Senna tea is part fad diet and part holistic health remedy. The ability of senna tea to quickly, albeit temporarily, shed pounds appeals to those who don’t want to count calories and hit the treadmill. The colon-cleansing effect of senna tea appeals to those who believe that eliminating long-stored bodily wastes is a healthy way to eliminate toxins and improve digestive function.
Facts
Senna is a type of laxative that works by stimulating your bowel. You will almost certainly lose weight when drinking senna tea in the same way you lose weight when you have the flu or eat too much spicy food. Senna loosens stools to create greater and more frequent bowel movements and also increases urination. Know that you will regain most, if not all of the lost weight when you stop drinking senna tea and resume normal eating patterns. You will not lose fat by drinking senna tea.
Significance
Debate reigns about the health benefits of colon cleansing. Linda Bates, director of the National Herbalists Association in Australia, says that congested colon waste makes people unwell and removing the “rubbish” from your digestive track will make you feel better. Gastroenterologist Andrew Brett says, however, that your colon is designed to remove toxins without outside help and that you can impair rather than improve your digestive system by taking senna and other stimulant laxatives. While Bates says colon cleansing is healthy, she does not recommend do-it-yourself solutions such as drinking senna tea.
Side Effects
Some side effects of senna are harmless. Users typically notice that their urine turns yellow-brown, but this is normal. Other effects that should be reported to your doctor if they become severe or persist include diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting, nausea and irritation of your colon. Stop taking senna and immediately contact your doctor if you experience any of these serious side effects: bloody stools, rectal bleeding, dizziness, weakness, pain and fatigue.
Options
If you are seeking weight loss help from a beverage, you might be better off drinking green tea. It contains zero calories and helped people lose weight in 15 clinical studies, according to the “Los Angeles Times.” Green tea contains some caffeine -- 10 to 20 percent of what you’d find in coffee -- and is safe even when consumed in large quantities, according to MayoClinic.com. You could also drink plain water. Water boosted metabolism 30 percent in a study by Michael Boschmann and other German researchers, who compared the effects of drinking 6 glasses of water with ingesting 100 mg of ephedrine, according to a December 2003 article in the “Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.”
Considerations
If you are taking other herbs or medications, senna could interfere with them. You should not take senna without consulting a doctor if you are taking prescription heart medication or diuretics. Senna may also adversely react with some herbs, including yellow dock, rhubarb, aloe and alder buckhorn. It should not be taken for more than a week.without a doctor’s recommendation. It is best to take senna on an empty stomach with water. Results may not occur for 24 hours or longer. You may become dependent on senna if you use it for long periods, and you could also permanently damage your intestine and colon. If you don’t like the bitter taste of senna tea, you could take senna in pill form.
References
- “The Straits Times”; Slimming Teas Can be Unhealthy in Long Run; Edmund Baker; Dec. 5 1997
- “Middle East Newsfile”; It’s a Herbalist World; Osama Al Dalil; Dec. 11 1997
- PubMed Health: Stimulant Laxatives
- Colon Cleanse Constipation Resource Center: Senna Tea
- “Sydney Morning Herald”; Straight Flush: Bronwyn McNulty; Feb. 12 2009
- “Los Angeles Times”; Slim Chance Green Tea Can Burn Fat Off; Chris Woolston; Aug. 16, 2010
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