Home Remedies for Hemorrhoids – 6 Natural Treatments
Did you know that an estimated 50% of the United States population will experience hemorrhoids by age 50? Characterized by swollen, inflamed veins within the rectum, hemorrhoids were actually one of the top health trends in 2012, leading to massive advertising for creams and other treatments. But you’ll be happy to know that there are many effective home remedies for hemorrhoids and numerous prevention tips. So why not go natural when searching for hemorrhoid treatment?
A Little About Hemorrhoids
Affecting both men and women, hemorrhoids are the result of inflamed, swollen veins in your rectum and anus, that can form either internally or externally. More often than not, this unpleasant issue is a result of straining to have a bowel movement, and is especially experienced by those suffering from constipation, the elderly, and pregnant women.
Luckily for everyone, hemorrhoids aren’t particularly harmful and are more of a nuisance than anything, so don’t worry! But the issue should still be resolved one way or another, as they can cause more problems than you want to deal with in the long run.
Symptoms of Hemorrhoids
The most common symptom for hemorrhoids is the presence of blood. If the hemorrhoid is internal, then the blood will be bright red and will be most noticeable on toilet paper. If external, you could experience a blood clot around your anus or swelling. Overall, common symptoms include:
- Bleeding
- Swelling
- Itching
- Irritation
- Blood clots or lumps around the anus
- Anal pain
Note that if you incorporate some natural hemorrhoid treatments and follow the prevention tips below, your symptoms may very well disappear as the issue reverses.
6 Home Remedies for Hemorrhoids
- Apple Cider Vinegar – Using apple cider vinegar is one of the most popular natural treatments for hemorrhoids. Simply soak a cotton ball or some toilet paper with ACV and apply it to the hemorrhoid area. Repeat this process until the inflammation disappears and symptoms resolve. You should see improvement instantly. Alternatively, add some ACV (half a cup) to a sitz bath.
- Rutin – A health-promoting compound found in numerous plants such as buckwheat, oranges, grapefruit, lemon, cranberries, and asparagus (to name a few), rutin is another home remedy often used for hemorrhoids. Buying it in supplement form may be the best option. One individual on Earthclinic says: “I have had a hemmroid for almost a year now. Just last week I started taking Rutin 500mg twice a day, in the morning and one before going to bed. … taking Rutin for only a week the inflammation has gone down and my hemmroid thankfully is almost gone, it’s less than a size of a pea today.”
- Coconut Oil – Apply coconut oil directly to hemorrhoids, rinse and repeat. In addition to symptoms subsiding, the hemorrhoids should disappear over the course of just a few days.
- Witch Hazel – An astringent and healing tree, witch hazel is one of the oldest known natural remedies for hemorrhoids. Just soak a pad or cotton ball with witch hazel and apply it to the area.
- Aloe Vera – As with the above treatments, simply apply aloe vera to the affected area to relieve symptoms.
- Squat, Don’t Sit – This is actually heavily important and very overlooked. Conventional toilets are highly unnatural, and may be one reason hemorrhoids are rarely seen in less developed countries, where where squatting is done when going to the bathroom. Sitting down to pass a bowel movement puts tremendous strain on the rectum while squatting straightens the rectum and relaxes the puborectalis muscle. This is tip should be done along with any home remedies for hemorrhoids you may use.
Causes and Necessary Prevention Tips – The Best “Treatment”
The most common causes of hemorrhoids are straining during bowel movements and obesity. If you’re straining during bowel movements, there is no doubt that you are suffering from constipation, and obesity only heightens your chance of experiencing these digestive issues. The best solution for hemorrhoids is – you guessed it – to not have them at all!
Follow these essential hemorrhoid prevention tips and you may not even have to delve into any hemorrhoid treatments.
- Exercise and Lose Weight – Being overweight or obese, along with being highly inactive, is the perfect path for a complete decline in health. If you aren’t a healthy weight and aren’t moving, your organs and internal system as a whole becomes sluggish and works at low levels. Start exercising and losing weight to fix the problem and keep your digestive tract working.
- Up Fiber Intake: Eat Plenty of Vegetables, Fruit – Seeing as hemorrhoids result from constipation and straining, it should be no surprise that upping fiber intake can help mend the issue. Fiber helps soften stools and is essential for colon health and digestive health as a whole. This nutrient helps to clean out the gastrointestinal system, preventing constipation and allowing the colon to work at greater levels of efficiency. Sources of fiber include: vegetables of all kinds, flax seeds, almonds, pecans, pistachios, prunes, pears, and beans. Include these foods in your diet while trying the other home remedies for hemorrhoids.
- Take Probiotics and Consume Probiotic-Rich Foods – Probiotics are essential for balancing the bacteria in your gut, which can prevent constipation and absolutely promotes overall health. Either take a high-quality probiotic supplement, or consume more probiotic-rich foods such as fermented foods like fermented cheese, yogurt, sauerkraut, Korean kimchi, and numerous fermented drinks like kombucha tea.
- Hydrate – Staying hydrated with water seems to be the number one recommendation for almost any health ailment. Water helps cleanse your internal system and hydrates your entire body. Along with fiber, drinking more water will help to soften stools and hopefully reduce the need for straining during a bowel movement.
Other Considerations for Hemorrhoid Treatment
- Soaking the area in warm water a few times a day for 10-15 minute periods can reduce inflammation and help relieve symptoms. You may also take a sitz bath and add a half cup of apple cider vinegar.
- Keep the area clean, bathing daily. Don’t use soap on the area as it will likely just cause irritation. Use moist toilet paper to dab the area after a bowel movement to lessen friction from wiping.
- Apply ice packs or cold compresses to relieve swelling.
As always, be sure to share any home remedies for hemorrhoids that work for you, as well as what hasn’t worked for you. It’s important to help natural treatments live on.
Additional Sources:
Eat Jicama raw as snack can see big improvement. Consume no sugar yogurt regularly can also see big relief.
Take a horse chestnut supplement. Two capsules, 3 or 4 times per day.
Natural Psylium works wonders for fiber you need. Dissolve one heaping teaspoon in water and drink it everyday. Within a day or two hemorrhoids ease up because it bulks up
Eating three to five dried prunes daily can take the place of unnatural products like Metamucil. Also drink plenty of water daily.
From reflexology…..simply massage the inside of the arm 1/3 of the way between the wrist and elbow. If you have hemorrhoids, the area will be sore. Be gentle but firm. The hemorrhoids will be gone in a day usually. It never takes more than three days.
Every time I read about hemorrhoids, I am always astonished to see that nobody mentions that using a bidet is the best cure for them. You can purchase a bidet that hooks easily up to the water supply on any toilet and the device moves from under the seat to clean thoroughly, but gently. My husband had hemorrhoids that needed the intervention of a physician and I was beginning to be bothered by them also. Since we started using a bidet, neither of us has had to do anything but use one and it's been about 4 years. We use those from a company called Biffy.
There is a small area on the inside of each arm above the wrist about 1/3 distance to the elbow that will be sore if hemorrhoids are bothersome. Massage sore place gently with the thumbs. The hemorrrhoids will disappear within a 24 hours….at the most 2 days. Simply simple!
Remedies with horse chestnut and tissue repair stimulating ingredients are good. But it is also necessary to make your digestion work well, both for an effective healing and prevention of relapse.
If you have visited your doctor, plus your doctor has not yet prescribed anything for you, it’s likely that your case of hemorrhoids is minor and doesn’t require any invasive procedures.
That means it is up to you alleviate the signs and symptoms, and address the reasons, of one's hemorrhoids. Here are a few expert tips which can help lessen the swelling of your respective hemorrhoids:
1. Most hemorrhoid sufferers don’t visit the bathroom very often, because they’re busy or they simply don’t feel like it. If your bathroom schedule is causing your stools to harden, you need to modify it. For example, when your bowel movement occurs only one time every couple of days, try going to the bathroom in the morning, once every day.
2. Fiber supplementation can be utilised if your current diet doesn't produce a sufficient quantity of fiber to obtain eliminate all the solid waste material in your colon.
However, we must emphasize here that in the long term, permanent modification of your weight loss program is the real means to fix your condition. If you are able to incorporate plenty of high fiber grains, fruits, and vegetables to your diet, you'll probably never have to deal with hemorrhoids ever again.
3. Some people feel constipated mainly because they don’t interact with your normal urge to go to the toilet quickly enough. As an example, many people do not go to the bathroom because they're so busy with household chores or work. Do this frequently enough, and you can be sure that hemorrhoids may ultimately bother you, simply because the body may find it more difficult to expel hardening feces.
4. Are you drinking enough water? Try drinking eight glasses of water a day to naturally soften your stool.
from the instructions i’ve read, it says to dab the ACV on the affected area only at least 3 to 4 times a day as necessary. there was no mention of sustained coverage (overnight). could that be the reason why?
Yeah that stuff is acidic as hell and not meant to be left on there overnight; It’ll probably do more damage than good. If you want to use ACV then just dab it on for like a minute, then clean dab it with witch hazel and/or aloe vera. I just use a mixture of witch hazel and aloe vera (since that’s the only stuff I could easily find in my local health store) in the morning when I wake up and before I go to sleep. After going to the bathroom I wet the toilet paper with witch hazel to wipe as well.
This works very well for me. I eat prunes at least 5 times a week and 95% of my fluid intake is water.
A great remedy for hemorrhoids is bee bread.
You are SPAMMING.
yes all the people who are leaving emails and phone #s are spamming
yes it is spamming. No professional DR uses gmail AND there are far to many numbers in that phone number, let me guess, direct line to my long lost uncle in Nigeria?
I know I might be way late to the discussion but I had been bedridden for 4 days. And today I had finally had enough with crying and only being able to lay on one side of my body. So I got online and researched the hell out of Natural remedies and decided to try the Apple Cider Vinegar. I took 800mg of Ibuprofen and took a bath then dabbed the ACV on the Hemmie. I felt INSTANT relief. I was able to take a nap even! I use an unscented wet wipe (baby wipe) to apply it. Just wedge it between the cheeks for a few seconds and it was like a miracle. Don’t leave a pad of it on overnight though. Will only make it worse, Be sure to stay well hydrated too. I hope this helps someone. I wouldn’t want to see ANYONE in the type of pain that I was in.
Banana peel (use white inside of peel) also is also used to provide relief from hemorrhoids. Also cabbage leaves.
The majority of
hemorrhoids are caused by Antibiotics that how main start,
I’m not overweight or obese, I’m vegetarian. Fiber Intake and
I Eat Plenty of Vegetables, Fruits I drink pleat of water as well but
still my hemorrhoids will get aggravated with antibiotics.
I Take probiotics and Consume probiotic Rich Foods – probiotics
I m using most of these remedies you all talking about it takes a few days to go away, its not funny i cant even sit
At 26 weeks pregnant, I’ve learned what a thrombosed hemorrhoid is! Lucky me.
Mine developed due to six months of dry heaving daily and having more blood circulating through my body… among other contributing factors.
I went to see specialist as I had a LOT of blood loss without passing a stool. The doctor looked and had little concern.
That being said, I first started taking Mirulax, which is a stool sofener, not a laxative. Mirulax works BASICALLY by pulling moisture from your body and softening up your stool to help with constipation.
I then tried, Preparation H, Tucks, and Witch Hazel (wipes & on cotton balls). I found these methods hurt and perhaps made the area more sensitive.
I also, stopped using toilet paper and switched to baby wipes. I made sure to buy the sensitive brand with no color or fragrance to ensure nothing exacerbating the situation.
THEN, I looked for Aloe Vera in the store that didn’t contain alcohol or any other additives. I never found it. I ended up going to my local plant store and buying an aloe plant. I literally cut the plant and used it as needed. Frequently. It was the only relief I got. Messy-ish but worth it.
I used the Aloe in conjunction with apple cider vinegar.
I would ONLY go to the bathroom when I absolutely had too, did my duty, wiped well with sensitive wipes and got off the toilet to eliminate strain. Dabbed an apple cider cotton swab then finished up with the aloe.
This cycle has helped me tremendously. I hope it helps others.