Spring Clean Your Body :: Holistic Healing :: Detoxification and Cleansing

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Spring Clean Your Body

It’s time for spring cleaning, and to tackle this job, many of us will be cleansing, detoxifying, and revitalizing our bodies with natural products. In preparation for detoxifying, common sense dictates we eliminate caffeine, alcohol, and smoking, and incorporate exercise in our daily routine.

Our bodies are designed to filter and eliminate waste products and toxins through our intestinal tract, liver, kidneys, skin, lungs, and lymph system. Exposure to environmental toxins can put an unnecessary load on these body systems.

If we suffer recurring bouts of constipation and diarrhea, indigestion, skin blemishes, bloating, and fatigue, it may be time to balance our body functions with an internal cleanse.

Talk with your health care professional to find out if there are any potential side effects or adverse reactions with prescription medications you may be taking. Young children and women who are pregnant or lactating should also avoid cleansing regimens.

To check out the finest in natural products, including detoxification and cleansing products, go to alive.com/award.php to see the display of award-winning products and archives of past award winners.

The natural cleansing, detoxifying, and revitalizing products we can find in our health food stores contain some of the following ingredients.

Fibre in the form of psyllium seeds and husk or ground flaxseeds encourage regular bowel elimination. Both psyllium and flax expand when they come in contact with water, so they add bulk to stool and help it move more quickly through the gastrointestinal tract.

Psyllium is a natural, plant-based, water-soluble fibre. According to studies published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it also has cholesterol-lowering properties.

Flaxseed has been primarily used as a mild laxative; it is high in fibre and a gummy material called mucilage.

Fruit pectin adds bulk, soothes the intestine, and reduces cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Eating fruit regularly may also help prevent colon cancer.

According to a 2001 study carried out on citrus pectin at Texas A&M University, it is best to eat the whole fruit since the highest concentration of pectin is in the pulp and membranes.

Probiotics are friendly bacteria that protect against the entrance and proliferation of “bad” organisms that can cause disease.

Slippery elm (Ulmus fulva) is a mucilaginous herb that soothes the gastrointestinal tract and protects against ulcers, colitis, inflammation, diverticulitus, and hyperacidity. In detoxification, slippery elm bark is known for its ability to lower bowel transit time and absorb toxins from the bowel. The less time toxins rest in the lower gastrointestinal tract, the less risk of toxic exposure to the body.

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) helps remove toxins from the liver and may help to regenerate liver cells. Many professional herbalists recommend milk thistle extract for the prevention and treatment of various liver disorders, including viral hepatitis, fatty liver associated with long-term alcohol use, and liver damage from drugs and industrial toxins such as carbon tetrachloride. Milk thistle extract may block toxins from entering the liver.

Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon) contain proanthocyanidins, which help prevent bacteria from sticking to bladder walls and causing infections. Use unsweetened cranberry juice concentrate diluted with water or powdered cranberry extract in capsules.

Burdock root (Arctium lappa) has been traditionally used as a blood purifier to clear the bloodstream of toxins and as a diuretic to promote the excretion of urine. In traditional medicine, it is believed to be helpful for kidney stones. Burdock is commonly used in combination with other cleansing herbs such as dandelion.

Yellow dock (Rumex crispus) is used as a mild laxative. Yellow dock is also used to help support and restore liver function.

Garlic (Allium sativum) is a pungent herb that cleanses parasites from the intestine, and its antioxidant properties can neutralize free radicals and may reduce or even help prevent some of the damage they cause over time.

Echinacea (Echinacea spp.) is recommended by professional herbalists to treat urinary tract infections, vaginal yeast (candida) infections, ear infections (also known as otitits media), athlete’s foot, sinusitis, hay fever (also called allergic rhinitis), as well as slow-healing wounds.

Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) contains a compound called berberine that kills many of the bacteria responsible for diarrhea. Berberine has also been shown to kill a wide range of other types of germs, such as those that cause candida (yeast) infections, as well as various parasites such as tapeworms and giardia.

Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium) contains bitter alkaloids, including berberine, which stimulates the flow of bile, loosens the stools, and helps prevent and sometimes relieve constipation, diverticulosis, gallbladder disease, and hemorrhoids. These alkaloids may also help people with constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Berberine and other alkaloids have been shown to kill a wide range of microbes and have been effective in human studies for speeding recovery from giardia, candida, viral diarrhea, and cholera.

A detoxifying and cleansing program, especially in springtime, can help us regain our vitality, our energy, and our optimism for the life we deserve.

Herbs Useful for Detoxification

Blood cleansers: echinacea, red clover, dandelion, burdock, yellow dock, Oregon grape
Laxatives: Cascara sagrada, buckthorn, dandelion, yellow dock, rhubarb root, senna leaf, licorice
Diuretics: parsley, yarrow, cleavers, horsetail, corn silk, uva ursi, juniper berries
Skin cleansers: (promote perspiration) burdock, Oregon grape, yellow dock, goldenseal, boneset, elder flowers, peppermint, cayenne pepper, ginger root
Antibiotics garlic, myrrh, prickly ash, wormwood, echinacea, propolis, clove oil, eucalyptus
Anticatarrhals (help eliminate mucus) echinacea, boneset, goldenseal, sage, hyssop, garlic, yarrow

Source: alive #293, March 2007

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