Homemade Laxative Recipe

A homemade laxative recipe

If you are looking for a homemade laxative recipe, you should read about the Beverley-Travis mixture. It is said to have originated from a catering service which found its clientele wanting better meal selections for improving bowel movements. According to some sources, the clientele was composed of the elderly in a group home. This is reasonable as such clientele

are both more aware and demanding of proper nutrition in their foods, and may have more difficulty attaining a balanced diet due to their restricted mobility in the home.

The ingredients and recipe

The ingredients of the Beverley-Travis homemade laxative recipe are surprisingly simple and natural:

• one cup of raisins
• one cup of pitted prunes
• one cup of figs
• one cup of dates
• one cup of currants
• and one cup of prune concentrate

The ingredients should be combined in a blender until thick. After blending, it should be stored in the refrigerator. Of course, prolonged storage is not recommended. The "dose" is just two tablespoons a day. The recipe was originally made for large volume consumption by many people, so scale it down to a manageable volume if you do not think you can finish 6 cups of mixture in two spoon increments.

Rich in fiber and sorbitol

The astute reader will note that one of the main ingredients in this homemade laxative recipe is prunes, which appears twice. In one form, whole prunes are added, and in another, prune concentrate is used to increase the liquid content of the mixture. Prunes are high in sorbitol and are covered on this site as special natural laxatives of its own. The other fruits presumably are either high in fiber or have sorbitol-like compounds.

A research study showing it works

A study carried out by researchers at Methodist Hospital in Indiana compared people who took the Beverley-Travis homemade laxative recipe to those who did not. The ones who did not continued to take a prescription laxative. The study found that after 4 weeks of the twice-a-day two tablespoon treatment, the ones who had the mixture experienced an increase in the number of bowel movements by 50%. Those who continued taking prescription laxatives only experienced no changes over this time. The study also noted that the mixture was very easy to administer, in addition having saved them quite a bit of money on prescriptions.

A useful addition

Of course, the study was not conducted in double-blind fashion and was very short at 4-8 weeks total. However, what is promising is that this homemade laxative recipe is a very simple mix of a few kinds of fruits, blended for easy consumption, and is at least a cheap alternative or digestive aid that may help patients who need natural laxatives.

Scientific References and Sources

Hale EM, Smith E, St James J, Wojner-Alexandrov AW., Pilot study of the feasibility and effectiveness of a natural laxative mixture., Geriatr Nurs. 2007 Mar-Apr;28(2):104-11. Read more about the Beverly-Travis recipe.