People are using Smooth Move Tea for weight loss—here’s why that’s a bad idea

Weight loss teas have an enduring presence on social media and in wellness culture, usually sold on a specific promise. Some are marketed as fat-burners, like barley tea and lemon balm tea; others as metabolism boosters or gentle detoxes.

Smooth Move Tea is a different kind of weight loss tea — a laxative, in the same category as Ballerina Tea or China Slim Tea. It isn’t a wellness brand dressing up a laxative as a diet product; it’s a senna-based, over-the-counter remedy for occasional constipation. But on social media, it’s found a second life as a weight loss hack, with people posting about drinking it for a flatter stomach or a lower number on the scale before an event.

That gap between what the product is designed to do and what people are using it for is where the risk sits: a laxative empties your gut, not your fat stores, and the drop on the scale is water weight that returns once you rehydrate. Here’s what the research shows about what’s actually in Smooth Move Tea, how it works, and whether it’s safe — with insight from Maggie Hudspeth, RDN, Senior Manager of Coaching at Noom.

What is Smooth Move Tea?

Smooth Move Tea is a senna-based herbal tea that’s meant to relieve occasional constipation — not help with weight loss. In fact, the packaging specifically says that Smooth Move products are not intended to be used for cleansing or as diet aids.

Still, the tea has gained traction on social media, where some people recommend it as a quick way to feel lighter or look less bloated before an event. The appeal is understandable: after using a stimulant laxative, the number on the scale may temporarily go down. But that’s where the confusion starts.

“People often assume that if the scale goes down, they’re losing body fat,” says Hudspeth. “But laxatives don’t work that way. They simply move water and waste through your digestive system more quickly. That’s very different from the process of burning stored body fat.”

What’s in Smooth Move Tea?

The ingredient that matters most is senna. It’s the tea’s active ingredient, and it’s responsible for nearly all of its effects. The remaining herbs, including licorice root, fennel, ginger, cinnamon, coriander, and orange peel, are included primarily for flavor and to help make the tea gentler on the digestive system.

What is senna?

Senna comes from a plant that acts as a natural laxative. It’s also the active ingredient in over-the-counter constipation medications like Senokot and Ex-Lax. 

Senna is a stimulant laxative, which means it works by stimulating the muscles in your colon to contract more frequently, helping move stool through your digestive tract more quickly. It’s different from fiber supplements, which add bulk to stool, and osmotic laxatives like magnesium citrate, which draw water into the intestines. 

The other herbs on Smooth Move tea

Smooth Move also contains licorice root, fennel fruit, ginger, cinnamon bark, coriander fruit, orange peel, and orange peel oil. These ingredients are primarily used to add flavor and help offset some of the cramping or digestive discomfort that stimulant laxatives can sometimes cause.

Some of these herbs have been studied individually for potential effects on appetite, digestion, or blood sugar. But that doesn’t mean Smooth Move Tea provides those same benefits.

“It’s important to separate research on individual herbs from research on a finished product,” reminds Hudspeth. “Even if an ingredient has shown promise in studies, that doesn’t mean it’s present in a large enough amount here to have the same effect.”

The label lists all of the supporting herbs together as part of a proprietary blend, so there’s no way to know exactly how much of each ingredient is in a single tea bag. Each herb is likely present in much smaller amounts than the doses typically studied for weight management or metabolic health.

How Smooth Move Tea works

The active compounds in senna are called sennosides. These compounds pass through the stomach and small intestine largely unchanged. Once they reach the colon, bacteria break them down into substances that stimulate the intestinal lining.

That stimulation triggers stronger muscle contractions, called peristalsis, which move stool through the colon more quickly. Sennosides also change how the colon handles water and electrolytes, pulling more fluid into the stool and making bowel movements softer and easier to pass.

The result is usually a bowel movement within 6 to 12 hours, along with increased water loss.

Here’s the key point: none of these processes affect body fat.

Does Smooth Move Tea help with weight loss?

No.

Despite what you may see on social media, there’s no evidence that Smooth Move Tea helps you lose body fat.  Because senna works in the large intestine, after your body has already absorbed most of the calories from food, it has no meaningful effect on how many calories you take in or how many calories you burn.

“It’s understandable why this trend catches people’s attention,” Hudspeth emphasizes. “But bloating, water weight, and body fat are three very different things.”

What’s the difference between water weight loss vs. fat loss?

One reason Smooth Move Tea has developed a reputation as a weight-loss tea is that you may notice a lower number on the scale after drinking it.

But that’s not because you’ve burned fat.

Stimulant laxatives like senna speed up the movement of stool through your colon while pulling additional water into the intestines. As your body eliminates that stool and water, your weight temporarily drops.

Research consistently shows that this type of weight loss is temporary. Studies show that weight changes associated with laxative misuse are caused by fluid loss, not fat loss, and disappear once normal hydration is restored. Again, laxatives act after calorie absorption has already occurred, so they don’t reduce the amount of calories your body gets from food.

Why the effect doesn’t last

Because the weight loss from a laxative comes from fluid and waste leaving your body, it’s temporary.

Once you drink, eat normally, and your digestive system returns to its usual rhythm, your weight returns to where it was before. 

“Sustainable weight loss comes from the habits that help you eat healthier over time, not temporarily changing how much water or waste your body is carrying,” says Hudspeth.

What about the other ingredients?

While senna is responsible for the tea’s laxative effects, some of the other herbs in Smooth Move Tea have been studied individually for potential health benefits. That’s one reason you’ll sometimes see claims online suggesting the tea may support weight loss or metabolism.

The important distinction is that research on individual herbs isn’t the same as research on this tea:

• Fennel has been linked to temporary reductions in hunger in a small study using about 2 grams of dried fennel before meals.
• Ginger has been associated with modest reductions in body weight and waist circumference in some clinical trials, typically at doses of around 2 grams per day.
• Licorice root has shown limited evidence of reducing body fat in one small study using roughly 3.5 grams daily for two months.
• Cinnamon has been studied primarily for its effects on blood sugar, not weight loss, and existing research doesn’t show that it meaningfully reduces body weight on its own. (We’ve looked at this directly in Cinnamon Water for Weight Loss.)

Those findings are interesting, but they shouldn’t be applied directly to Smooth Move Tea.

“An herb that’s been studied at several grams per day likely doesn’t have the same effect when it’s one small component of a proprietary blend,” says Hudspeth. 

Is Smooth Move Tea safe? Side effects and risks to know

Smooth Move Tea is an over-the-counter laxative that’s generally considered safe when it’s used occasionally and as directed to relieve constipation.

But using it for its intended purpose is very different from drinking it regularly in hopes of losing weight.

The product label makes that distinction clear. It states that Smooth Move products aren’t intended for cleansing or as diet aids and shouldn’t be used for more than one week unless directed by a healthcare provider.

Here are some of the potential downsides of frequent or long-term use.

• Dehydration and electrolyte imbalances – Because senna speeds the movement of stool through the colon while increasing fluid loss, it can also cause your body to lose important electrolytes, including potassium. Dehydration and electrolyte disturbances are among the most common complications of stimulant laxative misuse. Losing too much fluid can leave you feeling thirsty, dizzy, fatigued, or lightheaded, while significant electrolyte imbalances can affect normal muscle and nerve function.
• Laxative dependence – Another concern is that your digestive system may begin relying on stimulant laxatives to trigger bowel movements. Long-term laxative misuse can actually worsen constipation over time by making it harder for the colon to function normally without stimulation.
• Rare liver injury – Liver injury from senna is uncommon, but it has been reported. Rare cases of liver injury have occurred in people who used senna in high doses over extended periods, sometimes requiring hospitalization. Most people recovered after stopping the product, but it’s another reminder that just because it’s natural doesn’t mean it’s risk-free.
• Blood pressure concerns from licorice root –  Smooth Move Tea also contains licorice root, which has been linked to elevated blood pressure when consumed in large amounts over time. The amount in a single cup of Smooth Move Tea is likely much smaller than the doses associated with this effect, but it’s still something to be aware of, especially if you have high blood pressure or have been advised to limit licorice-containing products.

FAQs about Smooth Move Tea

How long does Smooth Move Tea take to work? 

Most people have a bowel movement within 6 to 12 hours, which is why the manufacturer recommends drinking it at bedtime.

Does Smooth Move Tea actually work? 

Yes, for some people with occasional constipation. The active ingredient, senna, is a well-studied stimulant laxative that’s effective at relieving occasional constipation when used as directed. For weight loss, however, the answer is no. While the scale may temporarily go down because you’re losing water and passing stool, Smooth Move Tea doesn’t burn fat or create the calorie deficit needed for lasting weight loss.

What happens if I drink Smooth Move Tea every day? 

Daily use goes beyond the manufacturer’s recommendations and increases the risk of dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, and laxative dependence. Long-term or high-dose use has also been linked to rare cases of liver injury. If you find yourself needing a laxative regularly, it’s worth talking with a healthcare provider to identify the underlying cause of your constipation instead of relying on a stimulant laxative indefinitely.

Will senna tea make me lose weight? 

Senna tea may cause a temporary decrease on the scale, but that isn’t the same as losing body fat. The weight change comes from losing water and eliminating waste, not from burning calories or reducing fat stores. Once you rehydrate and your digestive system returns to normal, that weight typically comes back.

Is there any tea that burns fat? 

Probably not. While some teas, including green tea, have been studied for their potential effects on weight management, the results have generally been modest. No tea can replace the habits that consistently support long-term weight loss, such as eating in a sustainable calorie deficit, staying physically active, getting enough sleep, and managing stress.

The bottom line: Smooth Move Tea doesn’t cause weight loss and is dangerous if used too often

Smooth Move Tea can be an effective option for occasional constipation, but it isn’t a safe or effective weight-loss strategy.

The temporary drop on the scale that some people experience comes from losing water and passing stool, not from burning fat. Once you rehydrate and return to your usual eating habits, that weight typically comes back.

More importantly, using a stimulant laxative regularly in an effort to lose weight can increase your risk of dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, digestive dependence, and other health complications.

“Real, lasting weight loss isn’t about finding one drink that changes the number on the scale overnight,” says Hudspeth. “It’s about building habits you can maintain over time, eating in a way that supports a calorie deficit, moving your body regularly, and understanding how your body actually works.”

And, if bloating or constipation motivates you to reach for a laxative tea often, address the underlying cause with your healthcare provider instead of relying on a temporary fix.

And if your goal is lasting weight loss, evidence-based habits, not laxatives, are what make the biggest difference. Noom combines nutrition guidance, behavior change strategies, and personalized coaching tools to help you build those habits for the long term, so you can focus on sustainable progress instead of quick fixes.