You can lose a lot of weight --- temporarily --- by drinking senna tea. How much you lose depends on the amount of tea you drink, how long you keep up the senna tea-drinking regimen and how much excess waste you have stored in your colon. Drinking senna tea is probably safe as a rare, quick fix to a weight loss dilemma, but overuse could cause serious problems.
How Senna Tea works
Senna produces no effect on your appetite or metabolism as do diet beverages such as coffee and tea and will not help you lose fat. It works by stimulating your bowel to remove excess waste. If you suffer from chronic constipation, senna tea may relieve stomach bloat. Senna tea also acts as a diuretic so it will help you lose water weight as well. But as soon as you stop drinking senna tea --- it is recommended you take it no more than a week without doctor approval --- waste and water will again accumulate in your system.
Expert Insight
According to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald, experts disagree about the use of senna tea.The colon cleansing action of senna tea is approved by some naturopaths who believe that stored toxins in the body create ill health and removing them restores proper digestive balance. Others say your colon is designed to handle toxins and doesn't need any more than the occasional boost from a gentle laxative. If you are drinking senna tea to lose weight rather than relieve constipation, however, you may be tempted to drink it in unhealthy amounts.
Side Effects
The bitter taste of senna tea may keep you from drinking too much, but you should discontinue its use immediately and contact a physician if you experience any of these symptoms: rectal bleeding, sudden or persistent pain, bloody stools, dizziness, weakness or undue tiredness. Drinking senna tea may overtax your bowels and kidneys. Less severe side effects include vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps and nausea. A harmless side effect is a change in the color of your urine --- senna tea drinkers' urine may turn brownish-yellow. Darker urine could also be a sign of dehydration, however, so be certain to drink plenty of water when your diet includes senna tea.
Healthy Alternatives
Everyone should drink 4 glasses of water per daily. Those taking diuretics such as senna tea---as well as pregnant women, athletes and people who live in hot climates --- should drink several glasses more, according to the Mayo Clinic. A bonus is that drinking water may help you lose weight---actual fat. Water consumption creates thermogenesis --- heats your metabolism --- and drinking 6 glasses a day could help you lose 5 lbs. a year, according to research by German researcher Michael Bose and others reported in the Dec. 2003 issue of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition." And if you replace soda with equal amounts of water -- 6 cups of water instead of 4, 12 oz. cans of soda, you could lose more than 1 lb. of fat per week without the health risks associated with drinking senna tea.
Precautions
If you take senna tea---or senna in any form --- you could develop a dependency on the laxative, meaning your colon will stop functioning properly when you discontinue use. Senna can also affect heart medications and should not be taken with other diuretics. Check the ingredients on the senna tea you plan to take. Some senna teas contain yellow dock and rhubarb, and their effects may be intensified by senna. Senna may also adversely react with aloe and alder buckhorn. And you should consult a health professional before embarking on any weight loss program.
References
- "Sydney Morning Herald"; Straight Flush: Bronwyn McNulty; Feb. 12 2009
- PubMed Health: Stimulant Laxatives
- "Los Angeles Times"; Slim Chance Green Tea Can Burn Fat Off; Chris Woolston; Aug. 16, 2010
- Colon Cleanse Constipation Resource Center: Senna Tea
- "The Straits Times"; Slimming Teas Can be Unhealthy in Long Run; Edmund Baker; Dec. 5 1997
- Mayo Clinic.com. Water: How much should you drink every day?
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