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People who have looked into constipation treatments have likely learned about the prune. Prunes are thought to be good for treating constipation, possibly because of its high fiber content. However, many people don't know that prune juice is also a good constipation treatment.

The cultivation and exploitation of plums has gone on for hundreds or even thousands of years, according to the best archaeological evidence. Modern prune makers follow an ancient tradition. Plums are plucked and collected in one area where temperature is raised to about 200 degrees Fahrenheit. In ancient times this was likely done in or near an oven. After drying, the prunes can be further processed to create related products.

The usual understanding for most people is that prunes are good natural laxatives because of their dietary fiber content. How then does prune juice, which has no fiber at all because of filtration, help those who suffer from constipation? The answer is that sorbitol, a polysaccharide sugar substitute, has some wondrous laxative properties.

Sorbitol is present at almost 15% by weight of prunes, and 6% by weight of prune juice. It's a complex, polymeric sugar. That means on the molecular scale, it's a very long chain of sugars. This property allows it to absorb and retain water in the gut as it passes through. In fact, it sometimes is used as a sugar substitute in foods that are labeled "sugar free".

Other fruits that have high sorbitol include the pear. People who have chewed sugarless gum may have also picked up on the fact that one of the main ingredients is sorbitol. This property plus the fact that it tastes slightly sweet means that it's made its way into many foods that are touted as low sugar.

What gives sorbitol its powerful anti-constipation effects? Two things that we have mentioned are responsible: the fact that sorbitol goes through the gut without being digested and the fact that sorbitol has a tendency to retain a lot of water in the intestine. Together, this means that foods with sorbitol will become bulky with fluids.

The extra water and fluids means that the food mass becomes soft, dense, and thus moves more quickly through the gastrointestinal pathway. There are a number of other laxative agents that behave this way, and they are known as either osmotic or bulk laxatives. Prune juice, fortunately, is one of those things that one may drink anyway for other health benefits. That it's a useful laxative is an added bonus for those interested in this class of treatments.

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