You won’t find a magic bullet for weight loss – and that also holds true for “magic” brews like detox tea.
At first, you might shed excess water weight and digestive waste to feel a bit lighter. But there’s no evidence backing detox teas for significant, lasting weight loss.
Detox products are classified as dietary supplements, which means their ingredients are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Some detox teas include powerful over-the-counter laxatives with a number of harmful side effects.
Potential health risks of detox teas include diarrhea, dehydration, dangerous electrolyte imbalances and medication interactions. Experts also warn of potential mental health issues like eating disorders that have been linked to the use of dietary weight-loss supplements.
What Is Detox Tea Made Of?
Ingredients found in detox tea affect the body in a variety of ways. This is just a sample of the many ingredients used in a variety of combinations:
- Senna, a plant with leaves and fruit that are used medicinally, is approved in the U.S. as an over-the-counter medicine for short-term treatment of constipation.
- Yerba mate is a caffeine-producing plant whose leaves are used as a stimulant.
- Garcinia cambogia is a tropical fruit purported to control appetite and reduce fat storage in the body.
- Cassia chamaecrista is a legume (partridge pea) used for its laxative effect.
- Gotu kola, a member of the parsley family, has multiple medicinal uses including wound healing.
Weight-Loss Washout
Though detoxification for weight loss is described in different ways, it generally involves fasting for a few days as well as “cleansing” your body of toxins through various means. But research specifically focused on detox teas for weight loss is hard to come by.
“The evidence is very limited to support that fact that a tea – however you would define the detoxification process – is really going to lead to substantial or significant weight loss,” says Cassie Vanderwall, a registered dietitian in the department of clinical nutrition at UW Health in Wisconsin.
Nutrition experts define significant weight loss as shedding at least 5% of your initial body weight. “I have yet to come across a tea that can do that,” Vanderwall says.
