Helpful Herbs for Detoxification

When you think of it, the need to detox is usually to give support to the all-important organs, the liver and the kidneys. Here are some ideas from The Herbal Home Remedy Book for foraging or growing herbs that you can really use in your life to help your overall health and vigor.

If you buy an herbal detoxification formula, chances are its prime ingredients will be either dandelion or burdock root. But why buy it when you can get the fresh root for free? They are used worldwide whenever liver-related problems are involved. Both promote kidney function, too, and have abundant minerals to replace any that may be eliminated in urine. Dandelion tremendously benefits the digestive system, while burdock excels at alleviating chronic skin disorders and eruptions.

Some other herbal that can be used for detoxification:

Red clover: Daily doses of red clover tea will help reduce the symptoms from steroids, radiation, or chemotherapy. It also has mild blood-thinning capabilities, making it useful as a preventative for arteriosclerosis and high cholesterol.

Thyme: Drink a cup of thyme tea to recover from a wild time. It will ease headache, nervousness, and the queasy stomach of a hangover more effectively and safely than over-the-counter sedatives or pain relievers.

Borage: Borage seed oil helps ease the stress from long-term chronic metabolic disorders such as menopausal distress, alcoholism, obesity, and steroid treatments. It also offers quick relief to a hangover.

Adapted from The Herbal Home Remedy Book: Simple Recipes for Tinctures, Teas, Salves, Tonics, and Syrups, by Joyce A. Wardwell (Storey Publishing, 1998).

Read more: Health, Natural Remedies, borage, dandelion, detox, digestion, herbs, red clover, thyme