Spring clean your system

There’s no better time than spring to embark on a quick cleansing programme from the inside out to restore your vitality and replenish your energy levels.

The idea of a detox or an inner cleanse is to encourage your body to rid itself of chemicals and toxic by-products that often accumulate in the tissues as a result of an excessively rich diet, too much alcohol, artificial additives in processed foods as well as pollutants in the air.

Your body has a finely tuned way of dealing with all this.  Put simply, when it’s working well, it takes everything in, sorts out and uses what it needs, and does its best to get rid of everything it doesn’t.  Trouble starts when the natural elimination channels (mostly the liver, gut, kidneys and lungs) get blocked, and so-called ‘toxic overload’ results, causing physical symptoms that make it difficult for you to hide what’s going on inside.

Fortunately there are plenty of herbs that can help to boost the body’s natural self-cleansing mechanisms and reduce strain on the digestive system and organs so you will soon recover that inner and outer glow. 

To detox your digestive tract, try artichoke, a herb that cleanses and can even regenerate liver tissue, as well as stimulating the gall bladder to encourage it to produce more fat-busting bile.

Milk thistle protects the liver too, by shielding it from excessive amounts of toxins so that it can continue its vitally important job of processing nutrients from the food you eat.  This herb is also a powerful antioxidant.  You should aim for a daily dose of up to 200mg of an extract standardised containing at least 70 per cent of the plant’s active ingredient, silymarin.

Refreshing fennel relieves tension in the digestive tract to release trapped wind, and ease symptoms of indigestion, while burdock and wild pansy gently purify and revive sluggish channels of elimination.  Dandelion soothes the digestive system, is an excellent diuretic, laxative, blood cleanser and is reputed to be the gentlest, safest and most effective herb for detoxifying the liver. It also replaces some of the nutrients depleted by poor diet.

Goldenseal can help to strengthen the immune system while you are detoxing but – unlike echinacea which is also great for boosting your immunity – should only be taken for a short period when you are feeling especially run down, or are about to start on a detox.

If you are planning on restricting your diet (and especially if you’re not keen on vegetables) as you clean from within, you may want to consider taking aquatic algae like kelp or spirulina.  Both are said to boost energy while providing modest levels of nutrients including iodine, folic acid and carotenoids. 

Lastly, liquorice can help to relieve fatigue, and soothe irritated, inflamed tissue.  It stimulates the adrenal glands to bolster levels of a virus fighter called ‘interferon’, and can have a mild laxative effect that will help you to stay regular, or re-establish regularity if your digestive system has been upset.

Diet measures

On a typical detox day aim to eat a variety of the following:

• Red and yellow peppers, cucumber, broccoli florets, celery, carrots and cabbage chopped into crudities or lightly steamed with fresh herbs.
• Mixed salad including lettuce, tomato, watercress, onion, garlic and beetroot. Drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle with herbs.
• Apples and grapes which help to cleanse the skin, liver, intestines and kidneys, kiwis, mango, strawberries and pears.
• Snack on seeds such as sesame and sunflower and aim to drink at least two litres of fluid.

Watch point

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding always consult a herbalist or doctor before going on an inner cleansing programme.

Artichoke can be found in Turmeric Xtra