not work up a sweat.
If you’re able, try a few minutes of abdominal massage in a clockwise motion (this follows the path of the colon).
3. Choose Natural Foods That Support Elimination
Some foods are especially helpful for easing constipation naturally:
Stewed prunes or figs
Chia seeds soaked in water
Leafy greens sautéed with olive oil
Oatmeal with flaxseed
Also consider cutting back on dairy and heavy meats temporarily — they can slow things down further.
4. Consider Gentle Herbal Support
If you’ve gone several days without relief, it may be time to help your body along — gently. Some adults over 50 find that occasional use of natural herbal support can make a big difference.
Our My Gentle Detox supplement is designed with that in mind — using mild botanicals like cascara and senna leaf to support natural elimination overnight, without harsh chemicals or aggressive stimulants.
Going several days without a bowel movement can feel frustrating, uncomfortable, and even isolating — but it’s something many people go through, especially later in life.
By staying hydrated, moving gently, and turning to natural supports when needed, you can find relief without putting your body through extremes.
If you’re looking for something simple, gentle, and designed specifically for moments like this, My Gentle Detox is always here when you need it.
If you struggle to poop daily, every other day, or even once a week, you’re not alone.
Millions of Americans struggle with constipation, and it becomes more common the older you get.
Thankfully, you don’t have to be young and in shape to have regular, everyday bowel movements.
And you don’t have to fill your body with chemicals to ensure you poop every morning.
On this page, you’ll learn the most common ways to help you empty your bowels, and one proven way to put you on the porcelain throne each day.
One way to empty your bowels every day is by taking fiber.
Fiber helps you poop
Fiber helps increase the weight and size of your stool, bulking it up for your next bowel movement.
The bulkier your stool, the easier it is to pass a bowel movement.
Some easy ways to get fiber into your diet include:
Beans
Whole grains
Brown rice
Popcorn
Nuts
Berries
Another way to naturally empty your bowels is by drinking water.
Drink more water to poop easily
Your bowel movements rely on the shape and consistency of stool, which means if it’s hard and dense, you’ll remain constipated.
It was once said that the average adult should drink about 8 glasses–or 2 liters–of water each day.
However, we tend to get a lot of water from the foods and beverages in our diet already.
But if your bowel movements are irregular, it’s not a bad idea to increase the amount of water you drink.
And this is especially true if you often find yourself pushing or straining on the toilet.
Another way to empty your bowels more often is by using stool softeners.
Stool softeners make you push less
As we talked about above, drinking too little water can keep you blocked up.
But if you’re constipated even after increasing your water intake, you may want to try a stool softener.
Usually coming in the form of over-the-counter prescriptions or supplements, stool softeners help you empty your bowels by softening your stool.
This means you won’t have to push or strain too hard to poop every day.
However, if you soften your stool too much, this can lead to diarrhea, so be careful.
Along the line of supplements, another popular method to empty your bowels is taking laxatives.
Laxatives make you empty your bowels
Laxatives work by triggering peristalsis in your intestinal muscles, which is your body’s wave-like movement that moves food from your esophagus all the way down to your colon.
Laxatives, though, only target your intestinal muscles.
Like a snake that weaves back and forth to move in one direction, laxatives make your intestines do the same thing.
But this time, it’s to get your poop out.
Some common foods that have laxative properties include:
Sweet potatoes
Pumpkin
Raisins
Figs
Leafy green vegetables
Seeds
Foods don’t always work as fast as you need them to, though, so many people try laxative supplements.
Laxatives purchased over-the-counter or even online can be quite harsh, giving you diarrhea, cramping, and abdominal discomfort.
It’s important that if you use a laxative to empty your bowels, make sure it uses all-natural ingredients that are gentle to your colon.
The best way to effortless empty your bowels every day (and naturally) is to use My Gentle Detox.
My Gentle Detox helps you empty your bowels every morning
My Gentle Detox uses 100% all-natural herbs, roots, and extracts to help you empty your bowels with ease.
Not only does it soften your stool to reduce pushing and straining…
It also activates your intestinal muscles naturally, helping you push out built-up stool in your intestines.
In as little as 8 hours, you can be pooping again and feel like a brand new person!
With My Gentle Detox, you can expect:
Daily poops without bloating or cramping
Less pushing, straining, and pain
A lighter and leaner belly
And so much more…
Unlike other methods to empty your bowels, My Gentle Detox works every time you take it..
So if you’ve tried other things for constipation but nothing ever works for you, My Gentle Detox will.
So click here to learn how you can start emptying your bowels every day.
Thinking of doing a colon cleanse? You’re in the right place, because you’re going to learn about real benefits of colon cleansing with herbs.Unlike some unnatural alternatives (like pharmaceutical laxatives or enemas) that prevent you from walking 5 feet from a toilet, an herbal colon cleanse is safe, gentle, and effective.
If you’re like the millions of Americans every year who struggle with occasional constipation, an herbal colon cleanse is a miracle.There are many types of herbs you can use, but we favor two main, ancient herbs: Cascara Sagrada and Senna Leaf.Each of these herbs helps you poop regularly and naturally, because they act on your normal intestinal processes.The small intestine.Cascara Sagrada, for example, promotes peristalsis and stool evacuation.[1] It’s a powerful colon cleanse herb and is found in these herbal colon cleanses.The other herb that shines in helping you poop regularly is Senna Leaf. This leaf has shown to act upon the large intestine by, once again, stimulating peristalsis.[2]The large intestine.You see, both of your intestines have this integral function called peristalsis, which is a kind of “wave-like” movement that pushes contents to your colon. The right herbs, when used in a colon cleanse formula, help your bowels perform peristalsis better.And when you choose Cascara or Senna, you can bet you’ll start pooping more regularly within no time at all.
2. Alleviates painful bowel movements.
There’s nothing more embarrassing than being scared to go to the restroom because you don’t want to feel pain.That’s no way to live. Thankfully, one of the benefits of a colon cleanse is to help alleviate painful movements.For example, one of our customers who has taken My Gentle Detox for almost 15 years (!) used to experience painful movements. Now she doesn’t.
I’ve been using this since 2006, and it’s the only thing I use to go to the bathroom with. Pain medications used to cause me difficulty with irregularity. It’s by far the best for me. I highly recommend it to anyone – Cheri M.
One of the ways colon cleanses can alleviate painful bowel movements is by softening your stool. Once again, we have the two star ingredients joining this benefit list, along with added Aloe Vera.Aloe Vera, along with boasting so many other benefits, is an incredible ingredient for herbal colon cleanses. Actually, the Aloe Vera family is the most biologically active of the Aloe species, and when saddled up against other laxative agents, has shown improved constipation indicators (bowel movement frequency, stool consistency, etc.).[3]While you definitely want to see your doctor if you’re suffering from real, chronic constipation, a natural, herbal colon cleanse is perfect for the rest of us who just need to alleviate some discomfort in the down-there region.
3. Reduces bowel-related bloating.
If you get bloated the same week every month on the dot, that might be menstruation. But if you experience bloating often, and you think it’s related to your digestion, then an herbal colon cleanse is a perfect fit.First, if you’re bloated, you should first think about the foods you’ve been eating. They are generally the first culprit.Consuming an excess in sodium, for example, is sure to be a bloater. The American Heart Association recommends a maximum of 2300mg a day,[4] but advises you shoot for 1500mg. Here is what’s scary: more than 70% of the sodium we consume is from our food, not from the salt shaker.Other items that may bloat you include heavy starches (bread, potato, pasta) and artificial sweeteners (commonly found in soda pop and “flavor enhancers” for water).While you definitely want reduce your intake of these two, colon cleansing can take your fight against bloating to the next level.Linda Lee Ann, M.D. at Johns Hopkins Medicine cites “constipation” as one of the commonest causes of bloating.[5] As Lee says:
The longer your stool sits in your colon, the more time bacteria have to ferment what’s there. You’re going to get gassier, and you’re going to feel a lot more bloated.
The more effective your digestive system is at removing build-up, the less likely you’ll suffer from bloating.And what’s a better way to improve your digestive system? Chemicals, or natural herbs?
4. Improves your digestion.
When your digestive system isn’t running at its top gear, your body suffers. In fact, if your digestive system were to shut down, the body couldn’t nourish itself or get rid of waste.For digestive health, your best bet is to eat healthily, and “[eliminate] acidic things from the diet, such as tomatoes, onions, and red wine,” says Dr. Larry Good, a gastroenterologist associated with South Nassau Communities Hospital.[6]Even drinking alcohol can disrupt your digestive system (but we’re level-headed, so we’re not going to tell you to ditch the wine).After all, everything we consume is filtered through our digestive system: so if we neglect it over and over again, we can’t expect it to be 100% healthy.That’s why one of the grandest health benefits of a natural colon cleanse is digestive health.The herbs in this colon cleanse deal not only address your intestines, but also your liver, blood cholesterol, and skin!There are other factors too that affect your digestive health, such as the foods you eat. Incorporating high-fiber foods is an excellent addition to your herbal colon cleanse.Credit: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/22-high-fiber-foodsHere are some foods that are helpful for your digestion: dark, leafy greens (broccoli, kale, spinach); legumes (chickpeas, kidney/pinto/black beans); fruit (raspberries, apples, figs); and nuts (chia seeds, oats); and, of course, dark chocolate.When you feed your body the natural ingredients it craves, you’ll find your digestive health improves tremendously.
5. Supports healthy weight loss.
Yes, that’s correct: Colon cleanses can help weight loss… but there’s a catch.Weight loss from a colon cleanse is not sustained weight loss.After immediately starting your herbal colon cleanse, you are likely to see experience a decrease in weight–but that’s because of the excess build-up you just removed from your body.Certain colon cleansing herbs that act on the intestines, such as Cascara Sagrada, promote stool evacuation, which means you’ll be evacuating more than a little bit of waste.For prolonged weight loss, however, you’ll want to focus on three cardinal factors:
A healthy diet, filled with fiber and supplemented with occasional colon cleansing.
Plenty of exercise–at least 4 times a week, and accompanied by drinking more water.
Consistency: the day-by-day pressing on toward your weight loss goal no matter the difficulties.
Click here to read about an herb that crushes your appetite.
6. Helps keep liver and other organs safe.
When it comes to natural colon cleansing, you’ll notice there are side-benefits that you never even expected. One of those is increased organ health.Depending on the herbs you use, your colon cleanse can either be straight-to-the-point or a holistic solution for digestive health. We prefer the latter.Dandelion and Fennel, for example, each come naturally with antioxidant benefits as well as the ability to fight constipation.Dandelion, for one, is a potent diuretic,[7] which means it increases the amount of water and salt passed with urine. When added to a colon cleanse formula, you get a two-in-one “detoxing” benefit.Dandelion, of course, is also a wonderful digestive stimulant, and has been used for gastrointestinal problems for ages.[8]Fennel, similarly, is a boon to colon cleansing.The seed is not only very rich in fiber (but why not eat dark chocolate for fiber?), but also filled with “antioxidant, antitumor, chemopreventive, cytoprotective, hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, and oestrogenic activities” (the “hepaprotective” meaning protecting the liver).[9,10]It’s no doubt that if you’re going to do a colon cleanse, it should be one filled with herbs, leaves, and roots, so you get all the concomitant benefits of the ingredients!Click here to try an all-natural colon cleanse made with the herbs from above.Sources
Consuming an excess in sodium, for example, is sure to be a bloater. The American Heart Association recommends a maximum of 2300mg a day,[
After immediately starting your herbal colon cleanse, you are likely to see experience a decrease in weight–but that’s because of the excess build-up you just removed from your body.Certain colon cleansing herbs that act on the intestines, such as Cascara Sagrada, promote stool evacuation, which means you’ll be evacuating more than a little bit of waste.For prolonged weight loss, however, you’ll want to focus on three cardinal factors:
