Constipation, the root of several psychosomatic disorders has become so common, especially in the civilized and advanced countries that a medical historian can justifiably describe the present period as "the Era of Constipation". Other developing and underdeveloped countries are gradually progressing in that direction. The growing intake of artificial foods, increasing mental tension, lack of rest and a careless attitude towards responding to the natural urges are primarily responsible for this tragedy and these habits have become inseparable parts of the civilized society.

Erroneously, stool is considered just to be the waste food and its routine evacuation is not considered essential. People wait for nature to force it out and often this natural urge is suppressed because of other engagements. The discomfort that is experienced because of constipation is considered to be imaginary and not real. To avoid this discomfort, people use different types of purgatives and enema and ultimately depend upon such unnatural and harmful measures for the rest of their lives. It is because of this that chemists tend to sell more purgatives than any other medicine.

Apart from the intentional suppression of the urge to defecate, sometimes defecation does not take place properly because of wrong diet and wrong regimens including psychic factors. Whether such diets and regimens are observed intentionally or inadvertently the ultimate result is constipation that is, the inadequate evacuation of feces. The feces, apart from the waste products of the food, consist of several bacteria and metabolic waste products from the blood. If they are not evacuated properly, a rebound phenomenon occurs by which both the digestive and meta­bolic processes are obviously affected and the functions of the liver, pancreas and so on get afflicted.
Some of these bacteria which generally get evacuated along with stool are toxic to the body. If not evacuated in time, these toxins get absorbed into the blood stream thereby causing autointoxication.

Some of the bacteria in the colon are helpful to the body inasmuch as they synthesize some of the much needed vitamins. In the presence of harmful bacteria, these helpful ones cease to function and ultimately get destroyed. The body is thus deprived of several useful vitamins and such­like that are needed for the smooth functioning of the metabolic process. Constipated patients, therefore, depend more and more upon synthetic vitamins from outside in the absence of these natural vitamins. Because of this, the consumption of vitamins and vitamin preparations have increased manifold, such as purgatives, in the civilized societies of the advanced countries.
Purgatives or enema may provide instant relief to the patient but these measures cause further constipation, and the patient, unless he corrects his food habits and regimens, begins to depend upon them all the time. Regular use of these purgatives and enema cause several complications and the colon stops performing its normal functions.
Under normal circumstances, in the colon, friendly bacteria produce the required quantity of vitamins. In the absence of such production, dependence upon the outside vitamins by the patient leads to several maladies inasmuch as these vitamin-supplements may not be of appropriate quality and quantity and the patient may suffer from avitaminosis (deficiency of vitamins in the body) or hyper­vitaminosis (excess of vitamins in the body).

What then is the solution to this problem? The solution lies in correcting the food, developing regular habits for evacuation and reducing mental tension. In practical life, especially in the present-day civilized world, minor aberr­ations in food and regimens can not be averted totally. Therefore, a person has to take some simple but absolutely harmless drugs, vegetables and foods in order to restore the balance. These should both cure and prevent constipation and should not become addictive. They should not cause, directly or indirectly any adverse effect on the gastro- Iintestinal tract. On the other hand, they should produce beneficial effects on the body. These medicines should simultaneously correct the functioning of the liver and work towards the prevention as well as cure of piles.