Various forms of senna, which is actually a broad category of plants rather than a single herb, are often found in colon-cleansing herb formulas. This is because senna is known to relieve constipation. It stimulates the lower bowel slightly to cause more fluid movements. Like the well-known aloe, it’s considered a purgative type of herb, but lacks aloe’s legal restrictions on use.

Cascara, which is known by a number of other names and is a subdivision of buckberry, is known as a potent laxative. Like aloe, however, it has restrictions on how it can be used in certain products, and overuse is known to cause side effects such as abdominal discomfort. Although a legitimate ingredient in many colon-cleansing products, it should be taken with care.

Interested in a more well-known and less risky herb? In that case, ginger should be at the top of your list. Unlike many laxative ingredients, it actually fights diarrhea instead of risking it. It’s also one of the few safe cures for nausea for pregnant women, and has general benefits towards preventing or reducing inflammation, diabetes, and various other symptoms and conditions. And if you like Asian food, it’s definitely the easiest herb to work into your diet!

Perhaps the most distinctive common ingredient in herb products for colon-cleansing is the cayenne pepper. It’s difficult to miss the use of this hot plant, but if you can withstand it, you’ll find that it has many positive qualities. By causing sweating and increasing blood flow, it helps your body cleanse itself more rapidly than it would normally be able to do.

While there are other herbs in use in some products, these are the four bases for most popular products. Feel free to use them independently, mixed into your diet, or in medicinal form. What’s most important is that your body gets the treatment it needs to be free of toxins, no matter how it gets done.

Enemas seemed like the first place to start, so I tried a few different kinds. Coffee ones, besides being just plain a waste of good coffee, turn out to be not that great for your electrolyte balance. In fact, plain water seems to work as well as anything else, but it’s not a magical cure-all.

I also tried a few colon cleanse laxative supplements. Well, they definitely worked… sort of! Some of them have reputations of actually causing the symptoms they’re supposed to prevent. And I found it hard to tell between the good ones and the bad ones, since there’s just so many of them out there.

Just when I’d tried everything else, I decided to give herbs a go. A few plants for general health never hurt anyone, right? That was where I had my personal breakthrough. Some Indian gooseberry and Eclipta alba every once in a while not only improved my digestive health, it also improved my overall mood and soothed my throat!

Now, other people have reported entirely different reactions to some of the colon cleanse products I’ve tried. Heck, some people have even had the same solution I settled on and complained about nothing happening. It just goes to show that each body is unique to itself, and we can’t give up on getting our bodies working right, just because it takes a little experimenting. Without that addition to my diet for colon cleansing, I wouldn’t be the man I am today.

Increased intake of vitamin E is one essential step. It can be found most highly in green leafy vegetables, milk, eggs, various seeds and nuts, and wholegrain foods. It’s also possible to find in vegetable oils, but only when they’re not heated – so no, you can’t deep fry your food as an excuse to eat healthier! Be careful when taking vitamin E supplements, as excessive use can be just as bad as vitamin E deficiency, only with different problems like strokes and heart issues.

Many types of vegetables, particularly cruciferous ones, will generally help your liver cleanse itself. These include diverse plants such as cabbage, bok choy, horseradish, collard greens, turnips, watercress, and wasabi. Obviously this part of liver cleansing is little problem for fans of Eastern cuisine.

A final vitamin to enjoy to keep your liver in good condition is the famous vitamin C. Although most well-known for being found in oranges, red peppers, parsley, and broccoli actually have higher levels of it. There are many other foods with it as well, but these are the ones most commonly known by Western minds.

All this good food intake isn’t the only solution, however. You should also avoid excessive drinking, as it’s a sure way to damage the liver. There are advanced methods to cleanse and detoxify the liver if necessary once the damage has already been done. However, these vary widely from one source to the next, and there’s a lot of myths to sort out from the science. Liver flushes, enemas, and other techniques should be studied and used on a case by case basis, as appropriate for the particular problem and patient involved.

While a body detoxification is definitely beneficial, it calls for a deeper awareness of its importance and functionality. Organs such as the liver, skin, lungs, kidneys and the colon play a vital role in the natural detoxification process.

The liver is the largest organ in the human body. It is located on the right side of the abdominal cavity just beneath the diaphragm. Its functions are manifold and it includes cleansing, repository for vitamins and minerals maintaining optimal blood glucose levels.

An interesting but less known trivia about the liver is that it is instrumental in producing nearly 80% of the cholesterol! Also, the liver plays a pivotal role in the natural detoxification system, being responsible for breaking down fats, converting ammonia into urea and filtering harmful toxins from the bloodstream.

The Lungs which are located in the chest region carry out respiration. They too play a very important part in the body’s detox system. The lungs assist in eliminating the body waste produced as a result of metabolic activity. Carbon dioxide which is the waste byproduct created from the metabolism of food is carried by blood to be expelled from the body through the lungs.

Lung function lowers nearly 2% every year for smokers as compared to 1% for those who don’t. That’s double the rate of decline! That is reason enough to stop smoking. Quitting smoking is the first step in preparation to body detoxification program.

The skin is the largest external organ of the human body. Known as the dermis, it aids the main organs in the body’s natural detoxification system to expel waste buildup through its surface. By excreting waste byproducts and surplus salt, it can expel up to 2 pounds of waste from the body every day. Sweating actually discards waste products in liquid form from the body.

The colon is situated towards the end of the human gastrointestinal tract which begins with the mouth and ends at the anus. It consists of the large intestine, rectum, and anus. Colon is more or less similar to a sewage system. The colon mainly absorbs water and nutrients, and thereby forms and ultimately eliminates feces. Unwanted and toxic substances are discarded in the form of feces. Malfunctioning of this system can result in dangerous levels of toxin overload and poisoning. Constipation is a symptom indicative of a malfunctioning colon. If this symptom persists for a period of time, it can escalate into much more severe problems such as obesity and colon disease.

The kidneys, also part of the body’s natural detox mechanism regulates purity and chemical balance in the blood. The kidneys primarily extract residual wastes and surplus water from the blood to produce urine that will be finally expelled from the body. Higher levels of toxins (than what the kidneys can handle) can lead to a lot of health issues, thereby letting the waste accumulate. In most cases, sepsis and even death can surely occur. That is why cleansing the kidneys regularly and consistently is a non-negotiable issue.

Therefore, it’s crucial to keep your body in perfect working condition by detoxifying your body in a regular manner.

Visualize yourself having a clear-complexioned skin, an acute presence of mind, rejuvenated energy, better immunity and overall sense of being completely healthy. All of these are the potential benefits of doing a detoxification program.

Detoxification, in its strictest sense, refers to blood purification through proper elimination of impurities from organs such as liver, kidneys, intestines, lymphs, lungs, and skin.

So how do you initiate the first step towards detoxification?

Firstly, you should purge the toxins from your body. In view of this, you should cut down on foodstuffs containing refined sugars (ketchup, cola, etc) and saturated fats, alcohol, coffee (and other caffeinated drinks) and cigarettes. These toxins corrode your immunity and health silently and irreversibly.

Personal toiletries such as shampoos, toothpastes, deodorants, mouthwashes, etc and chemical-based household cleaners should be used with extreme caution. Some of these chemicals can seep into our bodies and reside there for a long time. They can be eliminated only by undergoing detoxification.

Today, there are various approaches to detoxify the human body. You are free to choose a detox method that suits your lifestyle and convenience.

Juice Fasting
Juice Fasting is a very effective of eliminating toxins from the body. Furthermore, it enriches the body with lots of essential nutrients and enzymes. It can catalyze the process of cleansing. Drink plenty of fresh fruit and vegetable juice like cranberry, pineapple, apple, cabbage, celery, spinach, and carrot. Avoid all kinds of citrus fruits owing to their higher acidity.

Quick loss of weight is the primary benefit from doing a juice fast. Typically, a person on a month long juice fasting may lose between 30-40 pounds. You will feel more confident and energized.

Water Fasting
As the name suggests, you will be consuming only water during a water fast. Your digestive tract and organs enjoy total rest enabling them to self-repair and self-regenerate. Toxins will also be flushed out.

You may try out the following detox methods which are gentle and safe.

1. Diet Change
Switch from packaged foods and junk foods to fresh fruits, fresh vegetables and whole grains. Thus, you can reduce your intake of fats and sugar and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

2. Sauna
Sauna is popular in many parts of the world. It is effective in removing toxin build-up in fat cells. For better results, combine saunas with diet, nutritional supplements and good exercise.

3. Skin Brush
Brushing your skin is a gentle yet efficient way of detoxification. Dead cells are removed, the lymphs are stimulated and toxins are purged out through the skin. Use a dry skin brush preferably made of soft vegetable bristles. Also, brush the soles of your feet in circular motion for a minute.

4. Yoga
Deep breathing exercises such as yoga stimulates oxygenation of the bloodstream. This releases abundant energy and enhances the body’s physical processes. The various positions and postures in yoga gently massage the internal organs and stimulates them to excrete harmful toxins.

These are but a few of common cleansing methods. It is important to understand why detox is necessary and the many different ways to detox before you begin.

Maverick filmmaker, Morgan Spurlock, made a hit documentary called “Super Size Me”. He volunteered himself to be the guinea pig for this documentary film. He ate nothing but McDonald’s fast food meals for 30 days, gaining nearly 25 pounds. His health deteriorated rapidly and it was really bad. It was worse than he expected it to be. He developed quickly serious health problems, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, depression, headaches, mood swings, and liver problems.

His girlfriend, Alexandra Jamieson, who is the author of ‘The Great American Detox Diet’ faced an uphill task of detoxifying Morgan and restoring him back to his original state. Being a health counselor, she developed a two-month home detox program. Her main detox recommendations are as follows:

Drink 8-10 glasses of clean, potable water. This flushes your body system and replaces the water lost through perspiration and excretion. Avoid eating refined carbohydrate products such as sugar, white flour. They pump up the body with empty calories and give you a temporary ‘carb’ high. Instead use better substitutes such as agave nectar. Break free from your addiction to caffeine-laced beverages. Caffeine is a strong stimulant and interferes with your normal sleep patterns. Include essential fatty acids in your regular diet. These essential fatty acids can be found in unrefined flax seed oils and walnuts. Avoid these like the plague – unhealthy saturated fats (almost all fast food) and hydrogenated fats, usually found in processed foodstuffs.

Increase the amount of fiber intake in your daily diet. Fiber promotes good bowel movement which is a simple way of detoxifying the digestive and intestinal tract. Consume more complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, fresh fruits and organic vegetables. Eat less protein especially meat and dairy products. Both contain voluminous traces of chemical hormones and antibiotics. Replace animal sources of protein with non-animal ones.

Reduce your exposure to toxins and pollutants by adopting a ‘green’ lifestyle. Re-evaluate your lifestyle choices. The best home detox program would ideally require an ongoing commitment to a lifestyle of detoxification. Choose organic foods and practice controlled eating. Use saunas, steam, colonics, skin brushing, epsom salt baths, and massage as frequently as possible. You can lower stress and anxiety through meditation, visualization, relationship-nurturing, and positive-thinking.

Detox Spas just like many others in the service industry complicate matters by introducing technical jargon and lingo. You need to understand what these detox spas are really talking about. We already know that detoxification programs target removal of toxicity. Spas that offer such detox programs mainly target four types of toxicity. They include the body’s own waste products due to metabolic activity; dietary toxins such as alcohol, white sugar, and caffeine; psychological toxins such as stress and worry; environmental toxins such as contaminated food products and chemical residues in homes and workplaces.

To understand what spas really do, we need to know that detox spas adopt a number of ways to target these toxins. One approach is a kind of non-invasive treatment that promote the body’s own detoxification system. Some of treatments are colon hydrotherapy, herbal enemas, lymphatic drainage massage, and body wraps.

Another approach is a simple dietary regulation. It can range from a juice fast to including more fruits and vegetables. It also means severe cutting down on foods that are very harsh on ones body. Similarly, the traditional Indian medical system called Ayurveda prescribes strict dietary regulations and oil-based treatments. These are part of Ayurvedic detoxification known as Ayurvedic Panchakarma. Yet another approach involves meditation and yoga which purportedly enhances psychological well-being.

The following checklist helps you to narrow down on the most suitable detox spa program. Consider the detox diet. What menu does the spa offer? Is it a juice fast, raw food, vegetarian, or non-vegetarian meals? Is round-the-clock medical supervision available? Will the program be self-directed with basic supervision or is it instructor-directed? Is it one-to-one or a group? If you are opting for the Indian Ayurvedic Panchakarma, will you be able to commit to serious dietary changes for weeks if not months? Does the spa offer educational seminar or training classes to educate you? If so, how qualified are the trainers? What are the accreditations of the lecturers? Are the spa surroundings urbane and luxurious? Or are they rustic and natural? What are cost breakdown for the spa detox packages?

Juice fasts form the core pillar of many detox spa programs. Juice fasting promotes motivation, innate creativity and spiritual consciousness. Juice fasts are not easy and hence it is not for every one. You should learn more about the benefits of undergoing a juice fast and how to prepare yourself for such a fast. You should also be aware of the side effects and who all should stay away from such kinds of fast. Fasting and even detox has its fair share of critics especially from the mainstream medical professionals.

Detox should invariably be a part and parcel of your lifestyle. Most people like to think of detox as pure escapism or some petty indulgence. Detox is not a short term purging, it should be routine. The good detox spas enable you to maintain healthy lifestyles.

Supplements come in different forms, shapes and sizes and are available in plenty over the counter. It may appear to be confusing in making a decision. Full body detox drinks are available in the market. In addition, one can find plenty of detox recipes – simple recipes that one can prepare at home. There are plus points and minus points for each since some work better than the others. It also depends on your body type.

There are home made recipes for body detox drinks. These detox drinks typically involve citrus juice, cayenne or any other hot pepper, a pinch of sweetener to render the drink tastier and add some calories during the long fast. How does such detox drinks help? They aid proper bowel movement and give the skin a shiny glow. But there has been no conclusive scientific proof that substantiate the same.

Over-the-counter body detox drinks feature among the all-time bestsellers. Many people use such OTC detox drinks as a ‘crutch’ relying entirely on them for their daily calorific intake. It should be noted that many are manufactured from artificial fillers and flavors so it is worthwhile to pay attention to the list of ingredients. The core essence of any detox or cleansing is to get rid of accumulated toxins in the body and let the body’s digestive system remain in a state of rest for a period of time.

With the above-mentioned facts in mind, do a little bit of research on body detox drinks that are available in the market. OTC body detox drinks are very convenient for the average person. Most of them are inexpensive and natural – tropical fruit extracts and exotic botanicals – too.

These toxins emanate from the air that we breathe, the food and water that we consume and they reside in our bodies. Thus, in the long run, owing to this, we fall sick. This makes the matter of undergoing a periodic body detox extremely crucial and it must never be brushed aside or overlooked.

The toxins around us typically affect significant parts of the human body such as the liver, lungs, blood circulatory system, colon, etc. Since all of these work in unison to filter out harmful toxins, they can be potentially contaminated over a long period of time. This is where a body detox comes handy. A body detox brings a host of potential benefits including weight loss, clearer skin, feelings of overall lightness, increased energy levels, decreased aches.

People across the world utilize different approaches to body detox. The methods range from custom diet plans that aid in flushing the body system, to herbal supplement products that complement regular diet. When one combines these methods, it results in a speedier, more effective detoxification. Using herbs and vitamins provides a two-fold benefit. Firstly, it gives your body a much needed nutritional boost. Secondly, it get rids of deadly toxins that are not supposed to be in the body. Fasting may be used but it is optional. Fasting gives the digestive system a well-deserved break so that the digestive organs can return to their work of ridding the body of build-up and decay with increased rejuvenation.

The first thing one needs to practice in a body detox is to drink a great deal of water. Drinking plenty of water flushes out the system clean and improves its cleansing action. It is advisable to speak to your doctor before embarking on any new diet program. This is to ensure that potential ramifications wrought on the body by fasting and detox diet will be dealt with. There are many detox programs that are available over the counter and it is helpful to note that not all of them are created equal and thus not are equally effective. Therefore it is important that you shop around for the best solution that suits your needs before you buy.

A detox diet is necessary for the detoxification program. Detox mainly aims at making liver,lungs,bowels and the blood stream free of chemicals. The diet aims at removal of toxins or fortifying the above stated entities nutritionally. Foreign chemicals will enter the human body and this phenomenon cannot be forbidden. When these enter the blood stream the immune system reacts to them and acts towards getting rid of these toxins. The liver is responsible for converting these chemical compounds into other compositions which could be easily handled by the human body. The final chemical compounds are either assimilate by the body or thrown away. During the process of the formation of the simpler chemical compound from the original toxin the liver utilizes various chemicals produced by the body itself. All these phenomena occurring inside the body effects the weight of an individual.

Undergoing fasts is best method to stem the rot of chronic ailments but the human body needs ingredients for its perfect working. The undelying menu is a diet plan which has given very good results for people. A detox diet plan is ought to be followed accurately for getting desired results.

Breakfast: This meal should strictly consist of melons. Watermelon,cantaloupe, gala.
Honeydew is generally prescribed by doctors.
Lunch: One should have lunch until he caters to his hunger. Oranges, grapefruit, plums etc can be taken.
Evening: Apples, bananas, pears.

During and after the detoxification program the person should not exert too much physically. The individual may experience nausea, light headedness etc but he/she should persevere. Persevearance is the key to completely detoxify. Considerable amount of sleep is essential during this phase.
The above mentioned plan is the first phase of the detox diet. This should be followed by a one month program during which the individual must dwell only ono raw food.
There are numerous herbal detoxification diet programs prescribed by doctors.

For proper detoxification and functioning of the liver LIV-A Dandelion, gentian, red beet,goldenrod, parsley, horsetail,birch leaves should be included in the daily diet.
The kidneys are the organs which are responsible for dispensing considerable amount of toxins from the bosy in tangible as well as intangible forms. For detoxification and hence effective functioning of the kidneys dandelion and uva ursi should be taken.

The mentioned herbal items have been medically proved to be effective in detoxification.
Lungs are the mainstay of the hamun body. Lh comfrey and chinese ephedra are some of the herbal products that should be used.

While these herbal items are being taken the individual should not have junk food or fatty food. There is a profound reason behind this. There is no use for detoxifying the liver if the bowels contain a high percentage of junk food,oil etc. This would also have effected the kidneys before leaving the human body.
Detoxification is process catering many other entities.

There are various types of detoxification procedures which detoxify different parts of the body. Detoxification baths help in skin cleansing. Skin is one of the organs which dispense the toxins from the body. Various harmful heavy metals are dispensed off the body when we sweat.
Rome was not built in a single day. Hence the toxins that one has accumulated in the blood over a number of years needs time to be removed. Patience and persevearance should be strictly doctored.