What Is A Herbal Detox?
Where exactly do the toxins in our bodies come from? These come from a variety of sources – mainly from the food we eat, but also from the air around us, the chemicals we use on our skin, from the ultraviolet radiation we expose ourselves to, and even from the drugs we take for our illnesses.
Normally, our body has the lymphatic system working to eliminate these harmful substances regularly. When harmful chemicals make their way into our bodies, our natural defense system works to separate the toxins from the elements that are needed by our body. Body organs such as the kidneys and the intestines get rid of the waste matter, but some of the toxins are able to penetrate the bloodstream and the cells.
Free radicals have been found to contribute to the proliferation of cancers. Free radicals cannot be easily identified by our bodies as good or bad stuff, making it possible for them to float around and cause cell mutations. When this happens, our resistance breaks down and we become prone to bacterial and viral infection.
Even if the proliferation of toxins does not manifest itself as some disease, we become constantly exhausted and sluggish, have recurring allergies, irregular bowel movement, and may even become obese.
Herbal detox is a fantastic way of restoring the functions of the lungs, the intestines, the liver, and the kidneys – our so-called “sieving organs.” These herbs have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for years and are considered safe, although the FDA does not give approval on these alternative medications.
Examples of herbs that you can use for herbal detox are:
Milk thistle - an antioxidant which fights free radicals and reverses the effects of bad habits such as smoking. It speeds up the synthesis of protein.
Dandelion root or leaf – cleanses the liver and makes the kidneys function more efficiently.
Nettle – taken as tea, this herbal detox plant is rich in minerals and is known to tone down, if not eliminate, inflammation during allergy attacks. Unlike other detox diets which are prohibited during pregnancy, nettle is safe for pregnant and lactating women to be taken as an invigorating tonic.
Burdock seed and root – this is also a type of thistle whit large and coarse dark green leaves. You may have already seen this before. It is a plant with prickly heads which quickly attach themselves to clothing.
The dried version of this plant is known to be a good diaphoretic (excessive sweating), diuretic, and an effective blood purifying agent as well. This has the same detoxifying agents as the nettle but is much stronger and can eliminate large amounts of toxin buildup in very little time.
Psyllium seed – is fibrous and induces bowel movements.
Herbal detox teas are perhaps the easiest to prepare. Here is one simple herbal infusion detox tea recipe: Use 2 parts each of bedstraw, stinging nettle leaf, dandelion leaf, and red clover blossom. Blend with 1 part chaparral leaf. For a quart of infusion, pour 4 cups of boiling water on 2 tablespoons of tea.
The taste of this herbal detox tea can be quite bitter because of the ingredient, chaparral. To remedy this, add some stevia or 1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger. Allow concoction to stand for about 15 minutes before passing it through a strain. Drink as desired.