Does Drinking Buttered Prune Juice Do Anything for Your Health?

TikTok has crowned its latest questionable health hack: warm prune juice spiked with butter, hyped as a miracle cure for constipation. But while the drink is gaining traction fast, experts say the so-called “instant relief” might be a lot messier than it looks.

Searches for “prune juice and butter” have skyrocketed by 2,300% worldwide in the past quarter. The formula is simple: heat up prune juice — already famous for its natural laxative properties thanks to sorbitol — and stir in a slab of butter to “supercharge” digestion. Social media users swear by it, promising overnight transformations. Health professionals, however, aren’t so impressed.

Registered Dietitian, Nutritionist, and Levity Consultant Mei Wan warns that the buzz around this DIY laxative is built more on personal anecdotes than science. “Prune juice is known for its natural laxative effects because of its sorbitol content, but adding butter doesn’t enhance those benefits in any meaningful way,” she explains. “Fats may mildly stimulate digestion, but butter is more likely to add saturated fat and extra calories than to “lubricate” your intestines, despite what TikTok suggests.”

Even more worrying, Wan points out, is how trends like this distract from the real issues behind chronic constipation. “The trend perpetuates using home remedies instead of fixing underlying problems like poor fiber intake, hydration issues, or gut motility disorders,” she said. Prolonged use could backfire badly, leading to diarrhea, gas, gut imbalances, dehydration, and even electrolyte disturbances.

Some users are also misusing the concoction as a weight-loss shortcut, confusing water loss with actual fat loss. Wan warns that this mindset promotes unhealthy eating habits, especially among teenagers and young adults who are more susceptible to viral misinformation.

And the flavor? Not exactly a selling point. “Warm prune juice is cloyingly syrupy and already sweet, and melted butter creates a greasy, hard-to-swallow mess,” Wan said. “Expect less “spa day detox” and more “sweet, greasy mistake you’ll regret halfway through.”

Prune juice by itself, in moderation, can help with occasional constipation. Butter is also fine for most people when used sparingly. But mashing them together and relying on the mixture as a regular solution is risky. Chronic constipation can be a sign of deeper issues like stress, thyroid disorders, or IBS — and covering symptoms with TikTok hacks delays real treatment.

Buttered prune juice might sound like a harmless home remedy, but it’s more likely to leave your gut (and your health) worse off. Sustainable gut health isn’t trending; it’s built with fiber, hydration, movement, and real medical advice.