Is it really safe to drink water with plums to treat constipation?

O desperation caused by swelling and abdominal discomfort from constipation can lead to numerous natural treatment attempts – and plum water it's one of them.

Drinking the water where this fruit has been soaking for an entire night is a method that has long boasted on social networks.

Presented as a solution to constipation, some even say that the mixture works as a natural laxative, this is understood as something that “helps move stools around the colon”, according to Mayo Clinic.

But is it really? And will it really be safe for health?

Experts have spoken about it and perhaps I will be disappointed by some of this explanation. In fact, you may be disappointed by your own strategy – this if you drink the water and throw away the plums.

“ A soluble fibre of dried plums absorbs water and becomes a soft, gel-like substance as it moves through the intestines. This gel is responsible for softening the stools and facilitating their elimination. Without enough water available, the fiber has nothing to absorb, so it cannot form this gel”, describes Wellnooks.

However, these experts ensure that the benefits of dried plums come from sorbitol, “a natural sugary alcohol that is not well absorbed by the small intestine. It goes down to the colon and pulls water into the intestine by osmosis, which softens the stool and can stimulate bowel movement”.

Science Insights adds that sorbitol itself is sufficient in itself to “give a stronger impulse to evacuate without having to drink 8 glasses of pure plum juice”.

However, they do not identify any problem for those who do so with conscience. However, there is controversy in this method, and this is what can really disappoint you:

If you really want to increase the effectiveness of this potion to relieve constipation, what these experts recommend is that eat the plums, instead of having to leave them for hours in water so that you can’t take all the benefits from them, “since most of the advantages are in the plum and not in the water”, refer.

However, this idea does not become inappropriate if you do not like the taste or texture of this fruit so much.