Kratom is gaining immense popularity as a botanical, having many health benefits thanks to its various active alkaloids. Although there are some minor side effects associated with kratom consumption, they are mostly related to high dosing and frequent Mitragyna usage. However, everyone's experience and response to this herb are usually different, depending on their body chemistry.
Does Kratom Cause Constipation?
The answers to these questions may be different for everyone. For some users, the answer is yes!
Constipation is usually defined as a condition in which patients have difficulty emptying the bowels, and their feces have a hard consistency.
Although this condition doesn't have any severe implications - mainly when associated with kratom, it makes those suffering from constipation experience some degree of discomfort.
Preclinical trials of kratom use have specifically reported gastrointestinal side effects, including constipation.
Some common symptoms attributed to constipation are as follows:
Painful stool elimination
Bowel movement less than three times a week
Hard, dry, and lumpy stools
Bloated abdomen
Pain in abdomen
Low energy or sluggish
Why Does Kratom Cause Constipation?
There are two main factors linking kratom and constipation:
Slowing Down Food Digestion
Kratom is rich in alkaloids like mitragynine or 7-hydroxymitragynine, which can contribute to slowing down the emptying of the stomach and the digested food moving through the intestines. As a result, bowel movements become irregular, leading to constipation.
Interestingly, when kratom constipation occurs, the regular peristaltic movements of the intestines are also affected, and they are crucial for pushing food and waste through the digestive tract. Due to this disruption, the transit time of waste materials can be increased.
Reducing Fluid Levels
Another important reason why kratom can cause constipation is that it may decrease your fluid levels. This herb can have diuretic effects, which means it is capable of accelerating your urine production, leading to dehydration if you do not drink enough fluids.
When the body becomes dehydrated, it starts absorbing more water from feces and other waste in digestion. As a result, your stool can become harder and more clumpy, making it more difficult to pass.
How to Deal With Kratom Constipation?
Everyone's experience with kratom may be different, depending on several factors like age, gender, BMI, metabolic rate, genetics, and whatnot. Moreover, user response (including kratom constipation) also depends on the strain and vein color of the Mitragyna they consume.
In occasional cases where herbal users suffer from side effects, they can alleviate these adverse symptoms by determining the most appropriate usage of kratom suited to their personal predispositions and body chemistry. They can do so by either adjusting the dose or changing the strain.
The correct dosage for this herb depends on the user's age, weight, health status, and physical form of this herb, like kratom powder, capsules, raw leaves, tinctures, and others.
We highly recommend starting with a lower dosage to feel its effects, then gradually increasing the dosage to discern what amount is the best for you. It will help you in testing out the herb and checking whether you experience kratom constipation or any other adverse reactions or not. However, the best measure would be to consult a health professional who can guide you about Speciosa usage, its dosage, and side effects.
Here are some remedies for kratom constipation treatment to use at home:
Drink Plenty Of Fluids
Dehydration makes it difficult to have a bowel movement. Water consumption is the best and easiest way to keep the system running. Drink 8-10 glasses of fluid per day for regular bowel movements.
Laxatives
Laxatives like bisacodyl and castor oilstimulate bowel movements and loosen stool stuck within the digestive tract.
There are many different kinds of laxatives, available in capsules, pills, liquids, enemas, or suppositories. Keep in mind that each of them can bring you particular benefits but may also have some possible side effects.
Probiotics
Probiotics are good microorganisms that help regulate the digestive system. They aid in stool softening and increase bowel movements. You can take probiotic supplements or natural probiotics usually found in fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, soft cheese, sauerkraut, kombucha, and buttermilk to ease off your constipation.
Balanced Diet
It is no surprise that a healthy and balanced diet is very beneficial for digestion. One of the easiest ways to make your food more beneficial is to add more fruits and vegetables to your meals.
Some of the best fruits that increase hydration and aid in kratom constipation and other gastrointestinal problems include watermelon, strawberries, and grapefruit. Moreover, you can also take some nutritious vegetables that are full of fiber, like celery, radish, spinach, or zucchini.
Eat More Fiber
Increasing your fiber intake may prove vital for overcoming your kratom constipation. You can increase fiber intake naturally to normalize bowel activity. Again, make sure to add fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to your diet.
Some excellent sources of fiber include apples, bananas, barley, oats, wheat bran, and legumes (like beans, chickpeas, peas, peanuts, or lentils). What’s more, you can always sprinkle your meals with some seeds rich in fiber, such as chia or flaxseeds.
Mineral Oils
Mineral oil made from distilled petroleum can potentially stave off kratom constipation. It can coat the stool and the inside of the bowel with moisture, keeping the stool from drying out.
You can drink the mineral oil plain if you don’t mind the taste, or you can mix it with water or another drink. There is also a possibility to deliver it directly into your rectum with an enema packed in a squeezable tube.
As mineral oil usually takes around 8 hours to work, it is recommended to take it right before you go to sleep.
Increase Physical Activity
Exercise and physical activity stimulate contractions, promote bowel activity, and contribute to a healthier digestive tract. You should aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise per day for the best results.
It can be a simple walk for 10-15 minutes several times a day or such activities as running, jogging, swing dancing, or swimming.
Retrain Your Bowel
Bowel retraining is quite a surprising but useful practice for kratom constipation treatment. It involves coming up with a schedule to have bowel movements on a regular basis.
Namely, you can train your body so that it passes stool at particular times of the day - for example, just after getting up in the morning or after a specific meal. Such a minor improvement can be helpful in regulating the body clock and enhancing the functioning of your digestive system.
However, you need to take into account that if you delay passing stool, it can worsen your condition instead of improving it. For this reason, whenever you feel the need to go to the toilet, do so as soon as possible so that your body can pass the stool regularly and without difficulties.
Is It Possible to Reconcile Taking Kratom and Constipation?
Does kratom constipate you permanently, or is it possible to reach some balance, allowing you to continue taking kratom? There are some ways to reconcile that, such as:
Adjusting Your Lifestyle
Although Kratom can cause constipation in some people, we recommend you not forsake it for your whole life but take a break and try the aforementioned remedies.
You should increase your water intake, maintain a balanced diet, eat more food high in fiber and do physical activity that can surely serve as healthy kratom constipation treatment, relieve the unpleasant symptoms, as well as improve your overall well-being.
Accommodating Your Kratom Dosage
If the symptoms recede and come back after taking kratom, we recommend lowering the dosage or changing the kratom strain and leaf color. Maybe the one you picked is too intense for you, so choose something milder that may suit your personal capabilities - green and white vein kratom strains are known to be more moderate.
When it comes to the recommended kratom dosages, they largely depend on your weight, sex, and age. If you weigh more than 150 pounds (68 kilograms), your starting kratom dose can be 2 grams. If you are lighter, we recommend reducing it to 1 gram.
In either case, you can gradually increase the dosage as you observe your body's reactions and see whether you experience the desired results or maybe some possible side effects, like kratom constipation.
However, the dosage increase should be very subtle, preferably by a gram per day, so that your body is not overwhelmed with a sudden change in amount.
Consulting Your Doctor (If Necessary)
Furthermore, if nothing from the home remedies for kratom constipation works, we strongly recommend you seek professional medical help and look for other underlying causes of constipation because it can turn out to be caused by other factors apart from taking kratom.
Can Kratom Cause Constipation? - Final Thoughts
So, does kratom make you constipated? It happens that it does, but everyone is different and may have varied experiences. Importantly, kratom and constipation can be reconciled as there are many good practices you can follow to reduce the possibility of such side effects. It can be, for example, modifying your diet, getting more exercise, adjusting your kratom dosage, or retraining your bowel.
What’s more, it is always a good idea to choose your supplier wisely, as high-quality pure kratom products are less likely to cause adverse effects than cheaper ones from untrusted sources. If you choose Authentic Kratom as your vendor, you can be sure you invest in excellent products made by reliable farmers. We visited them personally in Southeast Asia, and we are sure we are offering you the best kratom out there.
Check out our kratom bestsellersor browse through our whole rich offer to find the best option for yourself!
Abdullah Mamun, founder of Authentic Kratom, is a notable expert in the kratom industry, blending technology, finance, and advocacy skills to promote kratom's benefits and legal status.
Since founding Authentic Kratom in 2013, Mamun has been a vocal advocate for kratom, joining the American Kratom Association (AKA) in 2016 to combat regulatory challenges. He has played a crucial role in advocating for the Kratom Consumer Protection Act (KCPA), emphasizing the need for safety...
