# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/21 "2005-11-04T15:10:32Z")
How about this: a large bowl of Uncle Sam cereal moistened with the yogurt drink of your choice (not plain milk, which is binding), a glass of prune juice, and a mug of black coffee with artificial sweetener. If that fails to get things moving, you’re gonna need a trained medical professional. Also remember that high-fiber foods need water to really do their thing. Too much fiber and too little water in the diet causes what we might call a colonic traffic jam. ---
**Author:** ![Squee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@Squee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squee)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/22 "2005-11-04T15:46:14Z")
Thai/Filipino cuisine made with coconut milk. I love a good curry, but since it’s made with coconut milk, I can normally expect a trip to the lavatory. ---
**Author:** ![bradministrator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a698b9/32.png) [@bradministrator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bradministrator)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/23 "2005-11-04T16:12:54Z")
Papa John’s Pizza. At least for some of us. ---
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/24 "2005-11-04T16:13:48Z")
The Beast: [Triple Leaf Teas](http://www.tripleleaf-tea.com/chinese.htm) Herbal Laxative tea. Never tried it myself, this is from other testimonials. Although, I don’t know if I’d describe it as “readily available”. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/25 "2005-11-04T16:32:37Z")
Slight hijack in regards to prunes. Prunes have such a “shitty” reputation that they are nowadays not sold as “prunes”, but rather “dried plums”. Of course, prunes were and always will be dried plums, but most packaging today avoids the word “prune”. PS, sorry for all the "s. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/26 "2005-11-04T17:17:47Z")
Oddly enough, if I drink a pint of Tropicana Orange Juice, I’m off to the races not to soon after. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/27 "2005-11-04T17:20:51Z")
if you have any degree of lactose sensativity, milk and/or ice cream would work. “P” fruits are good, but so are dried fruits in general (raisins always did it for me) whatever you chose to eat, be sure to drink lots of water as well, because the food could have the opposite effect on your system and do more than just “unclog” you, and you wouldn’t want to become dehydrated. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/28 "2005-11-04T19:12:22Z")
> [@inkleberry](#): > > Certain types of sugar-free candy. Man they will REALLY get you going. Not for everyone. My mom bought some of those and I had a few. No laxative effect but it built up a huuuuge amount of gas that would not leave. Oh god, that hurt so bad. ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/29 "2005-11-04T19:18:59Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > Not for everyone. My mom bought some of those and I had a few. No laxative effect but it built up a huuuuge amount of gas that would not leave. Oh god, that hurt so bad. Oh, no, you have to eat the whole bag. Another good laxative food - onion soup. The super-nice thing about that is it comes out identical to how it went in. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/30 "2005-11-04T19:24:05Z")
> [@Caricci](#): > > Oh, no, you have to eat the whole bag. > > Another good laxative food - onion soup. The super-nice thing about that is it comes out identical to how it went in. Or it just doesn’t act as a laxative for everyone. It says “may cause a laxative effect”, not “will”. [sub]I mean, take that “few” there with a grain of salt, sheesh. ;)[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/31 "2005-11-04T20:10:03Z")
For me, Wheat Chex. About this Colon Blow business (and the various charcoal/fast schemes I’ve heard of): are you supposed to clean out your intestine that throughly? Isn’t there a system built up in there that works the way it should?? ---
**Author:** ![TwoTrouts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9adbd/32.png) [@TwoTrouts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoTrouts)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/32 "2005-11-04T20:17:25Z")
This may be an urban myth, but I have heard the a couple drops of Visine in a drink will give someone the trots. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/33 "2005-11-04T20:25:07Z")
> [@The Chao Goes Mu](#): > > [**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. ooooo never again !!! I was told to do the whole liquiprep kit [the bottle of mag citrate AND the 4 little red pills of _doom_.] I was crapping my brains out for a week =( ---
**Author:** ![TwoTrouts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9adbd/32.png) [@TwoTrouts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoTrouts)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/34 "2005-11-04T20:30:23Z")
> [@TwoTrouts](#): > > This may be an urban myth, but I have heard the a couple drops of Visine in a drink will give someone the trots. Never mind. I checked on Snopes and this is actually bad stuff! [Link.](http://www.snopes.com/toxins/visine.asp) ---
**Author:** ![False\_God](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ee7513/32.png) [@False\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/False_God)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/35 "2005-11-04T20:39:57Z")
> [@slaphead](#): > > [glycerin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Laxatives) But why miss a golden opportunity to give the SMDB community a first-hand report on [Colon Blow](http://www.colonblow.com/)? 😃 Actually, I did this shortly after I joined, but I can’t find it; it might have fallen victim to Our Winter of Missed Content. Highlights: “Two words – rope-like.” ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/36 "2005-11-05T01:23:38Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > Oddly enough, if I drink a pint of Tropicana Orange Juice, I’m off to the races not to soon after. Vitamin C, in general. ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/37 "2005-11-05T04:38:09Z")
TGI Fridays ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/38 "2005-11-05T04:49:51Z")
Coffee and apples. Tea and plums. ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/39 "2005-11-05T05:03:40Z")
-Warm apples; as in apple cobbler or apple-brown-betty -Popeye’s spicy chicken. -CrackerJack and LOTS of liquids. -Corn. ---
**Author:** ![Kiminy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Kiminy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiminy)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421/40 "2005-11-05T06:57:08Z")
When our daughter was very young, her grandparents had standing orders to have some kind of melon on hand when we visited. She tended to get constipated when she was away from home, and melon (watermelon, honeydew melon, catawba melon, canteloupe, or anything) seemed to cure the problem in about six hours. It helps that she doesn’t get melon fruit very often, so even now that she’s 14yo, she thinks that getting honeydew melon or canteloupe at Grandma’s house is a treat. 😉 For myself, while I realize that coffee is not on any kind of list as a recognizable purgative, my morning cup of coffee is really all I need most of the time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-readily-available-food-or-drink-is-a-quick-powerful-laxative/329421.md?page=3)