When you consider the amount of chemicals you're exposed to daily, it becomes clear that you need periodic detoxification to enjoy optimum health. Even byproducts produced from normal metabolic functioning can accumulate in the body, leading to chronic inflammatory disease, heart disease and diabetes. A natural home remedy to cleanse and detox the colon involves increasing dietary fiber.
Importance of Fiber
The Harvard School of Public Health recommends that adult women should consume at least 20 g of fiber per day, while men should aim for at least 30. Unfortunately, the typical western diet contains little beneficial fiber. Linda Berry, author of "Internal Cleansing," speculates that a person on a low-fiber diet retains up to eight meals of undigested waste material in the colon.
Increasing your fiber intake helps to cleanse and detox the colon by shortening the transit time for the elimination of waste. In addition, when fiber is digested, more short-chain fatty acids are produced, which leads to a reduction in colon pH.
Dietary Strategy
Plan to increase your fiber intake by adding high-fiber vegetables to your diet, such as avocado, broccoli, eggplant, carrots, legumes and leafy greens. Berry recommends starting out day one by eating normally but adding one pound of raw or steamed vegetables. On day two, add two pounds, and continue in this manner for up to seven days. On the seventh day, your diet should now consist of vegetables exclusively, and your body will begin to release toxins.
Increase Fluids
Berry also recommends that you drink plenty of water throughout the day and with every meal, but avoid tea, coffee and other beverages containing caffeine. In addition, avoid sugar during detoxification, including fruit juices and soda. However, unsweetened herbal teas are fine, hot or cold.
Herbal Colon Cleansers
Cascara, senna and psyllium seed are natural laxatives that work by increasing stool volume due to their fiber content. Senna produces the most powerful laxative effect, while cascara is the most fast-acting. Psyllium seed is also effective since the seeds expand 8 to 14 times their original size when introduced to water in the intestines.
Please note that using all three herbs is not necessary or recommended. In fact, the smallest dose of any one of these herbs will do the job. The "PDR for Herbal Medicines" suggests the following daily dosages for each: 425 to 450 mg of cascara in capsule form, 12 g of psyllium seeds dissolved in water and 25 mg of senna in capsule form.
Cautions
Do not undergo colon detoxification if you are pregnant or nursing. Do not take senna, cascara or psyllium seed for more than two weeks. Most importantly, do not take senna, cascara or psyllium seed if you are taking any medications, including diuretics or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, without the approval of your physician. These herbs may increase the effects of certain drugs or interfere with the absorption of others.
References
- Harvard School of Public Health: The Nutrition Source--Fiber
- "Internal Cleansing"; Crown Publishing Group; 2001
- "PDR for Herbal Medicines"; Medical Economics; 2000
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