Side Effects of the Renew 3-Day Diet Cleanse

The ReNew 3-Day Diet Cleanse is an herbal supplement sold by ReNew Life. The company offers numerous cleansing products and herbal supplements that supposedly help to improve your digestive health. The 3-Day Cleanse includes morning and evening pills that are said to improve your energy levels, cleanse your body of toxins and jump-start your weight loss. Because it is an herbal supplement, the 3-Day Cleanse is not subject to regulation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; you cannot be sure the claims are accurate. Taking the supplement can also cause unpleasant side effects, so check with your doctor before adding it to your diet.

ReNew Life encourages you to use its products if you have gas and bloating, occasional diarrhea or constipation, liver toxicity, fatigue, unexplained weight gain, leaky gut, heartburn, yeast overgrowth, low energy and headaches. The 3-Day Cleanse promises to help you eliminate waste with the evening formula, and to "supercharge" your energy with the morning formula.

The 3-Day Cleanse is all-natural, but that does not mean it is automatically safe. The morning berry-flavored drink has yerba mate, milk thistle, ginseng, dandelion root and caffeine. The evening citrus "eliminator" contains rhubarb extract, buckthorn extract, slippery elm and marshmallow root.

The yerba mate, ginseng and caffeine are stimulants that could cause agitation, sleeplessness and shakiness in sensitive people. Rhubarb, milk thistle, dandelion and ginseng can cause mild stomach upset when used alone, notes Drugs.com. Because the 3-Day Cleanse combines these herbs, it may cause greater stomach discomfort and diarrhea.

The herbs in the 3-Day Cleanse may cause serious side effects for some people. People who have kidney problems should avoid it because the rhubarb extract contains oxalate. The University of Maryland Medical Center warns that slippery elm may slow down the absorption of other medications you take. It may also increase your risk of miscarriage, so avoid the cleanse if you are pregnant. Marshmallow root may lower blood sugar levels, which could affect diabetics. Marshmallow root may also increase the effect of lithium in the body – leading to undesirable side effects if you take this medication, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Yerba mate has been linked to increased risk of cancer, but only when consumed in large quantities over a long period of time, notes MayoClinic.com.

The body already has an effective cleansing system consisting of the liver, kidneys and lymphatic system, says nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky of MayoClinic.com. The 3-Day Cleansing program by ReNew may also lead to fatigue, dehydration, dizziness and nausea – especially if you pair it with a restricted diet. Any weight you lose on the plan is likely water weight and will return once you return to your normal diet.