There are various ways to cleanse the colon, and using a peppermint tea is probably the most gentle. Peppermint tea has a soothing effect on the colon, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, or UMM, which calls peppermint both calming and numbing. However, as wonderful as peppermint is for the stomach and colon, do not use peppermint in any form if you have acid reflux, a hiatal hernia, gallstones, high blood pressure or diabetes. Peppermint can counteract certain medications you may be taking for those conditions, so consult with your doctor regarding what is safe for you.
Flushes Toxins
Peppermint tea, like other colon-cleansing teas, gets rid of accumulated mucous that coats the colon walls. In the process, toxins and parasites are removed, together with old fecal matter. According to CleansingDiet.net, this will cause you to feel less bloated and will take off some weight, though that will be mostly water and feces. You should drink a lot of water besides the peppermint tea in order to replenish your fluids. If you support this peppermint cleanse with vegetable and fruit juices, you might lose some real weight as well. You should consider though, that at the same time the cleanse detoxes your colon, some beneficial bacteria will be flushed out. It is therefore prudent to take probiotics; you can buy them as pills or liquid in your local health-food store to replenish the good bacteria in your gut.
Improves Digestion
Peppermint calms the stomach muscles and improves the digestion of fats by allowing bile to flow more easily into the stomach. The result is that food passes more quickly through the stomach and presumably enters the colon more fully digested, shortening its stay in the colon as well.
Alleviates Irritable Bowel Symptoms
UMM states that some studies have shown a significant reduction in symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, when participants took peppermint capsules twice a day for four weeks. In all, 75 percent of participants experienced noticeably less gas, bloating, diarrhea and pain, versus those who were given placebos. Other studies found no such improvement. If you suffer from IBS, you might want to give peppermint tea a try; even if it does not alleviate your symptoms, it will improve digestion and lower the toxicity in your colon. However, check with your doctor first.
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