The study, available by subscription only in the Journal of Family Practice, involved a review of available literature. It found no efficacy for the practice, also known as colon irrigation, which uses herbal extracts such as cat’s claw, burdock and milk thistle, or other substances such as coffee, enzymes and probiotics.
Researchers identified three cases that led to adverse outcomes and found case reports of air embolism, septicemia and fatal parasitic infections.
Read the MedPage Today report on colon cleansing.
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