There are many variations of drinks used to help detox the body. Lemon is one of the most common ingredients used in a detox drink because it is a blood purifier that can also help the body to release toxins, according to C. Norman Shealy MD, Ph.D., and author of "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Healing Remedies." Lemons are also high in Vitamins B and C, and help to strengthen the immune system. There are various herbs that can be added to a detox drink based on whether you wish to detox your skin, colon, blood, kidneys or liver.
Step 1
Use a mortar and pestle to grind your milk thistle seeds to a powder until you have 1 tsp. if you would like to add it to cleanse your liver and protect it from toxins. Put the ground milk thistle into a large tea ball.
Step 2
Powder your dandelion leaves with the mortar and pestle until you have 1 tsp. of the herb to cleanse and support your kidneys. Add the ground dandelion leaves to the tea ball.
Step 3
Use a coffee grinder to grind your flaxseed. Measure out ½ tsp. of ground flaxseed, and add it to the tea ball to help cleanse your colon. Add a pinch of cayenne or turmeric to the tea ball to assist in cleansing the blood.
Step 4
Use a cheese grater to slice your fresh ginger until you have enough to measure ¼ tsp. Add the grated fresh ginger to the tea ball to promote sweating and to help cleanse the skin.
Step 5
Add a pint of purified water to your saucepan. Hang the tea ball over the side of the pan to let the herbs steep in the water.
Step 6
Use three organic lemons to make your detox drink. Wash the skins of your lemons with purified water, and then slice each lemon.
Step 7
Put the sliced lemons into your pan of water, and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Cover your pan and reduce the heat to a simmer once your tea comes to a boil.
Step 8
Sieve the lemons from the warmed tea after about half of the liquid has cooked down in the saucepan. Remove the tea ball. Pour yourself a cup of the tea to drink while it is still warm. Use honey to sweeten your tea to your taste.
Step 9
Refrigerate any left over tea for later. Drink a warm cup each morning to help in your detoxification. The tea will keep for about three days in the refrigerator.
Tips and Warnings
- You can make a detox drink without adding any herbs. Lemons steeped in hot water will help to detoxify the body without the addition of herbs.
- Milk thistle, turmeric, dandelion, cayenne interfere with several different types of prescription drugs. Consult a physician before adding herbs to your detox drink if you are taking medications. Herbs, such as ginger, flaxseed, turmeric, cayenne and turmeric, interfere with blood-clotting. They should not be taken with blood-thinning medications or aspirin. Flaxseed and turmeric may interfere with diabetic medications, and should not be taken with them. Flaxseed also may alter hormonal levels and shouldn't be taken with hormonal replacement therapy or oral contraceptives.
Things You'll Need
- Mortar and pestle
- Large tea ball
- Milk thistle seed
- Dandelion leaves
- Coffee grinder
- Flaxseed
- Cheese grater
- Fresh ginger root
- Pint of purified water
- Saucepan
- Three organic lemons
- Honey
References
- "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Healing Remedies;" C. Norman Shealy MD, Ph.D; 2002
- Northwestern Health Sciences University: Do-it-yourself-detox
- Amazing Green Tea: Cleansing tea for herbal detox
- University of Maryland: Milk thistle
- University of Maryland: Cayenne
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