Prunes (Dried Plums) and constipation

What 3 graded rows on prunes (dried plums) agree on for constipation, and where they differ. Counted side by side, never averaged.

Consensus finder Rows from the Prunes (Dried Plums) page, reviewed Oct 21, 2026 How it decides

What the rows agree on

Each block and row is one graded row from the Prunes (Dried Plums) page, with its PubMed record.

Supplement

Prunes (Dried Plums) Choose another

3 rows · 203 people

They agree: all 3 rows found an improvement.

No difference

Improved

Each block is one evidence row, sized by how many people it enrolled, with its grade inside.

From the rows

The best-graded row, grade C, is a randomized trial of 84 people (2022) and found an improvement.

The rows run from 40 to 84 people, published from 2011 to 2022: 3 single studies.

3 improved

Grade CHard stools and constipation complaints · Improved
RCT · n 84 · 2022 · Japanese adults with chronic constipation
Daily prune juice (amount not stated in the abstract) · Not stated in the abstract
Prune juice cut hard and lumpy stools and raised normal stools without raising loose stools, and eased constipation complaints vs placebo; no adverse events or liver or kidney changes.
Row on the Prunes (Dried Plums) page · PubMed 35971232 (opens PubMed)
Grade DBowel movements vs kiwifruit and psyllium · Improved
RCT · n 79 · 2021 · US adults with chronic constipation (87% women)
100 g a day · 4 weeks
Responder rates were similar across prunes, kiwifruit and psyllium; prunes improved stool consistency (P = 0.049) and straining (P < 0.001) vs baseline, with more dissatisfaction than kiwifruit.
Row on the Prunes (Dried Plums) page · PubMed 34074830 (opens PubMed)
Grade DBowel movements in chronic constipation vs psyllium · Improved
Crossover RCT · n 40 · 2011 · Adults with chronic constipation (37 of 40 women)
50 g twice a day (6 g fiber) · 3 weeks per treatment
Complete spontaneous bowel movements per week and stool consistency improved more with dried plums than psyllium (P < 0.05); straining and global symptoms did not differ.
Row on the Prunes (Dried Plums) page · PubMed 21323688 (opens PubMed)