title: Colon cleansing: a popular, but misunderstood natural therapy.
abstract: Intestinal inflammation and leaky gut syndrome can be at the root of many health problems. Colon cleansing is a popular therapy among alternative practitioners, but many myths surround it. The scientifically inaccurate way many traditional healers try to explain therapeutic mechanisms is one of the obstacles that inhibits dialog between traditional healers and practitioners of modern medicine. The therapy actually has clinical value, but the explanations used to promote the therapies are the stuff of herbal legends, not scientific fact. The concept of cleansing is actually a metaphorical explanation for a therapy that improves detoxification via the liver and gastrointestinal tract and reduces inflammation or irritation to mucous membranes of the GI tract.
authors.affiliation: American Herbalists Guild, St. George, UT 84791, USA.
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Horne
mesh_terms: D002400:Cathartics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003106:Colon; D004043:Dietary Fiber / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010946:Plants, Medicinal
chemical_list: D002400:Cathartics; D004043:Dietary Fiber