In need of a natural remedy for anal fissures? Let me start by giving you a few easy (low cost) remedies you can try first to heal. If they don’t work well enough, then you’ll likely need my custom-made FissureHeal suppositories. But as these are handmade by a compound pharmacy, they are not cheap! So you may want to try the other remedies first and see if that does the job.

I invented FissureHeal because I had a severe anal fissure – since the birth of my son, two years earlier – that I was desperate to heal.

Also, please know that if you suffer from hemorrhoids (internal or external) or anal stenosis (stricture or narrowing) we also have very effective remedies for those conditions.

What Causes Anal Fissures?

Rectal or anal fissures are tears or cracks in the tissue of the anus or rectal canal. Fissures are usually caused by constipation and/or trauma, such as straining to pass too large or hard a stool, childbirth, or chronic diarrhea – all of which stretch, tear or irritate the mucosal tissue in the rectum or anus. A fissure tear can be minor and shallow, or go right down to the sphincter muscle.

Fissures occur in people of all ages, from infants to seniors. The first signs that you have a rectal or anal fissure may be painful bowel movements, and/or bright red blood on the toilet paper or in the toilet. Fissures may itch, and some have a bad-smelling discharge. The inflammatory bowel condition Crohn’s disease is a common cause of fissures. Hemorrhoids (also called piles) are often associated with fissures.

A mild anal fissure will usually heal on its own with no additional help, but deeper tears can become chronic unless you assist the damaged tissue to restore itself.

what causes anal fissures

Natural Remedy For Anal Fissures

Onto the natural remedy for anal fissures…

Fresh Aloe Vera

You can use an aloe vera plant to make yourself rectal suppositories. Cut off a piece of the leaf, then cut away the green leaf and inside yellowish layer (it’s bitter and astringent), leaving only the clear inside meat of the plant. Insert this fresh aloe vera  (cut to the desired length and width) into your rectum and leave it there until your next bowel movement, when it will come out naturally. You may need to wrap the cut aloe vera in cellophane and freeze it first to make it firmer and easier to insert.

If you insert this suppository before bed, then the aloe vera has all night (hopefully) to work its healing action. Re-apply after every bowel movement. Aloe Barbedensis is a good species of aloe vera with proven healing action.

Comfrey Salve

A good healing salve for anal and/or rectal fissures is one made primarily from the comfrey plant. Other good ingredients to look for include plantain, aloe vera and vitamin E, but they must be together with the comfrey, because the comfrey is the premier would healer. Coat your finger well with the salve and insert into your rectum, massaging the salve into the tissue. Re-apply after every bowel movement, or as often as possible. Make sure you’ve washed your hands thoroughly before application and never stick the same, soiled finger back into your pot of salve.

FissureHeal Suppositories

As I mentioned, I created FissureHeal suppositories and have used them myself to heal both minor and severe anal fissures, and they work very well. They contain four of the most effective herbal mucosal healing agents known and we also use these ingredients in my Healing Implant Enema to help heal the lining of the small and large intestine when it is bleeding:

Slippery elm – good for diarrhea and ulcers when taken internally. Soothes inflamed mucous membranes of the stomach, intestines (rectum) and urinary tract.

Marshmallow root – soothes and heals mucous membranes, skin and other tissues. Aids the body in expelling excess mucus and fluid.

Comfrey root – speeds healing of wounds, bleeding tissues, and many skin conditions. Contains allantoin, a significant skin healer and regenerator.

Cocoa butter – a rich and soothing emollient to moisturize tissue, leaving it more supple and pliable.

Beeswax – only a minimal amount is added to increase stability and aid dispersion of the ingredients as the suppository melts. Beeswax is an emollient and protects rectal and anal tissue.

I’ve heard from readers who’ve had fissures for 5 to 6 years, and nothing else worked until they tried FissureHeal. A friend of mine’s father had anal fissures as a result of his colon cancer treatment and he said the fissures were worse than the cancer! Needless to say, he was thrilled when FissureHeal got rid of this problem for him.

I made the suppositories very thin – as thin as a regular-sized drinking straw – so no matter how sore your anus and/or rectum are, they will insert easily. They’re also extra long (2 inches) so they can reach a rectal fissure high up in your rectal canal – or you can break them off at the length you need. Insert them at night – or whenever you’re likely to have your longest stretch without a bowel movement – so your rectum or anus has the maximum amount of time to heal undisturbed.

Make Your Own Suppositories

You can also make your own suppositories by adding any of the healing ingredients given above to a base of cocoa butter. You can either melt and pour them into molds, or use a hand-rolling method. Here’s how:

YouTube video

Preventing Recurrence of Fissures

Once you’ve healed your anal fissures – or, to give them the best chance to heal – it’s good to use a stool softening and bulking agent so that you don’t have to strain or push too hard to have a bowel movement. I used to recommend MetaCleanse but that product disappeared when their facility burnt down. Well, ColonEaze is my version of that product, all-natural, mostly organic, no fillers/flow agents etc. My ideal blend of “binding” or bulking & softening agents, along with targeted herbs.

However, I think my version is actually better because I’ve removed the bentonite clay (which should only be used short-term as it removes ALL bacteria; good and bad) and added the beneficial, gentle herbs.

You can also use 1 tbsp. sprouted flax and chia powder along with 1/2 tsp. bentonite clay, however, I formulated ColonEaze specifically to be gentle on the bowel without stripping beneficial bacteria as well.

NOTE: You cannot use these remedies if you are on an exclusively elemental diet – only if you are combining Absorb Plus with regular foods.  If you suffer from chronic constipation, then there are many contributing factors and I really encourage you to get my book, Listen To Your Colon to heal the underlying causes of constipation. At the very least, see my video to help make bowel movements easier:

YouTube video

If your fissure is the result of too many bowel movements (diarrhea) then see the Diarrhea symptom page on this site for complete instructions and why the flax/chia seed powder + bentonite clay combo is a great formula for you too.

Pregnancy, Breastfeeding, Babies: I have used aloe vera, comfrey and FissureHeal while pregnant and breastfeeding. I used FissureHeal suppositories on my daughter for a few days when she was six months old, and have used comfrey with all my children when necessary since infancy. The FDA strictly warns against comfrey for internal use because ONE woman died – who was very ill with multiple health conditions, taking all kinds of substances, but she also drank a lot of comfrey tea each day. However, although SEVEN THOUSAND people die each year from normal Aspirin usage, the FDA is happy for us to take Aspirin. Hmmmm….

NATURAL REMEDY FOR ANAL FISSURES SUMMARY

  • If you get the FissureHeal suppositories, that’s likely all you’ll need to heal even deep rectal or anal fissures. Use at night, right before bed, and once or twice during the day if you feel you need it. Follow insertion directions on the package.