In spite of the prescriptive and over-the-counter medications available, a natural health cure for diarrhea is far preferable, because it targets the root cause rather than just the symptoms. As with any remedy, it is helpful if the cause of the diarrhea is known, but even if you are not sure, there are basic steps you can take to heal your digestive system.

There are several forms of diarrhea, although many of the symptoms are described by the term Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) in which

Natural health cures for diarrhea can be classified as to their effect: some deal with the diarrhea symptom itself, others calm your body, while yet others target the tone and the health of your gastrointestinal tract. These shall be discussed according to what they do as opposed to what they actually are, since each natural health cure can tackle the same problem in a different way.

These shall be discussed according to what they do as opposed to what they actually are, since each natural health cure can tackle the same problem in a different way.

A. Dealing with Toxins

Toxins are substances foreign to the human body, and that can cause diarrhea in a number of ways. Examples of toxins are pesticides and weed killers, various forms of pollution, heavy metals such as lead, mercury and tin and toxins emitted by unfriendly or imbalanced bacteria in your gut.

B. Dealing with Toxins: Bacteria

Although activated charcoal can be used to expel toxins from the body, it does not tackle the source of the problem. As stated earlier, an effective natural health cure for diarrhea gets to the root cause, not just the symptoms.

Main stream medicine has trouble diagnosing IBS, because it has such similar symptoms as several other digestive disorders. In fact IBS not only causes diarrhea, but can also cause the exact opposite: severe constipation. The way that IBS is generally diagnosed is to test with very invasive procedures for all other known causes of the symptoms, and once none are left it must be IBS. How unscientific! No wonder that the best remedies for you are natural ones.

Chronic diarrhea lasts for at least a month to be diagnosed as such, and can possibly last for several months. Acute diarrhea often needs no treatment, although there are some natural treatments that make you more comfortable and even eliminate the diarrhea altogether. A cup of black tea can not only taste nice and refreshing, but also help cure your diarrhea due to the astringent effect of the tannic acid it contains.

Natural treatments have no harmful side effects, and they also treat the underlying problem AND its symptoms. However, back to classifying diarrhea types and how they can be treated without drugs.

A food diary may highlight IBS cures by flagging up other dietary issues, such as dehydration or a fiber deficiency. Those with IBS-related constipation may benefit from introducing natural grains, fruits and vegetables to prevent the spasms in the gut which cause blockage and result in discomfort. Intestinal gases are increased by fizzy soft drinks such as colas or soda, so they should be swapped for plain tap or distilled water. Drinking 8 glasses every day is advised for good health, however for those suffering IBS-related diarrhea, it is the key to stopping dehydration.