25 Effective Home Remedies For Piles

The word piles is generally whispered and never spoken aloud. There is a touch of embarrassment associated with this disease. But it’s time we stopped making a disease a taboo.

Piles, medically known as Hemorrhoids, are a common ailment. Hemorrhoids are blood vessels that are located in the muscles of the walls of the anus and the rectum. These are generally in the form of masses, clumps, or cushions of tissue in the anal canal. The term “piles” is used to refer to the condition of swollen and inflamed hemorrhoids. It is characterized by a hard lump in the anal canal and is accompanied by pain, itchiness and bleeding.

Hemorrhoids are generally classified into two types-internal and external. Internal hemorrhoids lie far inside the rectum and hence, cannot be seen or felt due to the lack of pain sensing nerves. Bleeding is the only indication of piles. External hemorrhoids lie within the anus and can be seen and felt. During piles, they prolapse to the outside in the course of passage of stool. Often blood clots form within prolapsed hemorrhoids, leading to an extremely painful condition called thrombosis.

Generally piles are not so serious and go away on their own after a few days. But they should not be ignored as they can lead to life-threatening conditions such as colorectal cancer. Piles can affect anyone at any age but they mostly affect elderly people, pregnant ladies, and those with spinal cord injuries. Symptoms include blood or mucus discharge after a bowel movement, pain during defecation, red and swollen anus and formation of a hard lump of coagulated blood called thrombosed external hemorrhoid. The good news is that piles at their initial stage can be cured at home. The piles home remedies given below are effective in the treatment of piles.

Home Remedies for Piles

1. Radish Juice:

Radish juice is a great natural remedy for piles. Try drinking radish juice twice a day. Since the taste is not pleasant, you can start off with ¼ cup and gradually increase it to half a cup, over a period of one month. This will enable you to flush out your system, reducing the painful discomfort of piles.

2. Bitter Gourd:

To ease piles, crush bitter gourd leaves to extract its juice and mix 3 tablespoons of this juice with 1 glass of buttermilk. Drink this on an empty stomach every morning for a month to get beneficial results.

3. Dried Figs:

Wash 3 to 4 figs and soak them in a glass of water overnight. Eating this on an empty stomach early in the morning and then at night will definitely relieve the pain and swelling of inflamed hemorrhoids. .

4. Banana:

Banana is known for its laxative qualities. Boil a ripe banana in one cup of milk and mash well. Take this 3 to 4 times a day to get relief.

5. Mustard Seeds:

To get relief from bleeding caused by piles, grind one teaspoon of mustard seeds to powder and mix it with half cup of goat’s milk. Add some sugar and drink it early in the morning on an empty stomach. Another simple remedy for piles is to drink the same mustard powder mixed with homemade curd.

6. Turnip:

Juice extracted from the leaves of turnip or ‘shalgam’ also helps in curing piles. Prepare a mixture of about 50 ml by combining equal quantities of carrot, spinach and turnip leaves juice.

7. Neem Leaves:

A decoction can be prepared by boiling neem leaves and wheatgrass in water. This, when given to patients suffering from piles, will clean out their system of all its wastes. The flowers of the neem tree are equally effective in treating piles.

8. Ginger:

Ginger is extremely good for a piles patient. A teaspoon of ginger juice mixed with lime juice, mint leaves and honey should be taken by the patient twice to thrice a day for relief. To ease the pain associated with piles, rock salt, ginger and peppercorns should be added to buttermilk. This mixture should be taken twice a day for relief.

9. Cumin Seeds:

Roast 1 tablespoon of black cumin seeds and mix them with unroasted black cumin seeds. Grind the mixture into a powder and take half a teaspoon with a glass of water daily. Alternatively, you can prepare a decoction by mixing equal quantities of pepper and fennel with 300 grams of honey. You can also mix 1 tablespoon cumin seed powder with water to make a thick paste and apply it on the swollen area. Wash off with water after 15 minutes. This should be done twice a day.

10. Mango Seeds:

Grind dried mango seeds into a powder and mix 2 tablespoons of this powder with honey. This should be taken twice a day.

11. Turmeric:

Turmeric is known for its antiseptic and healing qualities. Piles patients should eat a teaspoon of ground fresh turmeric root on a regular basis.

12. Sesame Seeds:

You can boil a handful of sesame seeds or til in about 500 ml water till the decoction is reduced to one-third. Prepare a paste by adding one teaspoon of butter. Eating this once a day regularly will give relief.

13. Onion:

Onions can help you get rid of piles. Mix one grated raw onion with 2 tablespoons of honey and have this twice a day. Alternatively, you can add some onion juice to water with a dash of sugar.

14. Coconut:

Applying coconut oil on the affected area gives relief from the burning and itching caused by piles. You can apply 2 to 3 times a day until the pain or lumps start disappearing.

15. Pomegranate:

You can prepare a decoction by boiling some pomegranate peels in water and drink this twice a day for relief.

16. Basil:

Basil or ‘tulsi’ is an herb known for its medicinal properties. Soak about 5 basil leaves in a glass of water for 30 minutes and drink.

17. Passion Fruit:

Passion fruit is also an effective remedy for piles. Apply 4 milligrams of passion fruit blanched with water on the affected area for relief.

18. Olive Oil:

In addition to its various properties for improving skin, hair and health, olive oil is effective in easing pain and swelling caused by piles. Warm olive oil can be applied to the affected area for relief.

19. Baking Soda:

Baking soda can be applied on the swollen veins to reduce inflammation. This can be directly applied as a powder or in a form of a paste made using water.

20. Carrot and Beetroot:

A mixture of carrot and beetroot juices can be applied on a long piece of gauze which can be used to apply the juice on the swollen veins.

21. Aloe Juice:

Aloe vera juice can be consumed to reduce the painful swelling of piles. Freshly scraped gel can be applied on the affected area for relief from pain and burning sensation.

22. Banyan Latex:

Latex of banyan tree is another effective piles remedy. This can be added to milk and this mixture should be consumed regularly for beneficial results.

23. Triphala:

Triphala is an Ayurvedic compound composed of three fruits. It is a great bowel tonic that can relieve constipation which is one of the causes of piles.

24. Horse Chestnut:

Horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) is an herb which is often recommended to cure poor circulation in the veins or chronic venous insufficiency. It has been used in folk medicine to relieve swelling and inflammation as well as strengthen the vessel walls. This quality can be attributed to the presence of a compound called aescin. It can be taken as a tea or in capsule form or applied externally as a compress. However, people who are allergic to horse chestnut or those with bleeding disorders or taking blood thinners should avoid it. Besides, only products prepared from seeds or bark of its young branches should be used.

25. Tamarind:

Consumption of juice extracted from the tamarind flowers is also effective in healing piles. This is one of the sure shot home remedies for piles.

Dietary Changes:

Apart from trying the remedies for piles given above, it is important to incorporate certain dietary changes in your routine to get quick relief from this painful disease. If you are suffering from piles, you need to follow a dietary pattern that is conducive to the treatment of piles.

1. Patients afflicted with piles should incorporate fruits and vegetables in their diet. Besides banana, berries like blackberries and grapes are quite helpful in curing piles. Berries have anti-inflammatory properties which aid free passage of bowels as also cure pain and swelling when affected by piles. Vegetables that are beneficial in this regard include papaya, cabbage and colocasia.

2. Piles patients should stay away from spicy food and chilies as they can aggravate the symptoms. Artificially flavored foods containing preservatives should also be avoided.

3. Patients affected by piles should drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water in a day to facilitate free movement of bowel.

4. Bioflavonoid are a type of plant compounds that can stabilize and strengthen blood vessel walls by decreasing inflammation. They have been found to be effective in reducing anal discomfort, pain and anal discharge caused during an acute hemorrhoid attack. They are mostly found in citrus fruits and are recommended for treating hemorrhoids in pregnancy. So, it is advisable to increase the consumption of citrus fruits to reduce the symptoms of pain, itchiness, bleeding and discharge.

5. A low fiber diet increases the likelihood of having piles. So it is advisable to boost the consumption of fiber-rich foods like vegetables, whole grains etc. to keep piles at bay.

Piles is not something to be ashamed of. It is a disease just like any other. With these simple remedies for piles, you can now be free of this painful condition.