Body purification is a time-tested method of healing that is discussed in all the world's religious traditions. Generally, when it comes to body purification, the four main areas of focus are:

• liver
• gall bladder
• colon
• lymph

In modern times 3 more areas are added to the list:

• heavy metal purification 
• mental reprogramming
• emotional release and healing 

The philosophy behind body cleansing varies.

According to the science of Naturopathy, all health related problems are caused by either poor nutrition or toxic conditions within the body.

Poor nutrition can be caused by an unhealthy lifestyle, which includes a nutrient poor diet, or by toxins, which includes chemicals and heavy metals, or by food allergies that prevent the absorption or utilization of nutrients despite the fact that plenty of them are being ingested. People can also be born with metabolic defects that thwart their body’s attempts to detoxify itself. One person in every twelve has a defective gene (CYP206) that prevents them from detoxifying over 40 widely used drugs, including antidepressants, cardiovascular agents, analgesics, as well as drugs of abuse such as Ecstasy. Nutritional failure can also be caused by a compromised liver, which has become fatty and stagnant. Since the liver is the body's primary organ of detoxification, once the liver is compromised, our other organs of elimination no longer function adequately. This causes the immune system to work overtime in its attempt to deal with the toxic overload. 

In allopathic medicine, which is the established form of medicine practiced in America today, the approach to healing disease is to kill or destroy the pathogens that live off the pollution in our bodies.

This is generally accomplished by giving the unhealthy person pharmaceutical drugs which suppress the symptoms but never address the cause.

In Naturopathy, just the opposite is true. The approach is to clean up the pollution so that the pathogens can’t survive.

It is believed that if you take away a pathogen's source of nourishment, and then give the body the nutrients it needs to thrive, the pathogens can easily be destroyed with the right herbs.

It is all a matter of perspective. How you see it will determine the action you take. Here I'll explain the Naturopathic perspective so that you can make a more informed decision about which method you'd like to use when you decide to take action.

When we take in toxin from any source, be it chemicals sprayed on our food, polluted air or water, heavy metals, poorly tolerated foods, pharmaceutical drugs, recreational drugs, alcohol, or the autointoxication caused by parasites, bacteria and fungus, our cells slowly begin to degenerate. Our cells, through natural metabolic processes, constantly produce waste products which must be removed from our system via our organs of elimination. Along with the natural waste created by healthy cells, is the additional pollution we ingest, inhale and imbibe due to the polluted conditions on our planet and unhealthy life style choices. When our cells become overloaded with waste, they no longer function as they did when we were young. Rather they degenerate and slowly weaken. This is the theory behind the free radical concept of aging and disease that allopathic medicine promotes. Certain foods can slow this process of aging and degeneration way down, which you can learn more about on the Nutrient Dense Diet page. Other foods speed the aging process up.

I asume that signs of degeneration will first show up in areas of genetic weakness, sites of old injuries and recurring illnesses which damages cellular structure, or where the greatest offense to the body is located, such as the lungs of a smoker, the liver of an alcoholic, the heart of an overweight person, etc.

Because one of the liver’s main jobs is to detoxify the body of pollution, it is particularly vulnerable to the effects of an unhealthy lifestyle and to polluted or poorly tolerated food, air and water. Under the microscope, the liver looks like a huge filter or sieve, which is designed to remove toxic matter such as dead cells, microorganisms, hormones, chemicals, fat globules and sludge from the blood stream as it flows through the liver filter. When there is too much pollution for it to handle, the liver becomes stagnant.

Since the liver, digestion, and elimination are intricately related, digestive problems can begin to occur, as well as constipation and/or diarrhea due to a stagnant liver.

Foods that are left in the system too long begin to putrefy, creating excess mucus. Certain foods, such as milk products, sugar and wheat, produce excess mucus normally. Mucus is a natural lubricant that is needed in the digestive tract, but when there is too much of it the entire digestive tract becomes coated in mucus, which then hardens. This is called mucoid plaque, an example of which can be seen in the picture on the right. In time more mucus forms over the top, eventually creating a thick layer, preventing nutrient absorption.

Bacteria, yeast, and parasites live in this polluted mucus, which causes the immune system to overload. Leaky Gut Syndrome develops when the digestive system degrades and allows partially digested food particles to escape into the blood supply. Because the body does not recognize these partially digested food particles, it targets them as invaders, which mobilizes the immune system. These partially digested food particles can land anywhere in the body. If they land in the joints, the immune system will attack them in the joints, causing arthritis-like symptoms. If they land in the heart, they can cause angina-like symptoms. If they land in the brain, they can cause symptoms that mimic brain fog, anxiety, depression, or even schizophrenia, as well as any other mental illnesses.

Reversing this process is quite simple, though most people find it hard to accomplish. That is because, for many, it will require a lifestyle change and the self-discipline that goes along with living an empowered life.

Obviously, the first and most important thing we must do is to:

 eat healthy, natural, well tolerated foods free of pollutants

This is becoming ever more challenging, simply because these natural foods have become expensive and are sometimes difficult to find except in health food stores. For more information on what a healthy diet consists of see the Nutrient Dense Diet page.

The other thing that must be done is to:

purify the body of toxins.

So let’s talk about the basics.

1.  Liver purification is accomplished, for the most part, by ingesting specific herbs, foods, and nutrients that aid in the detoxification process.  The herb with the most research behind it is milk thistle, which helps the body create glutathione, an amino acid that is vital in the detoxification process. It is reputed to protect and rebuild the liver once it has been compromised. Its active ingredient is called silymarin, which is very powerful for rebuilding the liver.

According to Christopher Hobbs in his book Natural Liver Therapy, other herbs that an herbalist might use according to established folklore traditions and/or traditional Chinese medicine can be classified according to their function.  Here are a few of the most common: for cleansing use: 

• Burdock,
• Dandelion Root,
• Blue Flag, 
• Oregon Grape Root.

To protect the liver use:

• Milk Thistle,
• Garlic,
• Schazandra,
• Bupleurium.

To build the liver and make it strong use:

• Artichoke,
• Milk Thistle,
• Butternut,
• Oat,
• Cayenne.

Good antioxidants for the liver can be found in: 

• Rosemary,
• Lemon Balm,
• Tumeric,
• Saffron.

To cool an inflamed liver use: 

• Gentian,
• Dandelion Leaf,
• Evening Primrose Oil.

To stimulate a stagnant liver good choices are:

• Prickly Ash
• Blue Flag

I have read some research indicating that a combination of Alpha Lipoic Acid, Selenium, and Silymarin extract from Milk Thistle can help rebuild a liver that has deteriorated due to alcoholism or Hepatitis C.

When you combine nutrients and herbal tinctures in this way, the result is called a neutraceutical. Because they are so effective, these herbal/nutrient combinations are becoming a powerful force in the alternative health care field.

Another helpful herb I've read about for Hepatitis C is Wild Oregano oil. This is not the same as the kitchen spice, but is a wild variety that grows in the Mediterranean, which is much stronger than what is used for seasoning. Wild Oregano oil is a very powerful bacteracide and viracide, and is reputed to kill intestinal parasites. In addition, it is very nutritive and is a powerful antioxidant. However, as with most herbs, it must be used consistently and over several months to do the job.

There are many products on the market that contain a mixture of either herbs alone, or herbs and nutrients in combination.  You can buy herbs as powders that have been encapsulated, as tinctures, or teas, all of which do the same thing. However, be aware that when you buy raw herbs or encapsulated powders, the fresher the herb, the more effective it is. Check your sources when buying herbs because an herb picked and processed today is not the same as an herb picked and processed a year ago. Just as you would want fresh vegetables to eat, so to you want your herbs fresh as well.

Tinctures can be a concentrated way of ingesting an herb and also keep well, but since they are preserved in alcohol, should not be used by alcoholics. To evaporate off the alcohol before using, you can place the drops in hot water for a minute or two. I usually put mine ina cup of hot tea made from the same herb as the tincture, which concentrates it even more.

An excellent product for cleansing is Life Cleanse by Eniva, which contains a rice fiber complex, fructooligosaccharide, and a variety of herbs for both colon and liver cleansing, including milk thistle seed extract, dandelion root powder, ginger, and clove bud. 

Eniva also makes the mineral Sulfur that absorbs instantly. Sulfur is the mineral in cauliflower and broccoli that gives them their characteristic flavor and smell. All cruciferous vegetables are high in sulfur, which is the greatest nutrient for helping the body create glutathione, your body's own natural detoxifier. By taking sulfur as a supplement you can increase your body's ability to detoxify itself. 

2. There are several nutrients that aid in liver detoxification besides sulfur. They are alpha lipoic acid, cysteine, methionine, glycine, NAC, TMG, selenium, zinc, choline, molybdenum and vitamins C, E,  A, and B. Since heavy metals accumulate in the liver, many of the same nutrients, and also the foods in the following list, are known to cleanse these toxic substances out of the body. 

3. Foods that are excellent for liver detoxification are carrots, beets, spiralina, chlorella,  cilantro, onions, garlic, all leafy greens and sulfur containing vegetables like cauliflower, kale, and broccoli, green tea, artichokes, red peppers, apples, lemons, whole seeds, nuts and olive oil. In particular, chlorella and cilantro taken together will slowly cleanse the whole body, including the liver and brain, of heavy metals over time. 

4. If you are very brave, you might want to do coffee enemas, which are excellent for detoxifying the liver and the colon. These were made famous by Dr. Max Gerson, who is famous for having been Albert Schweitzer’s doctor. He healed hundreds of people of cancer and other degenerative diseases holistically long before the word holistic ever became popular.

The psychic, Edgar Cayce, also advised their use, claiming that liver cleansing by way of coffee enemas was imperative for the healing of many degenerative diseases. Cayce advised to add 1 level teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of baking soda to one quart of coffee to adjust the ph. He also cautioned people to use only body temperature coffee for the enema, not too hot or too cold, but just right.

Coffee enemas are a well documented healing modality.

I’ve read numerous articles and books about them, and though there are some differences of opinion about how to do them, the basic gist of it is to use about 6 tablespoons of organic coffee to one and a half quarts of pure water, which will be simmered for at least twenty minutes. You should end up with a little over a quart of coffee when you are done, which is what you will put in the enema bag or bucket after you‘ve cooled and strained it. Since the majority of the grounds are at the bottom, I throw away the last little bit of coffee to avoid getting them into the enema bag.

You can double this recipe and divide it in half, reserving the second half for your next enema if you want to. When I reheat the coffee that has been refrigerated, I stir it with my finger the whole time it is heating so that I know when it is body temperature. It only takes a few seconds for the coffee to become too hot. I‘ve wasted a lot of time cooling it back down after I‘ve heated it too much. I’ve even had to go through this process several times before I’ve gotten it just right. The finger stirring method prevents this.

Enemas are quite easy to do once you’ve got the hang of it. After you’ve put the cooled, strained coffee in the bag (or bucket if you prefer), lubricate the nozzle for easy insertion. You can use a little Vaseline or olive oil for this purpose. The bag, which can be bought at any drugstore, or the bucket, which must be purchased over the internet, comes with a hook that is used for hanging it over your head. I attach mine to an overhead cupboard door. You will have to improvise with whatever you’ve got.  I usually sit on the toilet while the coffee runs into my colon. Then, since it takes your body about twenty minutes to absorb the caffeine from the coffee, you can go lay down and read a book while you wait. You should lay on your right side, which is the same side as your liver. If you take your enema after you’ve had a bowel movement, it is easier to retain. If you can’t manage to hold a quart of liquid inside your colon for 20 minutes, just do the best you can. If you are constipated, you can do a quick water enema first to remove the stool, and then do the coffee enema. Be sure to add a little salt and soda to the water to make it more biocompatible with your tissues.

During a true cleanse, you would want to do an enema at least once a day for a week, although you can do it twice a day if you are really toxic and it is easing your symptoms.

Enemas are particularly great for reducing the symptoms of cleansing reactions.

However, adequate liver cleansing takes anywhere from a few weeks to several months to complete depending on how toxic you are. Therefore, you can choose to do the enemas periodically, say once a week for a month, or do it intensively for a few days and then rest until you intuitively feel you should do a series of them again. I've done them for several weeks at a time before with no ill effects. If you are having a lot of cleansing reaction you can do two a day.

A coffee enema, when used properly, causes the liver to produce more bile and to open the bile ducts. What causes this is the caffeine in the coffee, which is taken directly into the hemmorhoidal vein. By reflex actiion, the ducts open and release bile. In the bile are the toxins that the liver has been retaining. Because you will then expel the coffee, the toxins will be removed along with it. Because of their immediate removal there is no danger of the toxins being reabsorbed.  Coffee enemas are great for reducing pain from viral infections, colds, the flu, or any degenerative disease, including cancer. They can reduce fatigue and in some people take headache pain away. They are also great for reducing the pain associated with detoxifying recreational drugs or alcohol.

Also in the bile are valuable mineral salts that will need to be replaced. People who are doing one or more enemas per day need to replace these mineral salts by taking a multi-mineral supplement, or by drinking fresh vegetable juices that are naturally high in minerals. A combination of carrot, beet, and celery juice is highly recommended for this purpose. Nettle tea is also a great choice as it is very high in minerals.

As far as absorption is concerned, solutomic minerals by Eniva are the best. Good products for accomplishing remineralization are both the Cell Ready Minerals and Vibe, which not only contains instantly absorbable minerals, but vitamins and whole foods, as well. All Eniva products absorb instantly through the stomach wall and do not need to be digested. I've halted leg cramps within seconds by taking Eniva magnesium, so I can personally attest to the fact that they are instantly absorbed. 

Chronic and degenerative diseases are usually associated with a stagnant liver caused by liver toxicity. Enemas are a safe, simple way to purge the liver of toxins that reduce it’s ability to do its job. Using enemas for healing purposes have been around for ages, and though they have fallen out of favor by today’s medical establishment, they are quite effective in accelerating the healing process and eliminating pain associated with cleansing reactions.

It is important to note that drinking coffee has an entirely different effect than doing an enema. When you drink coffee, the caffeine over stimulates the adrenals and causes stomach irritation, as well as producing an acid condition in the body. It is also addictive and unhealthy. If you find that you are chronically fatigued, there can be numerous causes, but it could be that you are not eating a nutrient dense diet or getting enough rejuvenating sleep. In this case, the solution is not coffee, it is to change your lifestyle so that you can give your body what it needs to function at its best.

5.  Castor oil packs can be used along with enemas. These were also popularized by the psychic Edgar Cayce. They work specifically on the gall bladder, which works hand in hand with the liver when it comes to the digestion of fats. Castor oil packs assist in dissolving gall stones within the duct and the gall bladder itself. They also help cleanse the lymph and aid the body in absorbing nutrients.

Castor oil packs are quite simple to use, but since they work slowly, should be used for one to two hours a day over several weeks. You can do them when you are settling down in the evening to watch your favorite TV shows. I find them to be quite relaxing and comforting, perhaps because of the heat involved.

Normal lymph is quite watery, but when the body is toxic, it becomes mucusy and is too thick to circulate freely.

Everyone knows what it feels like to have toxic lymph. When we have the flu, we often feel as though we’ve been beat up. That achy sensation is caused by swollen lymph glands that have become impacted.  One purpose of a fever is to thin the lymph so it can flow freely once again. It is good to do a coffee enema when you have that achy feeling as it will aid the body in detoxifying the lymph.We also ache when we are cleansing because we are releasing a lot of toxin into the lymph. Though uncomfortable, this is actually a great sign that our cleanse is working!

If the colon is clogged with mucoid plaque, its ability to detoxify the lymph decreases and the accumulation of mucoid matter begins to back up into the lymphatic system. The waste material in the lymphatic system then backs up into the body tissues and disease is the result. In order to cleanse the lymph, one must begin with the colon, which is an integral aspect of detoxification.

Besides fever, lymph can also be thinned with skin brushing and specific herbs. Here’s how to do skin brushing: Before you do your enema, take off your clothes and brush your skin all over with a soft, natural bristle scrub brush towards your abdomen. The tickling sensation causes the lymph to empty its toxic load into the elimination system where it can be removed. This need not take long, only two or three minutes, as you brush the skin in one direction only a few times from the feet up to the abdomen, and from the arms and shoulders down to the abdomen.

Since the lymph has no circulation of its own, it is also encouraged to circulate when we exercise vigorously, especially when we swing our arms over our head as there are many lymph nodes in our arm pits. Rebounding is excellent for this. In addition, massage is very good for improving the lymph flow.

Good herbs for lymphatic cleansing are:

• Red Clover
• Acacia Gum

These can be taken as teas, tinctures, or encapsulated powders. Many of the same herbs that cleanse the lymph also cleanse the blood. Other good herbs for cleansing the blood are:

• Butternut Bark 
• Yellow Dock Root

Both these herbs also have a purifying effect on the liver, as well.

Colon and gall bladder cleansing, lymphatic and blood cleaning, and heavy metal cleansing generally accompanies liver cleansing.  All can and should be done simultaneously for best results. 

7.  Finally, when cleansing, remember to drink a lot of water, live fresh vegetable juices, and herb teas, for all those mobilized toxins must be removed or you will experience a cleansing reaction and, if not removed immediately, the toxins might be reabsorbed. Cleansing reactions can be experienced as:

• headaches 
• general achiness caused by toxic lymph build-up,
• fatigue,
• sneezing,
• poor quality sleep,
• bad dreams,
• emotional unrest,
• mild flu-like symptoms.

They are generally short lived. Although temporarily uncomfortable, they are a good sign that the cleanse is doing its job to mobilize and remove unwanted toxins. If you drink your cleansing herbs as teas, make homemade vegetable juices, and/or drink plenty of pure water, cleansing reactions should be kept at a minimum.

It is important to remember that herbs aren’t drugs.

They are nutrient dense warehouses that also have specific constituants that support specific organs. They help organs heal by providing them with the raw materials that the body can use to heal itself.  Also, they work slowly over time, so it is important not to expect immediate results, such as one does in drug therapy. In addition, if you have a serious condition like cirrhosis or hepatitis, be sure to follow your doctor's advice on how to handle it. Some herbs interfere with drugs. Your local pharmacist should be able to tell you what to watch out for in this department.

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