Constipation, a worldwide gastrointestinal disorder needs to osmotic and stimulant laxatives. The use of herbal medicines as laxative agents is prevalent in folk and traditional medicines. Prunus L. and especially P. domestica delicious fruits are popular as remedy for constipation. According to traditional beliefs P. domestica relaxes the stomach and expels the yellow bile. According to traditional belief, we searched in different resources, books, thesis, etc. The results exhibited that P. domestica is used as mild to moderate laxative in modern medicines. The use of P. domestica is associated with normal bowel or gastrointestinal or colonic functions that are the result of reduction in transit time, bulking the stool, and increased in the frequency of bowel movement. P. domestica can be used in pregnant and breast-feeding mothers. The only adverse effect of P. domestica is its bloating effects in some clinical studies. P. domestica fruits can be used in laxative formulations with other laxatives or alone for improvement of gastrointestinal functions.
