Is Herbal Colon Cleanse Advisable and Safe?

There is a school of thought that advocates colon cleansing, believing that the food in the colon rots and decays and that fecal matter collects in the intestines over the years, requiring the intestine and the colon to be detoxed periodically.

However the contrary view says that the colon has an excellent self cleaning mechanism and that there is no need for a herbal colon cleanse or any other sort of cleanse to do this unless there is a medical requirement for it.

What is a herbal colon cleanse?

Formulations containing herbs such as psyllium husk or seeds, flax seeds, slippery elm, probiotics and so on, claim to help in clearing the colon of waste and fecal material.

Unhealthy diets high in fat and sugar, environmental pollution, toxins that we ingest by way of pesticides and other chemicals that we use, may collect and deposit in the colon, causing problems ranging from constipation, fatigue and low energy to cancer to weight gain, it is claimed.

So the herbal colon cleanse is supposed to help you get rid of those ailments causing body toxins, plaques and mucus.

Does the body need a herbal colon cleanse?

Views are divided on this – while many experts claim that there is no need for such detoxification of the digestive system, others claim that this is a vital requirement for everyone since all of us are carrying around unnecessary and potentially harmful fecal and other matter within ourselves that causes disease, obesity, and health problems and which also lowers energy levels and productivity.

Possibly the requirement of a colon cleanse may differ from person to person, and many do find that as a result of a herbal colon cleanse they feel lighter, fitter, healthier and more full of energy. Others find that problems such as constipation and so on are greatly helped by colon cleanse treatments.

Is a herbal colon cleanse safe?

One must always be wary of the term ‘Herbal’ being applied indiscriminately to products. Sometimes products manufacturers deliberately seek to mislead by using the term, and at other times though there may be natural herbs, there could also be other potentially problematic additives that are not wholly natural.

So the term ‘natural’ or ‘herbal’ should be taken with a pinch of salt and the label of ingredients carefully examined.

Another problem that could possibly come from overuse or inappropriate use of colon cleanse or similar products is that it could cause the body to lose a lot of water and even cause an electrolyte imbalance.

Also if such a product is taken for extended periods, it may make the digestive system dependent upon the supplement causing more problems when one stops taking the supplement.

Often an herbal colon cleanse may be advertised as a weight loss product. However it must be kept in mind that a lot of the time, the weight that is lost as a result of taking the product, may be only water and the body may actually not have lost any fat at all.

Source: http://www.altmedicinezone.com