The Best Way to Clean Out Your Colon at Home

Colon cleansing is claimed to improve health and digestion by flushing toxins and fecal matter out of the intestines. However, there is a lack of good quality evidence that supports the benefits of this practice — and certain cleansing methods may be harmful 24.

While a clean colon is necessary before a colonoscopy, in general the safest and most natural home remedy to promote colon health is to eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and other high-fiber foods, and to drink plenty of fluids.

Understand At-Home Cleansing Programs

However, such aggressive colon cleansing practices have unclear benefits and can lead to a range of side effects that include:

• diarrhea
  
• dehydration
  
• electrolyte abnormalities
  
• ruptured bowel
  
• acute kidney damage
  
• infection

Cleanse Only When Prescribed

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Cleaning out the colon before a colonoscopy is essential, however, and your doctor can guide you on how to safely do this at home 5. The purpose here is not to detox, or remove toxins, but to ensure the colon lining can be clearly visualized during the exam so your colon can be inspected for cancer or other abnormalities.

Prior to having a colonoscopy, your medical team will provide instructions on how to prepare. These directions involve consuming a clear liquid diet the day prior, and also drinking the prescribed amounts of laxatives to induce enough diarrhea to clean out the bowels.

Support Your Body's Natural Detox

If you think you need to detox or clean out your colon, don't lose sight of the fact that your body already has a system in place that removes toxins through urine, stool, sweat and via exhaled air 3. This natural detox system may need extra help, however, if your toxin load exceeds what your body can remove.

Fortunately, there are ways to naturally support your body's detox system. For example, drinking plenty of water helps flush these toxins out of your system. Reducing toxin exposure is also important, and one way to accomplish this is to minimize exposure to polluted air and tobacco smoke.

Eat Fiber and Drink Fluids

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A diet rich in high-fiber foods and fluids promotes soft, bulky stools and regular bowel movements, and is arguably the best home remedy for enhancing the removal of waste from the colon 3. Fiber-filled foods such as fruit and vegetables are also rich in antioxidants and other plant chemicals which support the body's natural detoxification processes 3.

Include dried beans and peas most days and include a small amount of nuts and seeds daily.

Drink according to your thirst and to keep your urine pale in color, which for most people means at least 8 cups of water or other fluids daily.

Warnings

While it's beneficial to keep bowel movements regular and avoid constipation, there's no research to suggest colon cleansing is necessary for health. Of specific concern is how aggressive colon cleansing practices may disrupt the gut microbiome, including the health-promoting bacteria that line the colon.

In addition, colon cleansing can lead to diarrhea and dehydration — and in some cases, bowel perforation, infection and other serious health issues. If have questions about colon cleansing practices outside of moderately increasing fiber intake, speak with your doctor before trying these at home.

Reviewed by Kay Peck, MPH RD