Dried Plum

Prunes · Prunus domestica · Prune juice

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Chronic constipation¹ Postmenopausal bone health² Bone turnover in men³ Cholesterol and inflammation markers⁴ Infrequent stools in healthy adults⁵	Intestinal obstruction⁶ Diabetes mellitus⁶

Prunes (dried plums, Prunus domestica) owe their effect on bowel function to fiber, sorbitol, and phenolic content. People take them for chronic constipation, for bone health in postmenopausal women, and for cholesterol and inflammation markers. Typical users are adults with mild to moderate constipation and postmenopausal women with low bone mass.

Bone evidence is smaller: a trial in men found modest bone-protective effects. A 2021 review of plant-derived angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors ranked Prunus domestica among the most potent in laboratory assays, which have not been matched by human mechanistic trials. Among more than seven thousand products listing dried plum, sampled products are combination bone formulas in capsules; see Form comparison.

Trials report more flatulence with prunes⁵.

Last updated October 17, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

50 sources, 35 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources