Raisins with clarified butter or ghee for the relief of acute and chronic constipation - A Clinical Study

Background: Constipation is a very distressful symptom, affecting to all age group. The only treatment is laxatives, which is having many adverse effects mainly dependency on laxatives. Purpose: To evaluate the laxative effect of raisins and to get relief from daily dependency on laxative medicines for acute and chronic constipation Methods: Interventional / Experimental study of raisins and clarified butter or ghee performed at ‘Vishwaraj Hospital’ Pune, Maharashtra, India from March 2021 to June 2021, after appropriate ethical approval obtained from the Vishwaraj Hospital’s Ethics Committee (Registration number- ECR/1138/Inst/MH/2018). Fifty one patients of constipation who were on laxatives or PR enema enrolled in this study, diagnosis confirmed by gastro-enetrologist. Laxatives had been asked to stop before enrollment. Questionnaire form were given at the time of enrollment and telephonic follow up for OPD patients and by visiting to admit patients had been taken on 2nd day after consumption of raisins and clarified butter or ghee then on 7th and 15th day. Forms were collected once they were visit to their respective doctors for follow up. Results: Statistical tool used in this study is the 95 % confidence interval. The variables of interest were 1) percent of patients have restarted laxatives or not and 2) number of days required to get relief from constipation. 94.12 % of patients (n=48) did not restart laxatives after consumption of raisins and clarified butter or ghee and the population percent of patients that might not restart laxatives would be 88% to 100% with 95 % confidence. Also the number of days to get relief from constipation after consumption of raisins and clarified butter or ghee for a patient in population would be 3-4 days with 95 % confidence.  Conclusion: Raisins and CB or ghee had given relief from acute and chronic constipation; worked very well on irritable bowel syndrome, fissure in ano, hemorrhoids and helped to stop PR bleeding and bloating causes by these diseases. Patients got relief from constipation on 3rd and 4th day. This study concluded that raisins with clarified butter or ghee can be taken instead of laxatives or enema to get relief from constipation; this might be the great substitute for laxatives and per rectum enema.