Re: Colin Cleanse
I agree that colon cleanses can get quite scary at times. But let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater! Herbs are a blessed thing. They grow on this earth for very good reasons. Most herbs have upwards to 20 different healing properties.
And if you could see inside most people's colons, you would have to agree that they need a good cleanse. After years and years of eating junk food, or food that you're intolerant to, the colon does indeed build up lots of 'crap'. It literally merges with/sticks to the lining of the intestines and colon. Add to that the mucous, and you've got one stopped-up system! One that parasites and worms love to live in. 
The healthiest way to go about cleansing is to find out if you have any food intolerances or allergies, and then eliminate them. Then starting to change your diet, as Cipher mentioned, is the next step. Introducing raw foods, increase pure water and fiber intake, and such.
As far as the herbal protocols go: this is a very sticky subject. Herbs are not regulated (because They can't patent them; therefore no profit, so they don't bother). This means, essentially, that if you would like to get out of the mainstream sick-care system and go all natural, then you have to be your own researcher and doctor. Unless, that is, you're lucky enough to have access to an herbal healer and can afford such a person. You can't just go to the health food store, pick up a bottle of something, and take the manufacturer's word for it as being something you need. In herbal healing, you MUST take the initiative to study the herbs beforehand to see if it's right for you.
I admit, it's a lot of work to do your own research. There are so many different herbs out there! And you do have to check to see if they will interfere with other herbs/medicines. And some people just shouldn't take certain herbs, based on their bodies/situations. Knowledge protects...in the herbal as well as the metaphysical worlds.
Taking something for over a year that contains a natural laxative is indeed not the right thing to do to a body. But anyone who bothers to research the information before they start the protocol should be well aware of this and take precautions. I'm not saying it's right that we should have to become doctors to take an herbal, but really, if you're going to act as your own doctor (which I do), then you have to educate yourself just as an MD goes to school to educate him/herself on the human body. TPTB aren't going to help you out by giving that kind of information to people. Like I said, there's no money in that...
Colonics, as mentioned by Cipher, are good for people who are really stopped up. But they can be addictive, as well, so it's best not to rely on them heavily after the initial clearing. Also the enzymes, as mentioned, are very important. Most foods pass through the stomach without ever being digested, which makes for a very murky situation in the rest of the intestinal system.
And thanks, Montalk, for the recipe. It looks very healthy to someone who is not intolerant to oats or rye. The pumpkin seeds have the added benefit of harming intestinal worms, although the seeds are not a vermifuge. That's when a colon cleanse would be beneficial. The seeds only paralyze/stun the worms so that they detach from the lining. You have to purge them little buggers or they will come to and just reattach to your intestinal wall.
Well, happy cleansing, everyone. 
PS: As a side note, ephedra has been used for eons in Traditional Chinese Medicine for helping people breath. The side effect is increased energy. So some stupid athletes start taking/abusing the herb so that they can be unbeatable. Next thing you know, they take too much (because they haven't studied it) and they die from their stupidity/naiveness. All herbs/pharmaceuticals/recreational drugs can be harmful if they are not used in moderation, and studied for their side effects. Now a very helpful herb has been banned from the US and probably Europe, because people were careless and/or uninformed or eager to be the best in their sport.
And as far as liver damage goes: most man-made pharmaceuticals cause liver problems, while only a relative few herbs do such a thing. Again, it's about informing yourself, because nobody else is going to do it for you...
