Buyer's Guide To
Colon Cleanser Products
What Everyone Needs to Know About Colon Health

• Perfect Cleanse

• Rating: C
• Company: Garden of Life
• Specs: Lab Report
• Site: www.perfect-cleanse.com

Endorsed by Dr. Joseph Brasco, a board certified gastroenterologist and co-author of Your Digestive Health, Perfect Cleanse claims to remove gastrointestinal "baddies"--toxins and other waste that build up in the digestive tract--by stimulating the liver's natural filtering response, which causes it to initiate the body's natural "cleansing" process. The cleansing process also has another bonus: it helps speed up the elimination of waste, improving the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. But you'll only get these results if you take it consistently every day for up to 10 days, which reportedly allows it to effectively cleanse and purify your entire digestive tract.

What ingredients are in Perfect Cleanse? Perfect Cleanse contains cilantro, yarrow flower, poten-zyme, selenium, cracked wall chlorella, aged garlic, dandelion root extract, broccoli extract, hull fiber, alfalfa whole leaf, barley whole leaf, chia seed, natural epsom salts, fenugreek seed extract, bishop's weed, peppermint leaf, aloe vera whole leaf, ginger root and fennel seed.

Do the ingredients in Perfect Cleanse help cleanse the colon? It may claim to, but evidence suggests this is nothing more than a dressed up laxative. According to LIVESTRONG, epsom salts contain laxative properties because of its ability to draw water into the colon and help the muscles contract, which softens and speeds up evacuation of the stool. Furthermore, it has never been indicated as a safe or effective treatment for removing toxins from the colon. Aloin, which is found in aloe vera, is also classified as an over-the-counter laxative, banned by the FDA in 2003 because of possible contraindications. Broccoli extract, hull fiber, alfalfa and barley serve a safer but similar purpose--they speed up digestion because of its high fiber content, which may improve digestive health.

Is Perfect Cleanse safe? It is possibly unsafe to use for up to 10 days, due to its rich laxative content. According to the Mayo Clinic, even short term use of laxatives can cause bloating, cramping, diarrhea, excessive gas and increased thirst. Laxative can also cause contraindications with blood thinners and antibiotics. People with kidney disease, heart disease or high blood pressure need medical approval before taking any supplement with laxative ingredients due to the risk of additional adverse effects that could worsen these conditions.

Verdict: There are a lot of safety concerns associated with Perfect Cleanse, and paired with its rich laxative content, this probably isn't ideal for people with gastrointestinal problems. It also lacks ingredients that can promote colon cleansing, such as lactobacillus acidophilus.