Natural herbal supplements are purported to remove fecal matter and nonspecific toxins from the gastrointestinal tract. However, there is not yet enough clinical evidence to prove the efficacy of herbal supplements for colon cleansing or if colon cleansing is even necessary to maintaining your health. Most natural herbal supplements for colon cleansing lack approval from the Food and Drug Administration, according to Colon Cleanse Information.
Colon Cleansing
Colon cleansing is a method of alternative medicine for removing nonspecific toxins from the colon, as well as removing feces. Consult a doctor before taking any natural herbal supplements for colon cleansing. Discuss the benefits and disadvantages of colon cleansing and whether colon cleansing is even necessary for you. This is especially true if you have an existing medical condition, according to Dr. Michael Picco at the Mayo Clinic.
Common Supplements
Natural remedies for colon cleansing include organic herbal supplements such as bentonite clay, psyllium husk and triphala. Colon Cleanse Information suggests that these organic herbal supplements are safe for consumption, although their efficacy as colon cleansers has not yet been proved.
Laxatives and Colonics
Laxatives that contain sodium phosphate can cause an increase in the body's production of electrolytes, which can be dangerous for individuals with heart disease or kidney disease, according to Dr. Picco. Using laxatives to cleanse your colon may cause your body to depend on them in order to produce a bowel movement. Natural herbal colonics such as triphala, psyllium and bentonite are not habit forming, according to Colon Cleanse Information.
Stool
Bentonite clay is an aluminum phyllosilicate clay that expands as it absorbs fluid in the gastrointestinal tract, according to Science Based Medicine. In natural colon cleansing supplements that contain psyllium in addition to bentonite clay, the psyllium acts as a bulk-forming laxative. The bowel movement that results from the conjunction of bentonite clay and psyllium in the gastrointestinal tract appears as a rope-like stool which is nothing more than the expanded bentonite clay combined with the psyllium bulk coated in fecal matter. However, some websites that sell natural colon cleansers may misrepresent photos of the rope-like stools as an accumulation of toxins in the fecal matter.
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