You discover some interesting things about yourself when you are trying out a colon cleansing program for the first time. You’ll find out whether or not you have enough fiber in your diet, whether you’re drinking enough water, and (perhaps most interestingly) that you’re fully capable of taking a close look at the toilet to see if anything interesting is going on down there. When you’re doing this as a review for a web site, you’ll also find out that you’re going to have to write about that particular part of the experiment.

The things I do for you people.

I have completed my first two weeks of the DrNatura Colonix Advanced Internal Cleansing Program. From the point on the post may, at times, devolve into some slightly graphic discussion. I’m not going to get too terribly detailed in those sections, and as I promised before there will be no pictures, but I figured it was wise to get that particular disclaimer out of the way before we went on.

The Colonix Advanced Internal Cleansing Product comes with three different items, each with their own purpose and role in the cleansing plan.

• Paranil – Paranil is a “liver and colon purifying complex” in the form of a capsule. During the first 6 days of the program you are supposed to take 2 of them first thing in the morning on an empty stomach with a full glass of water. After that, you increase the dosage to 4 capsules. The ingredients found in Paranil are Milk thistle seed extract, black walnut hulls, grapefruit seed, clove bud, Pau d’arco bark, pumpkin seed, myrrh gum, tumeric root, garlic bulb, hyssop, gentian root, elecampane root, prickly ash bark, yellow dock root, fenugreek seed, peppermint leaf, and false unicorn root (as opposed to real unicorn root???).
• Colonix – Colonix is the intestinal cleaner part of the program. It comes in a powder form and is mixed with the beverage of your choice. During the first 6 days you take half a scoop in the morning 15 minutes after you take the Paranil. Colonix is a proprietary blend of psyllium husk, flax seed, fennel seed, licorice root, papaya fruit, grapefruit pectin, sillpery elm bark, althea root, rhubarb root, guar gum, alfalfa, peppermint leaf, uva ursi leaf, aloe vera, stevia extract, and natural banana flavor.
• Kelritea – Keleritea is an herbal tea that is supposed to help with regularity and detoxification. During the first 6 days you seep the tea bag in hot water for 2 minutes, and after that you expand the time up to 6 minutes (depending on your tastes and how well the tea is working for you). The tea is a mix of senna leaf, buckhorn bark, fennel seed, chamomile flower, cinnamon bark, peppermint leaf, ginger root, milk thistle seed, rose hip fruit, passion fruit, uva ursi leaf, and natural citrus flavor.

When I started this program I was fully prepared for it to be a grueling experience. As much as I’ve heard people talk about how “wonderful” colon cleansing can be, I just couldn’t imagine that a product designed to essentially scour your insides clean was going to be at all enjoyable. I was pleased to find out that I was, mostly, mistaken. The pills are easy enough to take, although they do have a fairly pungent aroma to them when you first open the bottle in the morning. The Colonix mix itself? Well, it’s not disgusting. I would also point out, however, that I wouldn’t go out of my way to drink it for pleasure. Ideally you are supposed to mix it in a blender and drink it quickly so that it doesn’t start to clump up on you. I have a blender, but it’s a lot of effort to get that thing down every morning and clean it, so I used the old “stir it rapidly with a spoon” method. If you really want to get it to mix well you should use lukewarm water. Not the most pleasant beverage, admittedly, but I also find that warm water is easier to drink quickly first thing in the morning. The product claims to have a “natural banana flavor,” but I haven’t picked up on that at all. I’m not sure what, exactly, I’d call the flavor. Gritty is the only word that comes to mind. Again, let me emphasize that it is not revolting or anything of that nature. It’s just not the kind of thing that Alton Brown would call “Good Eats.” The Kleritea, however, was surprisingly delightful. The mix of herbs has a lovely aroma, and the peppermint flavor in particular stands out to me. It’s just a wee bit on the bitter side, so I’ve been drinking it with a packet of Splenda mixed in. I’ve never been a big tea person in the past, but I’ve found that I really enjoy ending my evening with a cup of this tea while I sit on my back porch and read.

The big question, of course, is how well does it work?

At this point my response is…Pretty well. I guess.

Here’s the thing – Before going into this program I would say that my diet was already pretty well packed with fiber. I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, and I make sure to get in whole grains, nuts, and all that other good stuff. As someone who has been on Weight Watchers for many years, I am well versed in the benefit of having a lot of fiber in your diet. To that end, I didn’t really have any kind of regularity problems before I started the detox. I suspect this might not be the case with someone who was existing on a diet that wasn’t well-balanced before starting the program, but I personally haven’t seen that much of a change. That being said, I have noticed some changes. I have felt slightly more energetic since I started the program. Not to the point where I’m running about with boundless energy, but I do seem to be resting a bit better on the whole. I am definitely using the bathroom more frequently, but I haven’t had any epic bowel movements or sudden, irresistible urges to go. While I’m on the subject, I haven’t noticed anything particularly frightening lurking about in the toilet after I’ve used it, either. Things down there are pretty much status quo. I have, however, noticed that their claim that you will use less toilet paper have come true. I have had what an old friend of mine used to call “clean sweeps” since about the third day of the program.

During the fourth and fifth days using Colonix I had two consecutive nights where I had to wake up several times to urinate. I’m not sure if that has anything at all to do with the program, but it is the only significant change I made to my regular routine and I have never experienced anything like it before. I was up almost every two hours with an urgent, almost painful, need to urinate. I was actually worried it might have something to do with my prostate or something unpleasant like that, but it went away. Perhaps it was my body adjusting to the late night tea? I’m not sure. As I said, it may be completely unrelated but I felt it was something I should mention.

I am most disappointed in the fact that, as of this point, I have not seen any significant weight loss or reduction of belly bulge since in the last two weeks. I haven’t seen any weight loss at all, and I’m coupling this with my normal Weight Watchers eating program. I go back again, though, to the fact that I already had a diet high in fiber and wholesome foods before starting the cleaning. If that weren’t the case I’d probably have different results. I’m only two weeks into a three month program, though, so there is still time to see if that weight loss will kick in.

I’m holding out to complete the program before I give my final opinion on it, but for now I can say that it seems to work as advertised as far as making you more regular. The rest of the health benefits, for me, haven’t really materialized as of yet. Ultimately, there may just not be a lot of “bad stuff” that needs to be purged from my system. Which isn’t really a bad thing, I suppose.

Note – I originally said that I was going to do weekly updates about this, but I think I’m going to make that bi-weekly unless I notice a radical change at some point along the course of the program. A weekly series of posts would likely devolve into “Yep, still pooping” pretty quickly.