Natural Colon Cleanser

What’s a natural colon cleanser? It’s a combination of foods and/or herbs that does not contain any additional chemicals, drugs or preservatives. There are many possible great ingredients in a good natural colon cleanse. For example, a natural colon cleanser could contain natural fruits that help stimulate peristalsis or movement of the colon contents through the system.

Peristalsis is a big word for some people and it should mean bowel movements! Peristalsis is the waves of movement in the intestinal tract. You want the food you just ate to be moving through the colon at a fast enough rate so that toxins can get out of your body. The longer the toxins stay in the body, the longer they have a chance to turn into carcinogenic compounds.

Natural fruits that can be included in a natural colon cleanser include figs and prunes. Prune juice is well known for its effect on peristalsis, and if you take a little too much of it, then you can have little ‘explosions’ from your rectum into the toilet. A small amount of prunes or prune juice, though, has a natural effect and creates no little explosions. It’s a good addition to natural colon cleanse formulas.

Natural herbs can also be included in a natural colon cleanser. Here’s a list of some of the ones you’ll find in natural colon cleansers on the market:

• aloe vera

• slippery elm

• cascara sagrada

• senna

• rhubarb root

• epazote

Vegetables are about as natural as you can get. Sometimes dried vegetables such as spinach and sea kelp may be found in natural colon cleansers. Spinach is known for its effects on stimulating peristalsis, especially when it is juiced. Sea kelp is known for its ability as a stool softener.

Fibers may be natural ingredients in natural colon cleansers, as long as they haven’t been tampered with. For example, psyllium fiber can be purchased in its natural form, but once other ingredients such as preservatives are added to the natural psyllium, that finished psyllium product really is not that natural anymore.

Some of the fibers that are usually used in natural form in natural colon cleansers include:

• oat fiber

• pea fiber

• wheat bran fiber

• flax seed meal

• carrot fiber

• beet fiber

• apple fiber

• apple pectin

• oat bran

A natural colon cleanser can also contain enzymes, and if so, then just make sure they are as close to their natural form as possible. Sucrase, amylase and protease are considered manmade while bromelain and papain are considered natural ingredients.

Here are some of the ingredients that should not be included in a natural colon cleanser:

• dextrose

• sugar of any type (raw, turbinado, molasses, honey, agave)

Sugar should not be included because there is no need for it at all in

a natural colon cleanser. Even ‘natural’ sugars such as honey and agave

are simply not needed.

• calcium sulfate

• cellulose

Although cellulose is a fiber in itself, it’s possible that the origination of

the cellulose could be from wood pulp.

• magnesium stearate

• rice flour

Rice flour obviously is natural; however, there is no need for it except as

an extender in colon cleanse formulas.

• citric acid

• silica

Knowing all this information, you’re now ready to start discerning labels at the health food store to determine which natural colon cleanser formulas truly are natural.