Herbal Chelator

Chelation is the process of utilizing a chemical or herbal substance to remove heavy metals and other toxins from the bloodstream. The chelating agent binds to the metals and toxins and eliminates them through your bladder and bowels. This is one way that doctors and health practitioners often treat mercury and lead poisoning. Herbal chelators can be found at health food stores and specialty supplement providers.

Benefits

• Besides treating metal poisoning, alternative health practitioners often recommend herbal chelators to safely alleviate environmental illnesses. In contrast to chemical chelators, such as those delivered intravenously, herbal chelators pose no serious health risks and have no known harmful side effects. You can take herbal chelators at home without a doctor's prescription.

Risks

• Only use an herbal chelator or undergo any form of chelation when your kidney, bowel and gall bladder are in perfect working order. To eliminate, rather than recirculate, the metals and toxins to which chelators bind, take care of any issues related to your eliminative organs first. Do not take an herbal chelator while under stress, as your body could find the process over taxing, resulting in cold-type symptoms.

Recommendations

• Drink plenty of water when taking any herbal chelator, as this will help your body eliminate the metals and toxins that bind to the chelator and prevent them from taking up residence in your liver, spleen, colon or other organs. While you don't need a doctor's supervision to undergo chelation, the oversight of a qualified health practitioner can better help you avert the risks.