Baby Carrot Quick Bites #3: Help! I'm constipated!

The “Baby Carrot Quick Bites” series is about quick, easy, and cheap natural remedies. This one is about constipation.

I can lecture you about lifestyle… you probably know all the rules already. Drink plenty of water, eat enough vegetables, exercise regularly, avoid food allergens, blah blah blah. 

But you’ve let yourself slip. Life is messy. You’re traveling and don’t have access to fresh foods. You forget to grab your water bottle. You can’t resist the entire tray of nacho corn chips. You get hit with a wave of stressful situations. Sh*t happens... And then, sadly, sometimes sh*t doesn’t happen… And now you’re constipated and miserable. What to do?

This week the Moon and Saturn are prominent.

The Moon is disposited by Saturn as she travels through Capricorn and Aquarius for a few days. The Full Moon occurs in Aquarius, adding extra Saturn-ruled impact governing the next two weeks. And when the Moon finally escapes Aquarius and enters Pisces, Saturn is waiting for her there too.

Get your self-care plan ready! Saturn’s inexorable discipline is calling us.

For some people, this may manifest physically as constipation. Saturn is about blockages and slowness, and the Moon rules the stomach (and thus the entire digestive system overall). The Moon and Saturn together govern the lymphatic system. (I’ll explain why in a longer article later). The lymphatic system is crucial to proper digestion, especially regarding adequate moisture in the intestines.

There are so many ways to tackle this problem. I have a hundred suggestions! But for this quick article, I’m just going to focus on ONE herb. It is not very commonly thought of when you think “constipated,” but it should be, because it’s amazing:

Cabbage.

Last time I went grocery shopping you could get a whole head of cabbage for less than $2, so it’s pretty cheap. Green or purple, either kind is fine. Get a whole head, not the pre-chopped bags.

Cabbage is ruled by the Moon, which is all about smooth movement.

You’re going to work with it both internally and externally.

Internally: Chop it up and eat a bowlful with every meal. Obviously, it has fiber, like all vegetables, so it’s going to help promote digestion. But it also has extra powers: it promotes lymphatic movement in the body, and it stimulates enzyme production to help you break down your food better. It also reduces inflammation.

Externally: take fresh leaves and place them over your abdomen. (Yes, I’m serious.) Gently secure the leaves in place with an ace bandage, belt, or some kind of wrap, and wear them for a few hours. I know this is weird! But it works! Cabbage leaves promote lymph flow and reduce pain where they are applied. It is an old “wives remedy” for breast pain that truly does work for that condition, and it also helps when applied to other body parts as well.

Go ahead, be a lunatic, and wear cabbage under your clothes. (A “luna-tic” is someone with “lunar” influences, so this is perfect.)

Caveat— I usually don’t just do “one thing” for any symptom. I always try to work holistically. That means diet, rest, movement, emotions, multiple herbs, etc. Constipation is no exception. But for these “quick bites” I like to provide an easily memorable, maximally helpful tip.

Give it a try, and see how it “goes”!