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Helpful Herbs for Detoxification

posted by Annie B. Bond Jul 15, 2008 9:00 am
Helpful Herbs for Detoxification
13 comments

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).

More on Natural Remedies (306 articles available)
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13 comments

13 comments

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13 comments add your comment
  • says
  • Jul 24, 2008 9:34 AM

The most powerful anti-oxidant I've found comes from the hops plant. It's the molecule "Xanthohumol", and it is the main ingredient in MeridiumXN. Google Xanthohumol for research results and then visit www.health-4-u.org to read more about MeridiumXN.

Dominique A.

It is really inexpensive in Whole Foods or the Health Food Store - $2 or so.

We juice the dandelion greens with green apples and kale - we call it the green drink. The more green apple the yummier it is.

Karen Williams

Turmeric IS excellent, Diane! I've been taking it as a liver detoxifier for years! It's also great for joint pain and I give it to my dog, who suffers from Lyme Disease,(like 1/2 the people & dogs in my area do)!

Diane Wayne

I read years ago in a great book 'A Cure for All Diseases" by Hulda Clarke, that tumeric is an excellent thing to eat on a daily basis to keep stomach and intestines clean. I just put 1/2 tsp. in my rice or quinoa. I also read and eat cinnamon in my oatmeal every morning to help keep blood pressure normal. Thanks Annie B. for these new remedies.

Karen Williams

For Mary Riley:
Hi there! So u just steep the dandelion leaves after u get the H20 to boil, and how much do u use? I wonder how effective it is as a detoxifier, served in this manner, as opposed to eating the leaves and then is it the dandelion ROOT or LEAVES that has the active ingredient? I have HepC and I know they sell herbal caps as "Dandelion Root" Extract(I'm pretty sure).

Diana M.

I forgot to add, crumble the bacon in at the end, salt and peper to taste.

Diana M.

Dandilion is in the baby greens and the herb salad they sell at the store. But if you don't have a lawn sevice and don't poison your yard with chemicals, than the ones in your back yard are fine. Pick them young, older ones are more bitter. Wash them off and add them to salads, Try mixing them in with your greens. Fry a couple of Bacon srips until crispy remove, add a handfull of your favorite onion, cook until clear, then add your greens, I like Turnup,Dandilion,Poke, Etc. Mix and match, more or less according to your taste. Some like to add a tablespoon of vinigar to that. You should only use the top few leaves of the poke and never after Barries form.

Randolph D.

Here a formula for an herb tincture for parasites from drclarkia.com. From what I've read on the description of "Clarkia" it looks like it probably uses the same decoction method for certain Chinese patent herbal tinctures.

If you have a local herbal pharmacy assuming all 3 herbs are in equal proportions, put together wormwood, black walnut hulls, and cloves and let them decoct in vodka (60 - 80 proof) for about a month to derive your own tincture.

Mary Riley

Dandelion Tea is delightful. I can use mine, because I do not use any chemicals in my yard. That also contributes to ALWAYS having plenty of dandelions!

Tasha Robertson

Why wouldn't you want to pull up dandelions from your yard? :) We have both growing as volunteers in our yard, but if you need seeds they have them at:
http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/seeds/seeds.html

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Disclaimer: Care2.com does not warrant and shall have no liability for information provided in this newsletter or on Care2.com. Each individual person, fabric, or material may react differently to a particular suggested use. It is recommended that before you begin to use any formula, you read the directions carefully and test it first. Should you have any health care-related questions or concerns, please call or see your physician or other health care provider.

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