Home Constipation Remedies – Kiwi Fruit


If you’re chronically constipated like many people, you have probably looked for a variety of constipation remedies already. While there is lots of anecdotal evidence out there, finding constipation remedies with real evidence behind them can be a challenge. That is one of the reasons the kiwi fruit is endorsed by StayRegular as an effective form of home constipation treatment – it is simple, affordable, and has scientific evidence to back it up!


Studying Kiwi Fruit for Chronic Constipation

The main study related to kiwi was published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology in 2007. The patients were all from Hong Kong, which is fitting because China is where kiwi fruit originally comes from. Let’s take a look at the characteristics of the 33 constipated study participants:

  • Constipated for 6 months or more, defined as less than 3 complete, spontaneous bowel movements/week.
  • 74% passed hard stools – this is one of the most difficult parts of constipation (chronic and occasional) because of the stress it puts on the pelvic floor
  • 84% had to strain with every bowel movement and 90% felt like they had incomplete evacuation with each bowel movement.

    • If you’ve struggled with constipation for a while, these symptoms might seem familiar. In this study, there was also a control group of 22 non-constipated people. Both groups ate two kiwis per day (1 after breakfast and 1 after dinner) for 4 weeks for the treatment period. Each kiwi contains about 3.5grams of fiber, so the total increase in fiber intake was about 7grams (not a huge amount compared to the 20-35grams recommended per day by most doctors). Also, patients were allowed to take a stimulant laxative if the kiwi wasn’t working after several days.


    Results: Kiwi One of the Best Constipation Remedies

    At the end of the 4 week period, the patients had significant improvement. Whereas previously 60% of patients were taking laxatives, by the end of the study only 30% were. The average bowel movements increased from 2.2/week up to 4.4/week (double). Straining did not improve and satisfaction with bowel habits increased slightly. Importantly, the transit time of stool through the colon improved significantly – one of the main indicators of constipation relief.


    Home Constipation Remedies – Part of the Solution

    As you can see, even the small step of eating two kiwi’s day can serve as a natural laxative. Kiwi contains liquid so its fiber doesn’t back you up like other form of fiber. On the negative side, kiwi is fairly high in sugar so eating 2 or more a day could lead to some weight gain.


    Here at StayRegular, we believe that home constipation remedies like kiwi fruit can be incorporated into your overall constipation treatment plan. StayRegular addresses constipation with not only dietary fiber, but also with probiotic, probiotics, and essential vitamins, minerals, and herbs for the digestive tract. This helps to address some of the areas that kiwi was not as effective in (like straining and overall bowel habit satisfaction). The combination of a non-stimulant natural laxative along with an effective home remedy for constipation like kiwi fruit can put constipation behind you permanently.