Some natural colon cleaning remedies are sold as commercial programmes built around juices, herbs or supplements. Before paying for one, it helps to know what the research says about the cleanse itself, and then what the same money buys at an ordinary grocery store.
What the research says about cleanses
The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) says "detox" programmes may involve a variety of approaches. Its list includes fasting, drinking only juices, eating only certain foods, taking supplements or herbs, and cleansing the colon with enemas, laxatives or colon hydrotherapy.
Its summary of the evidence is short. Only a small number of studies have looked at these programmes in people. Some had positive results on weight and fat loss, insulin resistance and blood pressure, but NCCIH describes the studies as low quality, with design problems, few participants or no peer review. It also cites a 2015 review that found no compelling research to support "detox" diets for weight management or for eliminating toxins from the body.
Safety matters as well. The same page says programmes that include laxatives can cause diarrhoea, which can lead to dehydration, and that colon cleansing procedures may have side effects, some of them serious. NCCIH also notes that the US FDA and FTC have taken action against several companies selling detox and cleansing products, for hidden ingredients or for false claims that the products could treat serious diseases.
Juice days strip out most insoluble fibre
Some cleanses are juice only. A 2025 study from Northwestern University (Sardaro et al.) points out that juicing removes most insoluble fibre. The study was small. Fourteen participants followed one of three diets for three days: juice only, juice plus food, or plant-based food. No significant shift in overall gut microbiota composition was seen, but the juice diets were linked to changes in the bacteria of the saliva and cheek, and the authors conclude that short-term juice consumption may negatively affect the microbiota.
Fourteen people over three days settles nothing. It just gives no reason to pay extra for bottled juice as a cleanse.
What a grocery list gives you instead
A food-based version of the idea is a few days of ordinary whole food bought in the quantities a shop sells it: oats, vegetables, beans, fruit and plenty of water. The NHS says UK government guidelines put adult fibre intake at 30g a day, while most adults average about 20g. It adds that choosing foods with fibre can help with digestion and prevent constipation. That is the part of keeping the bowel moving with evidence behind it, and it comes from food rather than a box.
Dates fit that list. USDA FoodData Central gives Medjool dates 6.7g of dietary fibre per 100g.
There is also one human trial worth knowing about. In a randomised cross-over study at the University of Reading (Eid et al., 2015), twenty-two healthy volunteers were assigned to seven dates (about 50g) or a maltodextrin-dextrose control, each arm lasting 21 days with a 14-day washout in between. In the 21 volunteers analysed, bowel movements and stool frequency rose significantly after the dates compared with baseline. The dates did not significantly change the growth of the bacterial groups the researchers measured.
One caution from the NHS fibre page: dried fruit is sticky and can increase the risk of tooth decay, so it is better eaten as part of a meal than as a between-meal snack.
Comparing the cost
When you buy a kit, you pay for its contents and also for the portioning, bottling and packaging. The convenience is real, since nothing needs to be decided or prepared, and that is a large part of what is being sold.
To see what the convenience costs, divide the kit price by its number of days. Then price the same number of days of oats, vegetables, beans and a box of dates at a normal shop. If the grocery total comes out lower, the gap is what you would be paying for pre-portioning. Some people will still choose the kit, which is fair, as long as they know the cleanse itself has little evidence behind it.
For meal ideas built around fibre, see our higher-fibre diet plan. See also Kurma Bam Wholesale.
The company background is on About Us, and direct questions can go through Contact Us.
This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have a bowel or kidney condition, heart disease or diabetes, or have had colon surgery, talk to your doctor before trying any cleanse or making a big change to what you eat.
References
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. "Detoxes" and "Cleanses": What You Need To Know. nccih.nih.gov
- Sardaro MLS, Grote V, Baik J, Atallah M, Amato KR, Ring M. Effects of Vegetable and Fruit Juicing on Gut and Oral Microbiome Composition. Nutrients. 2025;17(3):458. PMID 39940316
- NHS. How to get more fibre into your diet. nhs.uk
- USDA FoodData Central. Dates, medjool (FDC ID 168191). fdc.nal.usda.gov
- Eid N, Osmanova H, Natchez C, et al. Impact of palm date consumption on microbiota growth and large intestinal health: a randomised, controlled, cross-over, human intervention study. Br J Nutr. 2015;114(8):1226-36. PMID 26428278