The Healing Powers of Fresh Juice

Summer vegetables are abundant and it’s the perfect season to dust off your juicer and get the motor purring. Juicing your fruits and vegetables has long been thought to have healing powers. Providing an abundance of quickly absorbed nutrients, juicing has been touted to help cure everything from stomach ulcers to strengthening the immune system due to the high concentration of phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals in fresh fruits and vegetables.

For healing or detoxification purposes begin to change your diet by eliminating processed, over cooked food. Eat whole organic fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds, and eat a mostly vegetarian based diet including fresh juice at least 1-2 times per day. As a good reference book, my favorite resource and a classic in the lexicon of juicing is medical anthropologist, John Heinerman’s, Encyclopedia of Healing Juices.

Prepare your produce before processing through a juicer and make sure that your produce is organic as it is suspected that pesticides and herbicides can concentrate in the juice. You can drink the juice straight, dilute half with water, or add fiber or protein powder to make a healthy shake. One important note is to always drink the juice right after juicing to ensure receiving the maximum nutritional value.

Here are 15 fruits and vegetables beneficial to your body:

Carrot juice strengthens the eyes and helps clear up skin eruptions.
Celery juice is known for its power to clear the skin, as is cucumber juice.
Cabbage juice helps the gastrointestinal tract, as well as, helping to heal stomach ulcers.
Ginger juice helps with inflammation in the body, such as arthritis and is known to remedy nausea.
Lemon juice is excellent for counteracting a high-fat, animal protein rich diet. Helps the liver in its daily detoxification process.
Apple juice helps to relieve constipation, heal the intestines, and softens gall stones.
Radish juice benefits the thyroid gland (in small amounts and mixed with other juice).
Grape juice helps to purify the blood, inhibits herpes simplex and influenza viruses; and can be used as a remedy for hepatitis.
Kale and Collard juice strengthens the bones due to high levels of calcium, potassium and Vitamin A.
Pomegranate juice can be used to destroy intestinal worms, sooth gum and mouth ulcers, and strengthen the gums.
Parsley juice neutralizes acid blood pH and helps alleviate allergies, cellulitis, mercury poisoning and skin problems.
Pea juice helps dissolve blood clots and alleviates symptoms for celiac disease and Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Plums/Prune juice helps alleviate constipation and can be used for liver disease.
Tomato juice helps restore health to the liver, and can be used to treat diarrhea and chronic indigestion.
Watermelon juice alkalinizes the blood, and can be used to treat urinary problems, edema, and canker sores. Its diuretic properties benefits the kidney’s and bladder. Juice the rind with the flesh for a sweet, thirst quenching drink.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

federico b.

3:01AM PDT on Apr 26, 2012

Grazie per tutte le informazioni.

send a green star

Sheri L.

4:19AM PST on Jan 15, 2012

I really need an affordable juicer !!!

Glenn A.

9:02PM PST on Jan 10, 2012

I juice regularily, and mix ALL KINDS of produce for different flavours, but My favourite BASIC that I alwasy use is 3 Celery, 3 Carrots and an apple (I change the type of apple regularily) I drink just this mix regularily for a quick juice, often, I will toss in a small beet too, then during different seasons I will either add a few more fruits and veggies to really punch it up, or make any variety of other juices with whatever comes to mind...The recipes are limited by nothing more than your imagination and common sense..(some mixtures I tried didn't really taste too good at all, so I don't do those anymore..LOL).Careful with some of the Greens you use, as some you don't need too much, due to thier strong flavour....try adding the occasional exotic, like mango, starfruit, dragonfruit, whatever you feel...PLUS there are a TON of books/websites that will give one the vitamin/mineral content of any fruit/veggie you want...and YOU decide what you wanna make up...I find it fun...and as some here have already said...save the pulp for baking...carrot pulp for carrot cake/bread, apple pulp for muffins, etc..Just have fun, and eat healthy everybody!!.

Khristi N.

10:01PM PST on Jan 7, 2012

Thank you

Holly L.

7:37AM PST on Nov 14, 2011

Juice - the nectar from the Gods!

Emma S.

5:08AM PDT on Nov 3, 2011

That's really interesting - especially the bit about radishes and their effect on thyroid function. (Mine's underactive - and I really like radishes.)

Michele W.

3:03AM PDT on Nov 2, 2011

Jennifer C.

5:22PM PDT on Oct 16, 2011

Thanks for these helpful tips.

Melinda offline K.

2:42AM PDT on Sep 3, 2011

Juicing is so great for health, I dont have a vitamix (yet!) but I think the juicing is a great way to boost your nutrition, its easy on the digestion, but it is quite rich, I add ginger to help with the digestion and add warmth to the juice, as most vegetables are cold from the fridge, otherwise its too cold for my tummy and I get a stomach ache. If you feel unwell add a bunch of parsley, it will boost your vitality and clear out the cold/virus. you might need to put a peg on your nose, its very green!

Anna L.

12:54AM PDT on Aug 17, 2011

Juicing vegetables gives you all the good enzymes, minerals, vitamins, co-factors, chlorophyll, anti-oxidants, phytonutrients and all other nutrients your body craves. You can't think of a better way to energize and alkalize your body naturally at atkin diet plan.