Colon Cleansing and Body Detoxification: Any Evidence of Benefit or Harm?

Claims of marked health benefits from "detoxification" have stimulated public interest in colonic cleansing and generated a multimillion-dollar industry promoting oral agents, colonic hydrotherapy, or enema therapies designed to empty the bowel. No eligible articles were identified concerning the effect of colon cleansing on general health or on specific conditions such as hypertension, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, arthritis, sinus congestion, or alcoholism.