Effective Colon Cleanse on a Budget

The colon is responsible for eliminating waste from the body. It is the last part of the digestive process. The colon is thought to become strained and blocked for a variety of reasons, including age, diet and a lack of water in the diet. Natural therapists recommend cleansing the colon to treat a variety of ailments including digestive problems, fatigue, headaches as well as to prevent colon cancer.

Fiber

• According to the Mayo Clinic, eating 25 to 35 grams of fiber a day is an important part of keeping the colon healthy and regular. Psyllium husk and flax seed are both very high in fiber. They absorb water from the body to form a gel like substance in the colon, flushing it clean of waste and debris. One tablespoon of psyllium husk and flax seed can be added to cereal, water or smoothies on a daily basis to ensure that you get enough fiber in your diet.

  Other forms of fiber are found in fruit and vegetables as well as many whole wheat breads, pastas and cereals. It is very important to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day to help cleanse the waste from the colon and to prevent dehydrating your self from the increase of fiber in the diet.

Fasting

• According to the natural therapists at healingdaily.com, fasting is an effective and cheap way to cleanse the colon. Traditionally a fast involves only drinking water for a specified length of time. Twelve glasses of water are consumed daily for up to three days to cleanse the colon. Other types of colon cleaning involve only eating fruit and vegetables for 3 to 10 days. This can involve eating salads, soup, juice as well as raw fruit and vegetables.

  Another type of fast involves mixing 1 TB of honey with the juice of half a lemon and a pinch of cayenne pepper and adding it to a glass of purified water. 12 glasses of the lemon, honey and cayenne pepper mixture are consumed daily for three to 10 days. When returning to the regular diet, it is important eat lightly for the first few days, eating mainly fruit and vegetables.

Herbs

• Many natural therapists including those at vitaminsdiary.com, recommend the use of herbs for cleansing the colon. Licorice root, dandelion root, marshmallow root and fennel are all said to have a soothing and cleansing effect on the colon. Some of these herbs can be purchased very cheaply in the form of tea from health food stores and some supermarkets. They may also be purchased in a dried form and used to make tea. Aloe vera is also believed to have a cleansing effect on the colon and can be purchased in pure juice form from health food stores.