It’s winter time. It’s colder than I like. Colder weather means it is time to drink hot tea. I drink hot tea off and on during the day. I drink hot tea in the evening. I warm my hands on the cup. I blow on the hot tea and I sip. It’s a comfort thing.
I like a variety of teas. I ordered some new tea from Stash tea company. I somehow picked out mostly berry flavors, looking for orange tea. I also ordered some black forest tea and some chocolate hazelnut tea to try. They have become my favorites. I also like orange spice tea and apple maple. You could get lost for days browsing their catalogue. It is a tea lovers paradise!
I’m also dieting and my lymphedema has been slowing things down. Daughter decided to buy a “dieter’s” tea at her last trip to the store. Because of my mobility issues, I shy away from those who offer to ‘cleanse’ and ‘eliminate’. She picked out Laci Le Beau Super Dieter’s tea. On the label it says ‘supports weight loss efforts, helps eliminate impurities’. Huge red flags to me. But I drank a huge 32 oz. mug of it before I knew what I was drinking. One of the ingredients is senna. This is what I found when I looked it up on webmd.com.
Senna is an herb. The leaves and the fruit of the plant are used to make medicine.
Senna is an FDA-approved nonprescription laxative. It is used to treat constipation and also to clear the bowel before diagnostic tests such as colonoscopy.
Senna is also used for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), hemorrhoids, and weight loss.
Senna fruit seems to be gentler than senna leaf. This has led the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) to warn against long-term use of senna leaf, but not senna fruit. The AHPA recommends that senna leaf products be labeled, “Do not use this product if you have abdominal pain or diarrhea. Consult a healthcare provider prior to use if you are pregnant or nursing. Discontinue use in the event of diarrhea or watery stools. Do not exceed recommended dose. Not for long-term use.”
How does it work?
Senna contains many chemicals called sennosides. Sennosides irritate the lining of the bowel, which causes a laxative effect.
Why am I telling you this? Well, it took till the next day to affect me, but when it did, it really did a number on me. I got terrible stomach cramps and tons of trapped gas. When it hit me, I couldn’t control it. It took awhile to get cleaned up and the pain and feelings of discomfort lasted another day.
That day happened to be my weekly weigh in day. I lost 7.6 lbs. But I don’t trust that loss. It was artificial. I’ve struggled too hard these past 6 months for quick fixes. The weight will probably show back up next week and then it will take weeks to catch up again. Another example of one step forward, two steps back. That has been a pain in my backside. Sigh…
And so the journey continues…
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