Aloo Bukhara (Ijjas)
Quick Facts
- What it is: Aloo Bukhara (Ijjas) is the plum, fresh or dried as a prune, used in Persian and Unani practice mainly to soften stools and ease constipation.
- Main uses: Constipation, Bowel regularity, Adding fibre to the diet
- Best for: Mild to moderate constipation, Keeping stools soft without a drug laxative
- Active ingredients: Sorbitol, Soluble and insoluble fibre, Chlorogenic and neochlorogenic acids, Potassium, Vitamin K
- Forms: Fresh fruit, Dried fruit (prunes), Juice, Paste or puree, Unani fruit syrups
- Time to effect: Often 12-48 hours for stools; one to three weeks for steady regularity.
- Side effects: Gas, bloating and loose stools if you eat too many; allergy to stone fruit is uncommon.
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What is Aloo Bukhara (Ijjas)?
Aloo Bukhara (Ijjas) is the plum, fresh or dried, from the tree Prunus domestica. Dried plums are sold as prunes. In Persian and Unani practice it is used as a gentle food-like remedy for hard stools, dry heat in the body, and poor appetite.
The clearest modern use is constipation. Small human trials show that eating prunes daily softens stools and increases the number of bowel movements, and one trial found them at least as helpful as psyllium fibre.
Most other traditional uses have not been tested in people. Long traditional use tells you a remedy has been trusted for a long time; it does not by itself prove the remedy works, and we flag below where proof is thin.
How does Aloo Bukhara (Ijjas) work?
Prunes are thought to work on the bowel in three simple ways at once.
They carry fibre, which adds bulk to stool. They are high in sorbitol, a sugar alcohol the gut absorbs poorly, so it pulls water into the bowel. They also contain phenolic compounds (plant antioxidants) that may speed up gut movement.
Unani texts describe the fruit as cooling and moistening, used to settle bilious heat. That is a traditional framework, not a tested mechanism, and the two should not be confused.
What forms does Aloo Bukhara (Ijjas) come in?
Common forms you will find: - Fresh plums, eaten whole - Dried plums (prunes), whole or chopped - Prune juice, usually made from dried fruit - Prune paste or puree, used in cooking and baking - Unani compound syrups and confections that list Ijjas among several fruits
For bowel regularity, whole dried fruit and juice are the two forms actually studied in people. Capsules and extracts are sold but have little trial support.
Where it comes from:
The plum has been grown across Persia, Central Asia and the Caucasus for thousands of years, and Bukhara in Uzbekistan gave the fruit its common South Asian name.
Unani physicians classed Ijjas as cold and moist, prescribing it to cool fevers, calm thirst and ease a dry, bound bowel. It travelled into Mughal-era Indian medicine and cooking as both food and remedy.
Similar uses appear in Greek and Arabic medical writing, which is why the fruit is a staple of one tradition rather than a fringe item.
Who should avoid Aloo Bukhara (Ijjas)?
- Never eat the hard stone (pit) inside the fruit, or crack it open for the kernel — it contains a compound the body can turn into cyanide.
- Do not use if you are allergic to plums, cherries, peaches or other stone fruit.
- Do not use prunes as a laxative if you have severe stomach pain, vomiting, or have stopped passing gas — these can signal a bowel obstruction (a blockage in the gut) and need urgent medical care, not a laxative.
- Do not eat large daily amounts if you have chronic kidney disease or are on a potassium-restricted diet, unless your doctor has approved it — dried plums are high in potassium.
- Do not add prunes on top of a prescribed laxative unless your doctor told you to.
- Do not start or stop eating prunes regularly if you take warfarin without telling your anticoagulant clinic, because the vitamin K can shift your blood test results.
- Avoid large amounts if you have IBS (irritable bowel syndrome, a sensitive gut) or known sorbitol intolerance — they often make bloating and pain worse.
- Do not give prunes or prune juice to a baby under one year old as a remedy without asking your doctor or health visitor first.
When should you see a doctor?
See a doctor if constipation lasts more than two weeks despite treatment, or if you have not had a bowel movement in several days and feel unwell.
Get medical advice promptly if you see blood in your stool, lose weight without trying, or your bowel habit changes suddenly and stays changed — especially if you are over 50.
Go to emergency care if you have severe stomach pain with vomiting and no gas or stool passing, or if you get swelling of the lips, face or throat, or trouble breathing after eating plums.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
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