ZuPOO is a colon cleansing and gut support supplement sold by a brand called Umzu. The brand claims that this supplement can help "cleanse" the body, improve digestion and support weight loss.
But does ZuPOO contain ingredients shown in medical studies to "cleanse" the body? Does it contain any dangerous ingredients? Are colon cleansing supplements safe? And what was our experience testing this supplement for a month?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in ZuPOO to give our take on whether or not the supplement is likely to support gut health, and whether or not it's healthy overall.
We'll also document our concerns with some strange health claims on Umzu's website (which the brand has since removed), share our concerns about colon cleansing, and feature our Product Tester's honest experience trying ZuPOO for a month.
Key takeaways:
- Contains an active ingredient shown to cause harm to liver
- Our Product Tester had a negative experience
- We do not currently recommend ZuPOO
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in ZuPOO are shown below:
This supplement uses a proprietary (prop) blend, which lists the total dose of all active ingredients (1,270 milligrams), but not the dose of each individual ingredient.
Cascara sagrada bark extract is the first-listed active ingredient, and is a laxative.
A medical review published in the LiverTox journal found that Cascara can cause liver injury when used at high doses, which is why it's an issue for ZuPOO's manufacturer to not list the dose of this ingredient.
The linked review states the following: "The time to onset of liver injury [from Cascara use] has varied from a few days to 2 months of use."
Senna leaf powder is also a laxative.
As we documented in our review of K3 Spark Mineral (another supplement including this ingredient), clinical studies show that senna can cause liver injury.
Milk thistle, which is typically used for liver health, has been shown in a medical review to cause diarrhea as a side effect. We do not understand why this ingredient would be included in a gut health supplement.
Burdock root powder was found in an animal study published in the Microorganisms journal to promote intestinal health, but the dose used (2.5% of overall diet) was far higher than the equivalent dose in ZuPOO.
We are unable to identify any ingredients in this formulation that we consider effectively dosed and likely to improve gut health based on a review of medical research.
We do not currently recommend this supplement, and we consider it to be potentially harmful due to the inclusion of two active ingredients associated with increased risk of liver injury.
This is one of the worst-formulated dietary supplements we have ever reviewed on Illuminate Health.
We Tested ZuPoo
One of our product testers named Joshua Martinez tried ZuPoo for 30 days. Here's his experience:
Using ZuPoo was no different than any other capsule supplement. It arrived intact and the capsules were easy to swallow.
There was no distinguishable taste when taking ZuPoo.
I tried my best to give ZuPoo a chance, but every time I took a serving, I experienced relatively severe stomach pains.
I didn’t experience the intended “cleanse” as advertised, and I didn't experienced any notable benefits.
I would much rather take a standard laxative every few weeks to cleanse my system over taking the blend of supplements that comes with ZuPoo.
Overall, I would rate ZuPoo 1/10 and I do not plan on purchasing it in the future.
Strange Health Claims on ZuPoo Website
When we initially published this article, Umzu claimed in a blog post about ZuPoo that "toxic waste" builds up in the body and the body becomes a "walking vessel of fecal toxicity:"
We called out these claims as uncited, illogical and unscientific.
Fecal toxicity is an incredibly rare complication of severe colon disease or infection, and we haven't come across any evidence that it's treated with dietary supplements.
This blog post previously had the title: “Scientists Confirm: The Average Person is Carrying Around 5-20 Pounds of Poop in Their Body At Any Time.” Umzu appears to have removed this article from their website at the time of updating this article.
The claim was also made in the same promotional article that if you are not producing well-formed stools after each meal then there is "toxic build-up" inside your digestive system. This is unscientific and zero proof was provided for this claim.
A 2010 medical review found that normal bowel frequency is between three times weekly and three times daily. There's nothing wrong with passing stool after each meal, but passing stool at longer intervals does not necessarily indicate a health problem.
Umzu's article described “all that poop, just sitting there, rotting away inside their intestines and colon,” which is another statement that suggests a lack of basic understanding of human biology. Stool doesn’t “just sit” in the intestines and it certainly doesn’t “rot” -- it passes through the digestive tract before being expelled.
We called out this type of fearmongering marketing to be unfair to consumers, and while it's a good thing Umzu has removed this article from their website, we believe it's worthwhile to maintain our records of this, for potential consumers of this brand.
Umzu Spams Us
We visited the ZuPOO product page on Umzu's website while researching this article. We never consented to any marketing emails or input our email anywhere on their website.
Since visiting the Umzu site, we have received three spam emails from Umzu within 24 hours:
We don't believe that companies should be allowed to send spam to people who don't even share their email address with the company.
We recommend avoiding the Umzu website so that you don't receive unsolicited marketing spam emails from a business that somehow accessed your personal email address without your consent.
Does Colon Cleansing Even Make Sense?
The ZuPOO website describes the product as a "colon cleanse" supplement. Many health brands claim that colon cleansing improves gut health but we can't find any clinical backing for these claims.
There are two types of colon cleanses: one from an injectable device inserted into the rectum that flushes out the colon with liquid (this is typically administered in medical settings like before a colonoscopy), and the other is via an oral supplement like ZuPOO.
A medical review published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology analyzed clinical trials on colon cleanses for detoxification and general health promotion, and concluded that there was no benefit to colon cleanses for general health, and that the practice could cause side effects such as electrolyte imbalances.
A more recent clinical trial found that colon cleansing (which was recommended prior to a colonoscopy) had negative effects on the gut microbiome.
The practice significantly reduced the levels of healthy bacteria in the gut.
ZuPOO vs. Popular Gut Health Supps
Here's how ZuPOO compares to other popular gut health supplements in terms of potential effectiveness and healthiness, in our opinion:
Unbloat
Contains probiotics, which are clinically shown to relieve bloating.
No unhealthy active or inactive ingredients.
Winner: Unbloat
Welleco
Welleco's Super Elixir gut health supplement contains one active ingredient we consider potentially harmful, as we documented in our Welleco reviews article.
However, this is one fewer than in ZuPOO, so we give the former brand the edge from a healthiness perspective.
Winner: Welleco
Colon Broom
Contains two flavoring ingredients we consider unhealthy, but for the most part, this is a simple fiber supplement.
We give Colon Broom the edge from a potential efficacy and healthiness perspective.
Winner: Colon Broom
Our Clean Gut Health Picks
Manukora MGO 850+ is our top whole food gut health pick.
A 2024 clinical trial reported that manuka honey ingestion "correlates with beneficial modulation of gut microbiota composition."
MBG Organic Fiber Potency+ is our top gut health supplement.
MBG Organic Fiber Potency+ contains 100% soluble fiber, which was described as "one of the most important nutrients for the gut microbiota" in a clinical review published in the Molecules journal.
Both of the products recommended in this section are free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
ZuPOO Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Inactive ingredients are safe and non-toxic
- Contains an active ingredient that may improve liver health
Cons:
- Contains two ingredients associated with liver injury
- May have laxative effect
- Doesn't appear clinically tested
- Only 15 servings per bottle
- Brand previously made questionable and uncited health claims
- Brand website somehow accesses and spams email of users
