# Plum blasted

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plum-blasted/203395>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 23, 2003, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plum-blasted/203395 "2003-09-23T20:51:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plum-blasted/203395/1 "2003-09-23T20:51:16Z")

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So what is it about prunes–excuse me, _dried plums_\*? They act like Drano on my digestive system: within an hour or so I’m all like high-pressure and shit, chained to the commode for a couple hours.

Is it just the fiber? Surely not; many other foods have similar fiber, right? Is there some kind of natural laxative in them? How come fresh prunes don’t have the same effect on me?

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**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plum-blasted/203395/2 "2003-09-23T20:52:30Z")

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Sorry, forgot the footnote:

\*:rolleyes:

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**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plum-blasted/203395/3 "2003-09-23T21:00:58Z")

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No definitive answer, but possibly more than you need to know:

[http://www.salon.com/health/col/roac/1999/11/05/prunes/index.html](http://www.salon.com/health/col/roac/1999/11/05/prunes/index.html)