Homemade Detox Plan With Just Herbs

You may have seen ads for detoxification programs or retreats and thought that you would like to try one to improve your health. The cost may have been more than you wanted to pay, or you may simply want to customize your own program. Since these programs are made up of herbs and other readily available supplements, you can cleanse your body and provide support for your endocrine system at home.

Bowel Cleansing

• The first step in detoxification is to cleanse your bowel and begin eating whole, vitamin-rich foods. While modern medicine is busy making new and more costly chemicals to treat symptoms, your body is crying out for vegetables, fruits and clean water. Once you have digested what you eat, the waste material lines up for elimination from your intestines.

  Eating foods high in soluble (fruits and vegetables) and insoluble (psyllium husk, whole bran) fiber help to cleanse the intestinal walls and ensure that your waste is completely eliminated rather than sitting around as a potential bacteria breeding ground. These sources of fiber hold water and bulk up, urging your bowels to move. Senna is an herb that stimulates the digestive tract. You can find it in tea or capsule form at your local health food store. Don't use it for more than seven days at a time, because it can cause cramping, as well as cause your body to become dependent on it for elimination with overuse. Aloe vera juice is another good laxative. Opt for a clearer brand to get the gentlest help with moving your bowels.

Other Avenues of Elimination

• Provide support for your endocrine system as well as your digestive tract. Your lungs, skin, liver and kidneys work together to clean toxins from your blood stream and eliminate them from your body. To assist these organs in their purpose, include the following herbs in your detox program. For liver support, try a combination of some of these: dandelion, red beet, liverwort, parsley, horsetail, birch leaves, chamomile, blessed thistle, black cohosh, angelica, gentian, and goldenrod. For the kidneys, try uva ursi, parsley, juniper berries, marshmallow (the plant not the confection), ginger, and goldenseal. To thin mucous in your lungs, and assist in the elimination of toxins when you exhale, take comfrey, mullein, and/or slippery elm. These supplements are available loose or in pill form online and at your health food store. Some companies combine them for you in supplements especially for liver support, etc. Mullein can also be taken as a smoke smudge. Simply put the leaves in a fireproof bowl, light them and inhale the smoke.

  Your skin is also an organ, and you eliminate waste through your pores when you sweat. To assist your skin, use a dry body brush daily before you bathe to slough off dead cells that might block your pores. This also stimulates circulation in the area. Bathe in ½ cup Epsom salt daily during your detox program. It is soothing and helps to draw impurities out of the skin.

Considerations

• If you use aloe vera juice, avoid those with a high latex content. These may cause intestinal cramping and diarrhea. Check with your health care provider to make sure you are healthy enough to follow an herbal detox program.