Were you aware that depending on your diet, age and height, you could have anywhere from 5-15 pounds of waste backed up in your intestines that could cause digestive issues?
Eliminating toxins and waste is an essential process your body must go through in order to digest food, absorb nutrients and reduce the risk of suffering from digestive issues.
Luckily, you don’t need to book your colonic irrigation, take enemas or try other unconventional procedures to cleanse your colon. All you need for a natural and gentle cleanse are the right herbs. From slippery elm to rhubarb, these herbs are known to reduce inflammation associated with various digestive issues.
10 Colon Cleansing Herbs
Getting familiar with the herbs that’ll help your intestinal tract in restoring its own function is something we should all know. Learn about the 10 herbs that are imperative for restoring colon function below.
1. Aloe Vera
Aloe vera has been utilized for centuries to help alleviate constipation, infections, colic, worms and skin disease. The colon cleansing abilities are attributed to its synergistic action of this plant as a whole and not by any specific medicinal ingredient.
In one study of 28 healthy adults, a medicinal constituent in aloe vera called aloin was found to be more effective than a medical stimulant laxative.
2. Slippery Elm
Slippery elm is one of the most common herbs that herbalist used to alleviate digestive related issues. A study conducted by the Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine concluded that slippery elm increased bowel movements by 20 percent and significantly reduced less straining while alleviating stomach pain and bloating.
3. Senna
Senna serves as an anti-inflammatory agent in the body, aside from being a purgative agent, and is effective at reducing chronic constipation. A medical study was conducted for its use on anorectal malformations and found that there was an 82 percent reduction in hospital visits for these anatomical issues in the colon.
Senna is also beneficial in cleaning out the bowel, so much so that is was tested for its ability to be used prior to colonoscopy procedures. They’ve concluded that using senna was effective and safe as a bowel cleaning protocol in 86.7 percent of the patients.
4. Licorice Root
Licorice root has been found to have strong effects against inflammation and is also a powerful antioxidant. This herb has been used to help lessen inflammation associated with indigestion and other digestive issues.
5. Rhubarb
Rhubarb has been extremely effective in assisting digestive related issues. In fact, scientists in Japan conducted research and discovered how this herb works on the colon. Rhubarb contains sennoside A, which reacts to the bacteria in the colon to transform into rheinanthrone and becomes active.
When there is more rheinanthrone in the area, sennoside A becomes more metabolically active resulting in purgative action that works as a laxative.
6. Flaxseed
Studies have concluded that when flaxseed is introduced into the diet, the bacteria in the colon responds to the change positively. It also increases the branched chain fatty acids and decreases inflammation. Flaxseeds are also high in fiber, which helps your body absorb vital nutrients from food and helps food pass through the digestive system.
7. Fennel
Fennel has been associated with improving gut health. A study conducted in Bulgaria concluded that after giving patients fennel, the abdominal pains they experienced disappeared in 95.83 percent of the patients by day 15.
They also noticed that the patients had bowel movements every day, and all the abnormal flora in the stool was gone as well.
8. Cascara sagrada
Cascara sagrada was well-known and used as a remedy for constipation in the 13th century. This herb acts as a tonic to the digestive tract and promotes the assimilation of nutrients.
9. Psyllium
Psyllium is known as a natural plant fiber that gives bulk to the stool. In a study that conducted the effectiveness of psyllium, the scientist was looking for a change in the number of times the patients had fecal incontinence.
The study found that psyllium reduced fecal incontinence incidents and improved the patients’ quality of life and the severity of symptoms.
10. Chia Seeds
One of the benefits of chia seeds is the ability to work as a natural laxative. When chia seeds are combined with water, a gelatinous substance is formed that easily moves through your intestines. It’s also a great way to increase fiber in your diet as chia seeds swell and expand in the digestive tract, absorbing water.
