Colon Cleansing & Detoxification

The colon is our primary eliminative organ, responsible for the removal of waste products from our body. The colon should never be ignored in any type of body cleanse detox program. That's why colon cleansing or laxative herbs should be included in your detox program as well as enemas and a colonic. As a general rule, one colonic at the beginning of your colon cleanse or body detox program can be very helpful. If you're doing a long cleanse, you may want to have another colonic at the end of your colon cleanse or body detox program. 

If you are doing a colon cleanse and plan to use a colon cleanse product such as those reviewed here, do not do enemas during your cleanse. Enemas are only appropriate if you are doing a body detox program or a specific detox program, like a liver cleanse, kidney cleanse, skin detox or galbladder cleanse. Bottom line, don't mix enemas with laxative herbs. Colonics (not too many) are an excellent adjunct to a colon cleanse program that uses laxative herbs (look particularly for senna and cascara sagrada). 

Laxative herbs can be potentially harmful and quite painful if used inappropriately. When you use colon cleansing herbs, whether alone in capsules on a regular basis or in a colon cleansing product, never exceed the prescribed dosage. Read the ingredients of your colon cleanse product before using it, and understand which laxative herbs it contains. For most people, senna produces the most cramping and prolonged use of it can create laxative dependency for the colon. Cascara sagrada has a more gentle effect on the colon musculature, but over use of it can create scarring on the walls of the colon. 

A final note on the use of laxative herbs for colon cleansing, body detox programs, or colon regularity: be sure to drink a generous amount of water. This means at least 3 quarts a day, ideally one gallon.