Veggie Blog

Detox home kits: what to know before you buy

There are many detox products on the market today. Home kits are also available; they usually consist of diet plans with extra pills and tonics, or herbal pills said to be good for different organs.

However, you should know that there is no scientific evidence that detox products work. Even the manufacturers cannot show test results. Only glowing customer testimonials support the products. So be careful before you choose a detox home kit.

What the kits promise

The kits are sold as a way to clear accumulated toxins from your body and relieve you of heavy burdens, so that your immune system can recover energy and work better. In reality, your liver and kidneys already remove waste continuously, and there is no evidence that a kit improves on this. What does support your body’s natural detox system is limiting harmful substances in the first place: not smoking, drinking less alcohol and eating well.

The marketing often claims that toxins stored in the body for many years cause degenerative diseases, much like emotional traumas buried for years can surface in midlife. There is no evidence that a kit prevents disease. The comparison does carry one useful message, though: pay attention to changes in your behaviour and to physical symptoms, and get proper care. Ignoring symptoms that need attention can be dangerous, and pain that you deny does not go away.

Exposure to some pollutants cannot be avoided in today’s environment. A healthy body is well equipped to deal with them, and kits have not been shown to help it regain any ‘natural balance’. If you feel unwell, a doctor is a better first step than a kit.

Some people buy detox kits as a treat or to feel they are doing something good for themselves. That is a personal choice, but it is worth knowing that any lift in energy is more likely to come from the healthier eating that comes with the kit than from the pills.

Kits for specific purposes

Detox home kits come in many varieties, mostly made from selected herbs and other ingredients described as purifying. For example, some are sold to heavy drinkers to remove the traces of alcohol from the body. No kit does this; your liver breaks down alcohol, and the only way to help it is to drink less. If you are a regular heavy drinker, talk to a doctor, because stopping suddenly can be dangerous. What a kit cannot give you, you can still build: the discipline to change habits.

Other kits claim to reduce stretch marks, tone skin, ease eczema and psoriasis, and break down cellulite. These claims are not supported by evidence; eczema and psoriasis are best treated with a doctor’s help.

Detox kits are sold as a way to remove toxic substances and bring your body back into balance. If you still want to buy one, read the ingredient list, check for side effects and interactions with medicines you take, and ask your doctor or pharmacist first. After all, you are spending your money and putting your health on it.