Three Cleansing and Detox Herbs

If you have ever had a visit to a naturopath (physician that uses natural remedies) or an herbalist for any illness or ailment then you may already know that cleansing and detoxifying is number 1 in their protocol for any healing program. All the good healthy foods, exercise and positive thinking you may do means absolutely nothing if your body is toxic. Good foods can not even begin to do their job until you have first cleansed the body by eliminating excess mucus and toxins that have collected in our bodies from lifeless foods, pesticides and pollutants, etc.

There are many ways to detoxify your body using natural fruits and vegetables, however this article is about the abundance of herbs that can be made into teas (capsules are fine too, but my personal preference are teas) for cleansing and as supplements to other detox and cleansing programs.

Here are quick highlights of 3 wonderful cleansing herbs for your pantry. Read more about them in the book that follows:

Dandelion (root and leaves) -
An amazing detoxifier. The dried root can be used in teas and the fresh leaves in salads. Chronic toxic conditions have been treated with dandelion, specifically dandelion root.
Dandelion is 28 parts sodium. The natural nutritive salts in dandelion purify the blood and help to neutralize the acids in the blood. It is a mild laxative, thereby cleansing the colon. Dandelion leaves are a safe and healthy diuretic, because of their potassium content. (Most diuretics cause your body to lose potassium, but dandelion leaves restore it.) Dandelion leaves improve digestion and elimination which are important factors in any cleansing program.
Dandelion root is also a well known liver tonic and cools and cleans the liver.


Plantain -
A common roadside and meadow plant you may even have some in your own backyard. Plantain was a familiar ingredient in early remedies, and many old-time herbalists believed it could cure all diseases. In medieval England, it was called slan-lus, "plant of healing".
Plantain tea is one of the best cleansers to remove toxins from the blood. (It is even used as an antidote to venom and poisons, including snake and spider bites, because of its blood cleansing properties.
Plantain is also a deobstruent, meaning it unclogs passageways, particularly lung plugs and liver obstructions (imbedded phlegm).
Plantain is a "specific" for infections and inflammations of the mucous membranes. It pulls toxins from the tissues and fights infections lingering there. It has silica to repair damaged tissue in mucous linings. It gets your body in better shape to heal itself.

Sarsaparilla -
Sarsaparilla is considered one of the best cleansing herbs for the body. Its magic comes from saponins which deep clean the body, removing toxins through the skin (by sweating), through the urine (with its diuretic nature), from the intestines (by stimulating bowel movements) and by vacating mucous from the lungs. Use as a tea.
Caution: Not recommended if you have kidney or liver weakness.
We all know sarsaparilla as one of the main ingredients in old-time root beer.


Also, a wonderful book on healing herbs is The 20,000 Secrets of Tea by Victoria Zak. Mine is worn with half the pages falling out. An engaging book for novice and seasoned herbal tea drinkers and herbal enthusiasts. You may be able to find a copy in your local library. If not, then you most definitely will find it at Amazon.

Stay tuned...