The short answer
A detox drainer makes you urinate. That is all it can do, and the weight lost is water, which comes back as soon as you drink. No « drainage » claim is authorised for these plants at European level: they have been awaiting evaluation since 2010. The most expensive product in the comparison, the one from Nutri&Co, contains 100 mg of caffeine per dose, slightly more than an espresso, which explains a good part of its diuretic effect. The cheapest, Dieti Natura’s orthosiphon, works out at 0.29 EUR a day.
The comparison
| Brand and product | Composition per day | Caffeine | Price | Cost per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dieti Natura, orthosiphon | 1,200 mg of orthosiphon leaf powder | none | 11.50 EUR for 200 capsules | 0.29 EUR |
| Dieti Natura, Complexe Draineur | cherry 320 mg, birch 280 mg, orthosiphon 280 mg, dandelion 200 mg | none | 5.50 EUR for 60 capsules | 0.37 EUR |
| Nutri&Co, Draineur | blackcurrant 1.3 g, nigella 400 mg, meadowsweet 250 mg, coffee and guarana extracts, goldenrod, fennel, dandelion | 100 mg | 19.90 EUR for 28 days | 0.71 EUR |
What this table tells us
100 mg of caffeine, the real engine of the Nutri&Co drainer
Nutri&Co’s Elimreal formula contains 100 mg of coffee bean extract and 25 mg of guarana extract, for a total of 100 mg of caffeine per dose, which the brand itself states and which leads it to advise against taking it in the six hours before bed. Caffeine has a known diuretic effect, especially in people who do not usually consume it. The 84% rise in urinary frequency claimed by the brand is therefore not surprising.
If you already drink three or four coffees a day, add these 100 mg to the total. EFSA considers that up to 400 mg of caffeine a day is safe for an adult, and 200 mg during pregnancy; an espresso contains about 80 mg.
« Draining » plants have no validated claim
Orthosiphon, birch, dandelion, meadowsweet, goldenrod: these plants are traditionally used to support the kidneys’ elimination of water. The claims that go with them fall under a transitional regime: they have been awaiting evaluation by the European Union since 2010, and none has been authorised to date. Brands may use them, but no authority has validated their effect.
The precautions are not trivial
Birch and meadowsweet contain salicylate derivatives, close to aspirin: Dieti Natura advises against its complex for people allergic to these derivatives and for those on anticoagulants, and Nutri&Co does the same for its drainer. Dieti Natura for its orthosiphon and Nutri&Co for its drainer also advise against them in cases of heart or kidney failure, situations where water retention is a medical symptom that should not be treated with a supplement.
What really drains
Water retention in a healthy person most often comes from excess salt, heat, prolonged standing or the hormonal cycle. The first lever is therefore to cut back on salt, most of which comes from processed products, bread, cured meats and cheese above all. The second, paradoxically, is to drink enough: our guide on how much water to drink a day gives the benchmarks.
If your goal is a flatter stomach or weight loss, a drainer does not touch fat. Our guides on losing belly fat and losing weight healthily deal with the question in depth.
Our verdict
If you want to try a draining plant, Dieti Natura’s orthosiphon is the simplest and cheapest, caffeine-free, at 0.29 EUR a day. Nutri&Co’s drainer costs more than double and owes part of its effect to a dose of caffeine that you can find in a cup of coffee. In every case, the weight lost is water, and it comes back.
Our sources
- Official Nutri&Co and Dieti Natura pages, consulted on 24/09/2026.
- EFSA, scientific opinion on the safety of caffeine, 2015: 400 mg a day for adults, 200 mg during pregnancy.
- European Commission, health claims register: claims on plants awaiting evaluation (« on hold ») since 2010.