It’s a good idea to consider your own herbal detox plan. Herbs have been used for thousands of years across the world to treat lots of diseases and health conditions. With their long history, popularity, and reported effectiveness it’s no wonder many people turn towards herbs when they need help purifying the body naturally. Your body continually needs nourishing foods to maintain cleanliness. For this reason eating lots of whole unprocessed foods is vital and will lighten your toxic load!
How can I detox naturally at home?
Detoxification is the process of removing harmful toxins from the body. There are many ways to detox naturally at home, including eating detoxifying foods, drinking detoxifying teas and taking detoxifying herbs.
One of the best ways to detox naturally at home is by eating detoxifying foods. Some of the best detoxifying foods include fruits and vegetables, especially cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower. Other good detoxifying foods include fiber-rich foods like whole grains and legumes, healthy fats like olive oil and avocados, and antioxidant-rich foods like berries.
Another great way to detox naturally at home is by drinking detoxifying teas. Some of the best detoxifying teas include green tea, ginger tea and turmeric tea. These teas are rich in antioxidants and other health-promoting compounds that help flush toxins from the body.
The Most Common Ways to Detox
- Fasting for 1–3 days.
- Drinking fresh fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies, water, and tea.
- Drinking only specific liquids, such as salted water or lemon juice.
- Eliminating foods high in heavy metals, contaminants, and allergens.
- Taking supplements or herbs.
What is the Purpose of Detoxing?
Before you start any herbal detox it is important to understand the goal. Our bodies are innately able to detox and do so on a daily basis. The organs designed to do this are the liver and kidneys. Unfortunately, when we overindulge in food and drink we can overload the body with toxins. This, in turn, burdens the liver and kidneys, which is when they need a bit of support with an herbal detox. Just like you would service your car once a year to keep it going, our bodies need a bit of help too.
There are many ways you can detoxify your body naturally with herbs. However, nothing beats a healthy diet alongside regular exercise. It is important that you drink at least 8 glasses of water every day. This will help flush toxins from your system faster. It also helps to keep your organs and cells working properly.
You should also keep a check on what you eat. Your liver is the body’s own detox system. Therefore, you need to keep it healthy so that it can do the job it was designed for efficiently. Following a healthy, organic diet is the first line of defence for keeping your body clean and free from toxins.
Having said that, an herbal detox does have a place. Just keep in mind that it is all about taking a holistic, whole body approach.
Aromatherapy
is a great way to detoxify the body naturally. All you need to do is pop a few drops of aromatic, herbal essential oils into your bath water. Then relax. You could also use herbal aromatherapy that includes some form of steam inhalation. This is particularly helpful to help with respiratory health and detox your lungs. It can also help release the toxins that cause sinusitis, hay fever and allergies.
The best herbs for aromatherapy are lavender, jasmine or sage.
Mental cleansing is just as beneficial as physical detoxification. Aromatherapy massage is an excellent way to rid your body from negative energy while also boosting concentration levels! Sandalwood oil is deeply relaxing but not overpowering. The scent of lavender is also great to help you relax, wind down and “detox” your mind.
Herbal Infusion Teas
Herbal tea infusions have several vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants and are very beneficial to your health. These tea infusions can promote health in a variety of ways, including relaxation, pain relief, improved digestion, weight loss, and immune boosting.
You can also try herbal infusion teas which enable natural cleansing of the body. Some of the best ingredients for herbal teas are dandelion root, burdock root, fennel seed and dock root. You can also try adding cinnamon which is considered to help in the natural detoxification of your body.
Rosemary
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a Mediterranean native herb. Both food and medicine frequently contain the leaf and its oil. When applied to the scalp, rosemary appears to improve blood flow, which may promote the development of hair follicles.
The herb rosemary is a powerful liver cleanser. This woody, aromatic herb has diuretic properties which means it helps to increase urine production (1). This helps flush out pathogens (bacteria that can cause illness); along with any other unwanted substances that have built up during the digestion process. Rosemary also helps the liver work better (2) by flushing out toxins congesting the liver’s cells. These toxins can be dangerous if they are not removed. This is done in a safe and gentle way without upsetting the body’s delicate plumbing!
Rosemary extract has powerful antioxidant properties (3) that help fight chemicals that damage cells. This is why rosemary extract is often added to anti-aging skincare products. Rosemary extract has the ability to protect DNA from environmental damage and prevent cell mutation so has anti-aging benefits. Cancer-causing chemicals are unable to have any influence over your body’s healthy cells when they are being guarded by this versatile herb.
Milk Thistle
Milk thistle is another herb that can detoxify your liver. The active ingredients in milk thistle, silymarin and silibinin, are antioxidants that protect the liver from damage. They also help the liver to regenerate and work more efficiently. This is important as the liver has a lot of jobs to do (4) and needs to be on top form. Milk thistle is especially beneficial for people who have been exposed to environmental toxins or who have a history of alcohol abuse (5).
Ginger
The herb, ginger, has been used as a detoxifier in many cultures around the world for a long time. It also speeds up metabolism. Because of this it makes an excellent addition to any diet or detox program. Ginger boosts the digestive system because it helps to remove harmful toxins from the body. Chemical compounds called gingerols enable ginger to ease nausea, stomach discomfort, and diarrhoea (6). Add it to juices or smoothies for extra flavour and all these benefits (7).
Dandelion
Dandelion is great for detoxification because of its natural diuretic properties (8). Don’t just think of dandelions as useless weeds. They make a delicious tea which helps the kidneys get rid of harmful toxins quickly. This is because of the potassium in this herb (9).
The dandelion root is also a known detoxifier which can be made into a tea as well. It prevents water retention, eases constipation and helps break down fatty deposits in the liver. It also plays a part in detoxing the blood of waste products.
Black Radish
Although not strictly an herb, black radish is one of the foods most credited with the ability to eliminate toxins from the liver. It contains lots of B vitamins, vitamin C, antioxidants and potassium. All of which are great for liver function (10).
Black radish juice also has a detoxifying effect because it increases the production of bile. This helps break down fat and get rid of all the toxins contained within the fat. Make sure you drink plenty of water with this juice though, because it will make you urinate a lot more which could cause dehydration. Chop the black radishes up, grate or slice it into salads and slaws. Or you can even pickle them.
What does a black radish taste like?
Seaweed
Seaweeds are herbs that grow in the ocean. They are an excellent source of iodine which helps support the thyroid gland. They are great for detoxification as they remove heavy metals such as mercury and lead from the body. Chemicals in seaweed also get rid of toxins from cosmetics and even radioactive particles (11). This is because they have an ability to catch hold of these compounds so that they can be expelled from the body. This is called chelation (12).
Chlorella
Strictly speaking chlorella is not an herb but an article talking about detoxing the body would be incomplete without mentioning the benefits of this algae. Chlorella is a very efficient way to detox the body of heavy metals. It has high levels of chlorophyll which helps to purify blood and chelate these harmful toxins (13). In addition to its detoxification abilities chlorella is great to include in your diet because it is jam packed with nutrients and anti-oxidants, can improve immunity and help fight illness. Not bad for a microscopic plant (14).
Ginseng
Ginseng is a popular herb used for detoxification. It is known to help the body get rid of toxins and waste products. It does this by stimulating the immune system and helping to increase the production of detoxifying enzymes. Not only does it detoxify the body but it also helps improve liver function (15). However, if you take medication for liver disease check with your doctor first. This is because ginseng can interact with liver medication and cause damage to the liver (16).
Herbal Detox Plan for You
You now have a few ideas on how to support your body to detoxify. Toxins come in the form of pesticides on food, alcohol, nicotine and even chemicals in cosmetics and skincare products. However, as already mentioned, not putting the toxins in the body in the first place is a great place to start.
In conclusion, while detoxing with herbs has many health benefits, it is important to do your own research to find the right herbs and dosage for you. It is also important to consult your physician before starting any detox plan. Have a goal in mind when creating your detox plan, such as improving energy levels, losing weight, or improving digestion. That will help you focus in on what you are trying to accomplish when planning your detox. Having a clear goal will also help you stay motivated throughout the process.
Before you go, you may be interested in a related article of ours, What is a Biohacking Diet. Toxins are mentioned in the article, and it may provide some supportive information for your herbal detox plan. Enjoy!
References
- Rosemary https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/herb/rosemary
- The Health Benefits of Rosemary https://www.flushinghospital.org/newsletter/the-health-benefits-of-rosemary/
- Chemical Profile, Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, and Anti-Cancer Effects of Italian Salvia rosmarinus Spenn. Methanol Leaves Extracts https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7556042/
- What’s the purpose of the liver? https://www.healthline.com/health/what-does-the-liver-do#purpose
- What are the benefits of milk thistle? https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320362?c=1157473010178
- Gingerols and shogaols: Important nutraceutical principles from ginger https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031942215300509
- Best Ginger Detox & Cleanse https://immune-schein.com/blogs/elixir-recipes/best-ginger-detox
- Purification, Preliminary Characterization and Hepatoprotective Effects of Polysaccharides from Dandelion Root https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/22/9/1409/htm
- Dandelion Tea: Is It Good for You? https://www.webmd.com/diet/dandelion-tea-is-it-good-for-you#1
- An open label pilot study to evaluate the efficacy of Spanish black radish on the induction of phase I and phase II enzymes in healthy male subjects https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4295395/
- Seaweed for Detox – 5 Ways Seaweeds Uniquely Help to Cleanse! https://pacificharvest.co.nz/seaweed-blog/seaweed-for-detox/
- Chelation: Harnessing and Enhancing Heavy Metal Detoxification—A Review https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3654245/
- Protective effects of Chlorella vulgaris in lead-exposed mice infected with Listeria monocytogenes https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12781705/
- Chlorella vulgaris: A Multifunctional Dietary Supplement with Diverse Medicinal Properties https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26561078/
- The role of Panax ginseng in detoxification of xenobiotics. https://www.koreascience.or.kr/article/CFKO198430710129692.pdf