6 Tips to Spring Clean Your Pantry
(Health Secrets) If you are interested in recapturing or keeping good health, learning how to cleanse and detoxifying with herbs is a must. The use of herbs for purification and cleansing of the body has been a part of man’s rituals for good health throughout the ages.
Generally, scientists and researchers do not reveal that they go to nature and herbs for inspiration as they design medicines. Researchers attempt to isolate significant compounds in plants that they can alter or mimic in the laboratory to create a product that can be patented as a drug. They follow scientific procedures to verify their hypothetical formulas and their usefulness. However, scientists and researchers cannot replicate the perfect bioactive synergy of the plant itself, and this is why many drugs have such terrible side effects. Relying on herbs is a much better idea.
Herbs are synergistic and possess a kind of spiritual purity that cannot be replicated by man. When it is time to cleanse and detoxify with herbs, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
Each of us has been given a body to inhabit. We can choose to keep a clean house (a metaphor for the body), or we can choose to live in a dirty house. A dirty house encourages bugs, disease, mold and deterioration. There are many people who spend much more time on the up keep of their house or car than they spend on the upkeep of their own body. Perhaps they would take more care of their body if it came with an owner’s manual.
As with any other activity, how you incorporate a chance to cleanse and detoxify with herbs into your life is individual to your needs and preferences. Natural body processes, environmental toxins, parasites, unclean foods, and processed foods can create biochemical threats to your internal systems. These accumulated biochemical toxins and waste products put us at risk for chronic and degenerative diseases. Proactive actions we can take are cleansing and detoxifying. In fact, cleansing and detoxifying activities should be a part of a wellness lifestyle.
Often the words cleanse and detoxify are used interchangeably, but they are each very different processes. Both processes have several similar advantages by helping the body to get rid of toxins. However they focus on different areas of the body and on different toxins.
Detoxification is the body’s process of eliminating or neutralizing toxic materials from the blood stream, body organs, skin, liver and kidneys. A detox includes ingredients added into a person’s daily diet, which are meant to eradicate toxins. A daily detox regimen would target chemicals, smoke, metals, pollutants, stones (kidney, or gall), and even fat deposits which accumulate in the body. Adding a few detox ingredients in your daily diet has benefits for better health, skin and hormonal balance. Aches, pain, and anxiety or depression are helped by including detox ingredients in your diet each day.
Cleansing targets the digestive tract from the mouth through the colon to the anus. Cleansing targets waste matter, fungi (like Candida), parasites and harmful bacteria inside your bowels. Typically, cleansing uses a particular program or component for the procedure, for example teas or high fiber foods. Detoxification tends to incorporate a more complete process which sometimes includes fasting or a special diet. A cleanse is short term and has a specific procedure.
The digestive tract is actually a continuation of our skin, found internally. If you look in a mirror you will see how the skin of your face runs into your lips, then rolls into the tissue and gums of your mouth and down into the throat through the esophagus into the stomach. The gut or digestive tract, is our internal skin, however compared to the skin, the digestive tract is fragile.
Specific strains of bacteria, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum and Lactobacillus bulgaricus grow as colonies in our digestive tract and form a protective layer above the cells lining our gut. These bacteria, often called beneficial flora, inhabit the small intestine and large intestine. When we use prolonged courses of antibiotics the beneficial bacteria (flora) are killed off leaving us vulnerable to malnutrition, a weakened immune system, or build up of yeast and fungus in the gut.
It is essential to maintain the proper balance of healthy bacteria in the gut. Include a good probiotic as part of your cleansing protocol. These healthy bacteria when used as a health supplement are called probiotics. Probiotics are live bacteria, which replace or add to the beneficial bacteria usually present in the gastrointestinal tract. Replenishing the good bacteria in our gut protects us from dangerous pathogens and reduces our vulnerability to infection.
Start with a cleansing
Generally, one begins with a digestive tract cleanse to be certain you are absorbing nutrients and eliminating waste efficiently. Undigested food, debris, parasites and bad bacteria can accumulate in the digestive tract leading to reduced efficiency in the absorption of nutrients and elimination of waste. The first step in a cleansing protocol is a basic fiber cleanse. The purpose of increased fiber intake is to remove the build up of debris from the walls of the digestive tract.
A good way to increase fiber through diet is by increasing intake of beans, whole grains, and raw fruits and vegetables. The pectin found in apples is a dietary fiber that helps to bind toxins and expel them from the body. Many of us do not eat enough fiber, however if you feel bloated, or have excessive flatulence you may be over doing the fiber. When doing a fiber cleanse be sure to add daily probiotics to protect the exposed areas of your digestive tract.
Go on to a detox for removing toxins from the blood
Check with your health care provider if you have certain health conditions, such as anemia, diabetes, and kidney disease, before starting a detox regimen. Detox is not appropriate for pregnant or nursing women. Be sure to purchase organic teas from reputable manufacturers and suppliers. It is not helpful to buy teas that have been sprayed with fertilizer or insecticide. You must read the box.
How to use teas for detoxification
In Western medicine, research to support the use of teas as detox aids is limited. However, there is a long tradition of the use of herbal teas for cleansing as mentioned in historical documents from Egypt, Ayurveda (the holistic science of wellness from India), and China.
It is generally recommended to drink detox teas one to three times a day. One can use 2 different kinds of tea bags at a time but avoid using more than ten tea bags in a single day.
Purchased detox tea combinations should always be used as directed. Detox teas should not be taken for more than 30 days consecutively.
Teas made from the roasted roots of the herb generally have a stronger earthier flavor, for example dandelion. One might choose to take this tea with a more pleasant tasting cleansing tea such as cranberry, or elderberry. Detox teas are not recommended for use by women who are pregnant or nursing.
Detoxify with herbs
Milk Thistle — rich in an antioxidant known as silymarin, milk thistle has been found to boost liver function and shield the liver from the toxic effects of chemicals such as alcohol and acetaminophen, Milk thistle may promote regeneration of liver cells
Burdock — protects liver cells from alcohol and acetaminophen-related damage. Burdock is rich in inulin and mucilage, fibers that are essential for healthy digestion and elimination. It may be necessary to eat burdock root as a whole food to obtain the potentially detox-promoting benefits of these two fibers.
Dandelion — stimulate the flow of bile, which helps transport toxins away from the liver to be eliminated from the body. Dandelion may guard against liver damage induced by environmental toxins. Dandelion extract is used as a remedy for hepatitis C, stimulates the liver and gallbladder to release toxins, and is a natural diuretic.
Artichoke — contains caffeoylquinic acids, antioxidant substances that increase the flow of bile. Artichoke displays toxin-fighting effects and is believed to trigger regeneration of liver cells.
Echinacea Pururea Leaf — is an immune system strengthener, has anti-viral properties, and assists the body in detoxification and eliminating toxins.
Juniper Berry — detoxifies and flushes the kidneys and liver, has powerful detoxification and blood cleansing properties. Juniper berry aids digestion and fights urinary tract infections.
Turmeric Root — detoxifies and cleanses the liver, lymphatic system and blood.
For more information:
http://holheal.com/ayurved4.html
http://drleeonhealth.com/what-exactly-is-the-difference-between-a-clea
http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4928813_detox-tea-work.html#ixzz2Qf3UNVQt
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/mastercleansediet/p/mastercleanse.htm
