Everyone has heard of teatoxes. If you have a Facebook or Instagram you’ve most definitely heard of this new 'health' craze. Celebrities and Instagram stars have advertised brands such as Skinny Mint Tea, Flat Tummy Tea and Skinny Fox Detox, stating that in just a few weeks these teas have helped them lose massive amounts of weight.
OK, hold on, let's get real for a second. A tea that makes you lose weight? That sounds freaking awesome, right? Pretty much reels you in from the start. The products usually state that there is a morning tea that you make when you wake up and a nighttime ‘cleanse’ tea that you make before you go to bed. Now let’s inspect this product.
Right off the bat, we have a problem. This product is not FDA approved and therefore I’d be VERY cautious before drinking it, especially since it is promoting weight loss. No, drinking this tea will not make you lose all the weight you’ve been wanting to. It is, in fact, a total scam. While I wish losing weight was that easy, it simply isn’t. Drinking two cups of tea a day is not going to magically make your waistline slimmer.
Here’s the other problem. The nighttime ‘cleanse’ tea which is meant to cleanse your body of toxins and impurities built up during the day is not as it seems. Most of the brands I researched include the same main ingredient in their nighttime cleanses, the Senna leaf. The Senna leaf is an FDA-approved laxative usually used to treat patients with constipation and right before an individual has a colonoscopy. If you don’t know what a colonoscopy is it's when a doctor has to inspect the colon for any abnormalities, therefore the colon must be completely empty. Senna is what cleans you out. Ew, gross.
It gets worse. Some of these tea programs can last from 14-28 days recommending that a nighttime cleanse is used every other night. Senna should not be ingested in these amounts and this can lead to laxative dependency. Yup, you may not be able to go to the bathroom because of this.
These products target young girls who want a quick solution to weight problems and are extremely unhealthy and just plain dangerous. The amount of harm this can cause to your digestive system is disturbing. When it comes down to it, if you want some tea before you go to bed, stick with the stuff you bought at Teavana.
