Healing with Herbs: Detoxification

"It is better to dig a well before you are thirsty"

- Huangdi Neijing

A common theme in most of my conversations with clients and their families is convincing them to be proactive about their health. The wonderful NHS is great for once you are actually ill, but wouldn't it be great if they could support you in being well, rather than just crisis management?

Of course they can't, they're massively underfunded, but the crisis management mentality has sneaked into the mindset of most of the population, who believe that unless they are in pain, they are well.

Shan Achor, (if you haven't heard his talk on the Happiness Advantage you have permission to leave this post and go watch it straight away) talks about the absence of sickness not equalling health. There is more to being well than just 'not being sick'.

In fact, your body can be underperforming long before you feel any pain or symptoms, and often when people finally get that serious diagnosis, it's because the problem has gone undetected for many years, causing more and more damage, without being addressed.

Optimum health requires that you are proactive about making healthy choices long before you get sick.

One (of many) healthy habits you can include is a regular 'detox'.

You'll hear people telling you that 'detoxing' is a myth, particularly those who claim to 'know science' and consider themselves better informed. Without being rude, they are wrong. One definition of 'detoxing' (the one where you feel worse before you feel better) is commonly known by doctors as a Herxheimer's response (or Jarisch-Herxheimer's reaction).

Another definition can mean 'detoxifying your lifestyle' e.g. removing toxic substances from your lifestyle. This is commonly what people are referring to with Juice fasts.

Another form of detoxification is the detoxification that your body is doing all the time via 'The Six P's':

Pee, Poop, Puke, Puff (breathing), Pertussis (coughing) and Periods (ladies only). You'll notice that almost all of these are water based excretion, and yet most toxic chemicals are fat soluble. They're often stored in fat cells for many years until the liver get's a rest from incoming chemicals and begins to convert them into water soluble molecules that can be excreted. Whilst they're stored in fat cells, you won't feel much effect, but once they become water soluble, you may feel tired, nauseous or have a headache. This is often what people are referring to as 'detoxing' when they us it in a negative sense.

Herbs can be used help support your liver, kidneys and the rest of your detoxification system to work more effectively, which can be a regular part of your diet, or to boost the effectiveness of a detox, fast or juice cleanse. They can also be used to relieve symptoms of a Herxheimer's reaction.

The easiest way to enjoy these herbs is in a herbal tea. You can add a little honey if you like to help you enjoy them, but it's best to enjoy them without if you can tolerate it. The flavours may even grow on you.

Here are some of my favourites to try:

Aniseed: Fragrant and sweet, aniseed is known to clear mucus and flush the urinary system. It's great for clearing waste from the lungs.

Burdock Root: Burdock is known as an 'alterative' in naturopathic terms. We don't exactly know how it works, but it restores the metabolism and helps process toxins.

Cardamom Pod: Warming and calming, this seed is great for clearing toxins.

Celery Seed: A tiny seed with powerful properties. Celery seed is brilliant for clearing uric acid from blood and joints (high levels of uric acid is the cause of gout).

Dandelion Root: Bittersweet, dandelion root stimulates bile flow, and supports the liver and gall bladder. It also reduces inflammation.

Dandelion Leaf: Bitter herb, but a powerful diuretic and helps keep toxins flowing through the liver. Make sure you drink plenty of water so you don't become dehydrated.

Fennel: Prevent fermentation in the digestion and reduce build up of inflammatory heat-toxins (which may give you acne, spots or cystitis). Gently diuretic.

Licorice Root: A powerful liver protector that prevents damage and reduces inflammation. It also strengthens the kidneys.

Nettle Leaf: Rich in chlorophyll, this is great if you're anaemic and also a good blood cleanser.

Marshmallow Root: A mucilaginous herb which makes bowel movements easier and brings water to the dry digestive tract.

Rosemary: Stimulates liver function and may help with breaking down fatty liver deposits.

Senna Leaf: A strong laxative.

Turmeric Root: A renowned liver cleanser, it also helps speed up the metabolism of alcohol and fats.

Yellow Dock Root: Bittersweet laxative that stimulates bile production and helps emulsify fats for easier elimination. It also stimulates bowel movements and is great for digestion.

You can purchase herbal tea blends or create your own. Here is one of my favourite recipes.

Get up and Glow

3g nettle leaf

2g fennel seed

2g peppermint leaf

2g dandelion root

2g burdock root

1g turmeric powder

1g aniseed

a squeeze of lemon or a drop of therapeutic grade lemon essential oil.

Place all of the ingredients into a large tea pot (except the lemon) and pour over 500ml of not quite boiled water (boiling water will bring out the bitterness of the herbs. You want about 95c so let the kettle boil, then give it a couple of minutes before adding to the pot). Allow it to steep for 10-15 minutes, then strain and add the lemon.

Got a bit more cash and looking for an easy, all natural cleanse where you don't have to brew your own tea?

Check out my 30 day Cleanse and Restore programme or message me about getting a huge discount (like over 40% off) and joining a large community of people doing the same thing, with Facebook and Whatsapp group support throughout this spring. The community will also include recipes and exercise ideas to really give you a fantastic 'spring clean', and as a bonus, I'll send you my own special detox tea blend to enjoy alongside the program.