Health-conscious consumers are more than willing to spend valuable time and money on natural means of maintaining their health. And many of these consumers subscribe to the philosophy that good health begins in the bowels. As a result the natural health supplement industry has recently been flooded with herbal colon cleansers and detoxifiers. They may be natural, but are they really effective? And more importantly, does buying natural necessarily mean buying safe?

Although herbal laxatives and fiber supplements may sound natural and beneficial, many herbs present dangerous complications and side effects.
Senna is toxic to animal muscle tissue, yet this substance is a common ingredient utilized every day in herbal teas, weight-loss supplements, vitamins, and especially laxatives—in fact, Senna is often prescribed as a “natural” medicine for curing constipation. Despite the alarming fact of its toxicity, Senna continues to be included in hundreds of products while simultaneously causing a host of very serious health conditions, diseases, and even death in high enough amounts. The journal abstracts below detail the results of accidental overdoses in human beings as well as clinical experiments in both humans and animals. When Senna becomes highly concentrated in the organs or bloodstream, through over-consumption by whatever means, this herb can lead to the recipient developing a variety of detrimental health concerns. Senna seems to attack primarily body systems related to the blood and/or natural cellular functions but can severely damage the liver also due to its job of eliminating toxins from the body. Common diseases and conditions caused by Senna overuse or toxicity include:

    * Decreased enzyme production
    * Blood diseases (such as Hepatitis)
    * Liver failure
    * Musculoskeletal tissue damage
    * Nervous system impairment
    * Decreased energy production
    * Unhealthy weight loss
    * Severe diarrhea
    * Diaper rash and blisters (in kids)
    * Necrosis of colorectal tissue (possibly leading to colon cancer)

What do you think about this?  got this from colon-cleanse-constipation site