# What readily available food or drink is a quick, powerful laxative? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 4, 2005, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421 "2005-11-04T04:23:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/1 "2005-11-04T04:23:22Z")
Just curious re powerful natural laxatives. What food or drink (available in US supermarkets) will clean a person out most quickly and efficiently? I know eating a _lot_ of sauerkraut will sometimes do the trick as the acid does something funky to your guts. What else will make you go like crazy? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/2 "2005-11-04T04:25:46Z")
April first is five months away, though. Prunes and prune juice have been widely known as natural laxatives for some time. ---
**Author:** ![inkleberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@inkleberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkleberry)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/3 "2005-11-04T04:27:09Z")
Prunes. Most fruits that begin with the letter “P,” actually (peaches, pears, prunes, etc). Epsom salts. They taste like aluminum foil though. For infants and some adults, cornsyrup. Certain types of sugar-free candy. Man they will REALLY get you going. There’s prolly more, I’m just not thinking of them. Happy shopping. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/4 "2005-11-04T04:27:54Z")
Hoummus does it for me–but lots of it. Have hoummus and pita for lunch and dinner for two days. Big trouble. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/5 "2005-11-04T04:28:44Z")
If I eat _a lot_ of hot peppers, it will often have that effect on me. But I do have to eat quite a lot of them (and, luckily, I do not seem to suffer from the ring of fire.) ---
**Author:** ![inkleberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@inkleberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkleberry)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/6 "2005-11-04T04:31:45Z")
Musn’t forget our friend the cabbage. Especially if she’s raw. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/7 "2005-11-04T04:35:24Z")
Sugar-free stuffs flavoured with sugar alcohol. They’re the chemicals with the funky names ending in -ol like sorbitol and xylitol. They’ll get you running. ---
**Author:** ![John\_F](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/43a26b/32.png) [@John\_F](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_F)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/8 "2005-11-04T04:41:40Z")
A big bowl of Uncle Sam cereal, a few dried plums and you’ll be in business. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![JustAnotherGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/58f4c7/32.png) [@JustAnotherGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustAnotherGeek)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/9 "2005-11-04T04:47:57Z")
Oatmeal, anything with bran in it (or added to it), caffeine, and apple cider, just off the top of my head. Go ahead and combine them all (a big bowl of oatmeal with some sliced fruit on top, a nice raisin bran muffin, some cider and some coffee…) Might take a half hour or so to "activate, but when it does… Just leave a clear path to the throne! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Good\_Egg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@Good\_Egg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Good_Egg)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/10 "2005-11-04T04:52:23Z")
2 words: Taco Bell. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/11 "2005-11-04T05:16:15Z")
> [@csharpmajor](#): > > Sugar-free stuffs flavoured with sugar alcohol. They’re the chemicals with the funky names ending in -ol like sorbitol and xylitol. They’ll get you running. Oh, yes, as I found out the first time I tried the Atkins diet… “Oh, look! Sugar-free peanut butter cups! Umnumnumnumnum!” 4 hours later… “WTF!? Gangway!!!” A definite learning experience. Not a pleasant one, though. ---
**Author:** ![Mesquite-oh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@Mesquite-oh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mesquite-oh)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/12 "2005-11-04T05:58:54Z")
Dried apricots will get ya going, and they don’t taste all that bad. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/13 "2005-11-04T06:24:46Z")
Coffee. The stronger the better. ---
**Author:** ![slaphead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@slaphead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slaphead)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/14 "2005-11-04T10:47:03Z")
[glycerin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Laxatives) Castor oil, depending on how eclectic your supermarket is. A really large quantity of any fruit or vegetable. Food which has spoiled ever so slightly. Anything excessively greasy or oily providing it has nothing binding in it. The choices are endless. But why miss a golden opportunity to give the SMDB community a first-hand report on [Colon Blow](http://www.colonblow.com/)? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/15 "2005-11-04T11:35:19Z")
Greasy foods. Water. ---
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/16 "2005-11-04T11:44:33Z")
Epsom salts. Works in under 6 hours. The salts draw water into your colon and whoosh! Out it all comes. Colonblow sounds good too! Funny site. -Thomas ---
**Author:** ![RumMunkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@RumMunkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RumMunkey)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/17 "2005-11-04T13:03:26Z")
**Good Egg** wins the thread! ---
**Author:** ![fortytwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f9ae1b/32.png) [@fortytwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fortytwo)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/18 "2005-11-04T13:32:45Z")
> [@chriscya](#): > > Dried apricots will get ya going, and they don’t taste all that bad. I can vouch for this too. A very spicy curry also works for me, and it comes with the added bonus of a burning ring of fire. ---
**Author:** ![Aestivalis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Aestivalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aestivalis)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/19 "2005-11-04T13:39:40Z")
> [@slaphead](#): > > But why miss a golden opportunity to give the SMDB community a first-hand report on [Colon Blow](http://www.colonblow.com/)? 😃 I can report on it first-hand. The product does work as promised (including the gooky stuff that comes out of you). However the level of success (if that’s what you would call it) depends on your ability to stick to the prescribed method of application. It’s not just one dose, it’s actually three, taken between 5PM and 12 Noon of the next day, during a fast. Being the only thing flowing through your gastric system, and having swollen up from absorbing tons of water (drink lots!), the bulk fiber (provided by psyllium seed husk) scours your intestines, scraping out stuff that you forgot that you ate. Stay near a toilet, and don’t go on any road trips. However, it’s a bit pricey, and they include stevia to sweeten it, which gives a funny aftertaste. Instead, go to your local health-food store, avoid the fancy packages, and pick up a $10 jar of psyllium seed husk. It’s a lot cheaper, and you’ll get a lot more of the same for your money. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/20 "2005-11-04T14:06:01Z")
[**Magnesium Citrate**](http://www.valu-rite.com/vr/magnesium-citrate.html) will get you trotting in about 20 minutes. Chug the whole bottle in one sitting and let the games begin. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421.md?page=2)