Otherwise known as the large intestine, your colon is an essential part of your digestive system. As you chew your food, enzymes in your saliva help to break it into smaller pieces that fit into your esophagus. Muscular action propels the food into your stomach where your stomach acid further breaks down the food, and strong muscles churn it into liquid. Food moves into the small intestine where your blood picks up nutrients and vitamins and carries them to other parts of your body. Anything leftover moves into your colon, where water is absorbed from it. Whatever is left moves to your rectum for release when you next have a bowel motion.
The action in your colon, known as peristalsis, can take around 36 hours. But some experts believe that your colon can become clogged up and that’s where a colon cleanse comes in.