A Teatox Detox Dilemma!

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: When I first started tea blogging, I literally laughed out loud when a girlfriend casually mentioned to me that some detox teas, or ‘teatoxes’, contain laxatives. The idea just sounded absurd - who on earth would choose to get down on laxative tea? Without, you know, actually needing a laxative? I was befuddled at this idea that companies could profit from such a product. How many people would actually buy that?

What I didn’t understand at the time was that there is an ever-expanding variety of detox teas out there and that the market is HUGE. Whilst some detox teas are designed to simply support good overall health, others are more insidiously targeted at people wanting to slim down fast.

It’s this last type that you really want to steer clear of.

The truth is that, yes, some teas marketed as detox teas do in fact contain an ingredient called Senna, a medicinal herb that is very effective in relieving constipation. As a ‘teatox’ ingredient, it is intended to literally flush your system. However, it is not an ingredient you want to be reckless with. In fact, in an article by Ansley Hill on the popular health and wellness website healthline.com, Hill notes that “…using Senna tea [for detox] may be very dangerous. Senna is not recommended for frequent or long-term use, as it may alter normal bowel tissue function and cause laxative dependence”.

Now imagine how many people might actually know and understand this. Imagine how many people might be innocently harming their own bodies through drinking too much of a tea that they thought was healthy and beneficial.

And people are searching for healthy teas. A Google search on the term ‘detox teas’ will bring up over 6.5 million results in less than a second, while over on Instagram, the hashtag #detox currently trends at over 20 million uses. The specific hashtag #detoxtea comes in at over 1 million! You can’t deny it’s a popular topic.

Though as an Instagram tea blogger myself, one thing I’ve really started to notice lately is that despite the high trending figures, there’s actually a lot of disillusionment happening out there. People are beginning to question detox and cleansing teas as valid health products.

For example, few weeks ago one of my favourite UK tea bloggers, @haveateawithme, created a hilarious, but very sophisticated, Instagram video satirising the frequent bathroom trips that are often made while taking a detox tea. In fact, if you search the hashtag #laxatives on Instagram I guarantee you’ll find more than a few posts making the same point. Couple this with a highly publicised exposé by British actress Jameela Jamil in 2018 calling out detox teas for being nothing but expensive laxatives, and you can see how detox teas are easily becoming a divisive subject.

So what now? Is it ok to drink anything labelled detox?

Well firstly, it’s important to separate the wheat from the chaff. Not all ‘detox’ is nonsense. Used under the right conditions and with expert supervision, such as that of a GP or qualified herbalist, detox plans can be effective and sometimes necessary.

However - and that’s a big however – hard and fast detoxes are not suitable for general consumption. If you’re looking at purchasing a detox tea, I advocate looking only at teas that will benefit your health and wellness by supporting the natural processes your body already uses to cleanse and heal itself. It’s also important to look for mild ingredients, such as those found in Australian brand, Tea Now’s Purify Organic Detox Tea and Relieve Organic Cleansing Tea.

Purify is a gentle combination of lemongrass, dandelion root, peppermint, tulsi, lemon peel and blue cornflower. Each of these ingredients are well known in herbal medicine for their restorative, healing qualities and have been expertly blended for Purify by a qualified herbalist in just the right quantities.

Relieve Organic Cleansing Tea is a natural way to cleanse the bowel by relieving you of bloating, heaviness and constipation. It does not contain senna & is naturopathically proven to assist the body to cleanse toxins and aid with weight loss, naturally. 

I enjoy taking between 1 to 2 cups of Purify a day, together with a healthy lifestyle. As far as daily cleansing goes, I’ll skip blends containing laxatives thanks very much!. Tea Now’s range of organic teas provides all the detox and cleansing support I need.

* Tania Pritchard is a tea enthusiast with an interest in health and wellness. We love her take on all things tea & she is a regular contributor to our blog.

Tania is not a qualified health practitioner. Always consult a heath professional before deciding if a health product is right for you.

 * Tea Now does not use senna in any of its blends.