There are teas containing senna sold in Canada that are licensed as natural health products. If a tea is not registered as a natural health product, Health Canada considers it a food product - and senna is not an approved ingredient for any food in Canada. 'Every product containing senna sold in or imported to Canada must have an NHPN or a DIN. Health Canada's rules regarding the use of senna are explicitly clear, says Durette. Some of the teatox brands mention senna's side effects on their websites or packaging, but few warn about the risks associated with long-term use. MARKETPLACE | How super are those pricey 'superfoods'? We put 3 to the test.MARKETPLACE | Health Canada toughens green tea extract warnings.And it causes you to have really loose stools,' Brissette said. 'It's actually really not a pleasant experience. In addition to sending you running to the bathroom, Brissette warns senna can cause diarrhea and stomach cramps, though reactions vary depending on the person. Senna stimulates your intestines and causes contractions.

'There's potential that your body won't be able to have a bowel movement without it, which is pretty scary,' she said. The reason is that your body can develop a dependency on senna, said registered dietitian Christy Brissette. Food and Drug Administration both warn against taking senna for longer than seven days. Some medical groups warn that detox teas containing senna may have a laxative effect, which can lead to vomiting and diarrhea - and impact the body's ability to absorb medications, including birth control. Its use concerns both health regulators and dietitians. Senna leaf, also known as cassia seed, is the most common ingredient found in the evening teas purchased by Marketplace. Evening teas can also include a diuretic, but most commonly they have leaves or roots that are natural laxatives. Ingredients you'd find on grocery store shelves, like peppermint, ginger and lemongrass are often in the morning teas, but many also include a natural diuretic of some kind, like dandelion, and have energy-boosting ingredients like green tea and caffeine. Teatox kits typically include a morning and an evening tea blend, and consumers are instructed to drink a cup of each every day for seven, 14, 28 or 30 days. 'Realistically, the only thing that will be lost when purchasing these products is money.' Natural laxatives in many evening teas 'Weight loss from laxatives may also down to dehydration, not fat loss,' said Lambert. Rhiannon Lambert, a U.K.-based nutritionist specializing in eating disorders and obesity, also disputes the claims that teatoxing can flatten your stomach and assist in weight loss. If you are interested in helping your body along, Cadesky recommends spending your money on fresh, colourful foods and staying hydrated. Over many years of evolution, our kidneys and our livers have reached the point where they do all the detoxing for us, he said. We boil down the science and find that people using some teatoxes may just be flushing their bowels, and we spotlight an ingredient in some teatoxes that experts warn you should watch out for. Eric Cadesky, a family physician in Vancouver and president of Doctors of BC.ĭuration 3:22 There’s a lot of social media buzz about teatoxes, but doctors and dietitians say that the need to help your body detoxify is a myth. 'Detoxing is one in a long line of theories that are created to produce fear and feelings of inadequacy in order to drive people's behaviour, often toward purchasing a product,' said Dr. That makes detox strategies - and products like teatoxes - unnecessary. Nutritionists, dietitians and doctors have repeatedly warned that the need to help your body detoxify is a myth. In addition to appearing to violate Health Canada's rules, the effectiveness of 'detoxifying' teas is in question. Should it confirm any non-compliance, Health Canada says it 'will take action.' Teatoxing unnecessary and ineffective: health professionals None of the teatox kits had a natural health product number and none are licensed to be sold in Canada.Īfter Marketplace reached out to Health Canada with questions about the kits we were able to purchase, the regulator says it is in the process of reviewing these products. Three of the brands are Canadian, and the rest are based outside the country. Marketplace ordered 10 of the most popular teatox kits online and had them shipped to a Canadian address.

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