In Ayurveda, your colon is considered an important channel for the absorption of Prana (energy) and the elimination of what is not needed. The large intestine is the seat of Vata (the air element) and is therefore associated with nervousness. Intestinal gas is the hallmark of vatic disorders and indicates a need to ground, soothe and nurture. Constipation is usually connected with an increased Vata (the air element), although an excess of Pitta (the fire element) may also cause dry stools and an excess of Kapha (the earth element) may translate into mucus in the intestines that block the Vata energy responsible for bowel movements.

Natural and Ayurvedic remedies for your Colon: the physical side

To heal intestinal gas problems, avoid all raw foods as well as legumes and the cabbage family vegetables. Follow a Vata-pacifying diet and use carminative (gas-dispelling) herbs (like coriander, fennel, cumin and ginger) when preparing your foods. Following a Vata pacifying diet means saying NO to leafy vegetables, raw foods, dry foods, cold foods and frozen foods, and saying YES to warm, oily, moist foods cooked with spices and eaten at regular meal times.

Also, consider that chronic problems of intestinal gas may suggest the possibility of intestinal yeast overgrowth (candidiasis). If this is your case, avoid sugar (as sugar feeds the micro organism candida albicans), refined carbohydrates, dairy, as well as yeasted and fermented foods. Keep also in mind that the growth of candida albicans is in some cases also the result of the repetitive mis-use of antibiotics, which might produce serious side effects in the form of fungal disorders. To heal candidiasis, besides avoiding the aggravators above mentioned, consider taking natural supplements like garlic perls, acidophilus, spirulina, alfalfa capsules, bee pollen and royal jelly.

If you suffer from constipation, drink a glass of warm water on arising in the morning to help stimulate the gastro-intestinal reflex. Avoid rice and white flower (and sometimes cheese or meat, depending on your personal metabolism). Ayurveda recommends taking the remedy called triphala before going to bed. Also, a teaspoon of psyllium (plantago ovata) seed powder in a cup of warm water might help you if you drink it down three times a day until he results are obvious. Peppermint can also be used to alleviate constipation (as well as colic and stomach cramps, gas and heartburn). Senna leaves (cassia acutifolia) in the form of tea are also usually recommended as a laxative (and it also helps to expel parasites and worms), but it should be combined with anise, ginger or fennel to avoid stomach griping or cramping. Keep in mind however, that senna should not be used when there is inflammation in the intestinal tract or rectum, nor during pregnancy. Also, as Dr. Donald Lepore as pointed out, senna seems to displace from the body the mineral magnesium, which is essential for good bowel movements.

If your problem is colitis, avoid raw food and sugar (and sometimes dairy and wheat too). Follow a rice-based diet and take natural remedies like acidophilus, aloe vera and vitamin A.

A holistic view of your Colon: the emotional side

Your large intestine embodies the function of releasing what you do not need. As simple as it may sound, from a metaphysical and holistic point of view this includes not only food, but also situations, thoughts and feelings. You might say that your colon --as every organ—interacts with your body, but also with your mind and emotions. So, if you want to heal an imbalanced, inflamed, irritable or troubled colon, it is appropriate to address the problem from all the angles, considering your unique situation. This is also the ayurvedic or naturopathic approach that takes into account the emotional intelligence of your body.

Constipation is clearly associated with a reluctance to let go the residue of your past. Candidiasis is associated with being constantly scattered, frustrated and dispersed. Intestinal gas is associated with a need to ground, soothe and nurture (there is too much of the air element in your system). Colitis is associated with a fear of letting go and feelings of oppression, defeat, or a great need of affection, approval, validation or recognition from others. It can also be related to feelings of low self-esteem or guilt.

Vibrational Remedies for emotions related to your Colon

Once you identify the underlying emotions associated with your ailment, it will be clear to you that you need to change them in order to facilitate your healing and restore your natural balance. But that is easier said than done, especially when you are experiencing the evidence of your physical discomfort. The possible avenue for you to consider in this case is taking the appropriate vibrational Bach Flower remedy that matches your emotional frequency.

Honeysuckle is the appropriate Bach flower remedy for letting go of your past, so that you can emotionally free yourself from it and focus more on your present.

Clematis is the appropriate Bach flower remedy when you feel airy, dispersed and need grounding.

Gentian is the appropriate Bach flower remedy for feelings of frustration or defeat.

Centaury is the appropriate Bach flower remedy for those who please people and are very sensitive to other people’s opinions.

Larch is the appropriate Bach flower remedy when you lack the necessary self-confidence to carry out your tasks.

Heather is the appropriate Bach flower remedy when you have a great need of affection, approval, validation or recognition from others.

Pine is the appropriate Bach flower remedy when inside yourself you feel guilty.

The mental pattern associated with Colon ailments: the subconscious side

Recurrent episodes of colon discomfort may signal a pattern of thoughts, feelings and behavior that for one reason or another has been recorded in your subconscious over time, therefore becoming a habit, an automatic or default mechanism that repeats itself every time you face similar situations.

The key point in all kinds of imbalances related to the large intestine and all colon problems has to do with your self worth perception and with your self-love. People who suffer from colon imbalances are in need of affection. They need to feel loved by others, as everybody. But in them, that longing for love coming from outside has silently and inadvertently eroded over time the love they have for themselves. Their self-love has been diminished to a point where they do not feel worthy of being loved as they are. Therefore they think that in order to be loved, they have to do something or achieve something big or impressive to be “better” in the eyes of other people, so that love can come from outside.

The critical point in people with colon ailments is that only if and when this love comes from outside they will feel “allowed” to have some love for themselves. Their self-love and self-worth is totally dependent on how much they feel approved, recognized or respected by other people. They search love outside first, to be able to love themselves in a second stage. Therefore, they undertake whatever task they perceive is needed to “conquer” love in the outside world, so that they can allow themselves to experience self-love only as a consequence of it.

Being as sensitive as they are to self-worth issues, people with colon ailments usually feel guilty if they do not comply with the high standards they have set for themselves to “conquer” love, respect and recognition in the outside world. And feeling guilt is energetically translated in colon pain by your body.

Because of this emotional sensitivity, people who suffer from recurrent large intestine problems also resent more than others any setback along their path. An outburst of anger coming from a demanding boss, or an impolite comment from someone they love or from a friend are sufficient to make them feel somehow “not good enough”, guilty or ultimately not worth of their own self-love.

To compensate for that, some of them react by placing on themselves an even heavier burden to make sure that they “regain” the love, approval or recognition they are longing for. And the problem here is that that they may end up carrying out heavy unreasonable burdens merely out of duty, without joy, which is another way of denying themselves self-love.

To break this vicious circle, it is necessary for them to realize that without self-love in the first place, any amount of action, duties or tasks performed in the outside world will never lead to experience a real and fulfilling love because in their inner world they are denying themselves self love and self respect. Consider for a moment that you can even be the most popular person on the planet, but if you –deep down- do not love and approve yourself, your fame or popularity will be worthless or inconsequential for your real happiness. It will only be a façade, a mask.

People with recurrent colon problems have to accept, love, and approve themselves first for what they are. When they do, they will be naturally confident and in a much better position to interact with the outside world. They will see the world not as a place that has to be “conquered” or where they have to “justify their existence” or “gain approval” or “be validated”, but as a wonderful place where they can share their uniqueness and spread the love that they have inside themselves in the first place, out of joy, not duty. Only in this way will they be able to build love from love, instead of trying to build love from a perceived lack of it.

When you understand this, you understand that your large intestine -your colon-, when it hurts, is a messenger that is telling you one thing: love yourself more.