Stop Running to the Bathroom: IBS Relief Made Easy

Thankfully, you can find IBS relief without resorting to expensive medications by making your own IBS home remedy with things from the kitchen cupboard.

With one in five Americans affected by irritable bowel syndrome (or IBS), the irritating and painful ailment is at the front of a lot of peoples' minds. With symptoms such as diarrhea, constipation, bloating, nausea, headache and depression, IBS can be debilitating and expensive to treat. Stimuli as wide-ranging as emotional triggers, foods, medication, caffeine and milk can bring on the urgent need to have a bowel movement, making IBS difficult to diagnose and treat. Medications can provide temporary IBS relief but have their own set of side effects which can be relatively unpleasant. Changing your diet and avoiding potential triggers help, but the persistent IBS always finds a way of making an appearance when it is least expected. Find permanent relief with an effective IBS home remedy that has no side effects and you can make yourself!

Carrots

Carrots are filled with nutrients that help prevent the symptoms of IBS, regulate diarrhea and prevent constipation. Eat them raw or cook them to find IBS relief, but be careful not to overcook as this will remove all the best nutrients. You can also juice carrots but you may find it helpful to add a little bit of unsweetened apricot nectar to thin the pulp out enough to drink.

Fennel Seeds

Fennel seeds have a variety of health benefits, but they are also great for alleviating the intestinal spams that result as a symptom of IBS. They also help your digestive system eliminate fats and stop excess mucus production in the intestine, which is another symptom of IBS. Add them to salads with cabbage, carrots and lettuce, all of which help soothe symptoms of IBS. You can also roast them and use them as a breath freshener after meals. Simply spritz a baking sheet with some olive oil and cover it with fennel seeds. Bake at 325 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes and store in an airtight container. You can even make fennel tea by steeping half a teaspoon of fennel seeds in one cup of boiling water and drinking. No matter what form you take them in, fennel seeds are great for helping digestion and soothing cramps, making them an ideal IBS home remedy. You can find fennel seeds in the herbs section of your local supermarket.

Aloe Vera

Aloe vera has to be the most versatile plant you can have growing in your own home. With hundreds of health benefits from healing burns and wounds to destroying parasites in the stomach, aloe vera juice is perfect for treating almost all the symptoms of IBS and providing long-term IBS relief. To make your own aloe vera juice, extract approximately two tablespoons of fresh aloe gel from the plant and mix it with orange or grapefruit juice in a blender. Drink this once a day to prevent IBS symptoms. It is important to use the gel as soon as it is harvested from the plant as it oxidizes very quickly. If you don't have an aloe vera plant at home, you can purchase ready-made aloe vera juice from major supermarkets and health food stores.