Detox Diet Herbs

Herbs help to stimulate the action of the liver and kidneys to cleanse the body.

Diets and dietary changes aimed to support your body's natural detoxification pathways can be supported through taking herbal extracts. Over time, doctors, researchers and traditional healers have discovered a range of medicinal plants capable of stimulating the cleansing of your tissues, and ridding our body of metabolic toxins. Herbs that effect your detoxification and metabolism pathways may interfere with prescription and over-the-counter drugs and medications, so consult with a health care provider before taking these remedies.

Milk Thistle Seeds

Milk thistle seeds help to relieve jaundice, hepatitis and toxic-overload.

Milk thistle seeds are a traditional herbal remedy for liver healing, liver protection, detoxification and blood cleansing. According to Dr Sandra Cabot, author of "The Liver Cleansing Diet", milk thistle is capable of protecting liver cell membranes from chemical damage and stimulates the repair and healing of liver tissues. Milk thistle can be taken as a tablet, capsule, liquid tincture or herbal infusion.

Globe Artichoke Leaves

Globe artichoke helps to heal, protect and support the liver.

The flowers of the glove artichoke plant are a delicacy, but the leaves are the most healing and beneficial part of the plant. Globe artichoke is a liver stimulant and supports the healing of liver tissues. According to Lesley Braun and Mark Cohen, authors of "Herbs & Natural Supplements", an extract from globe artichoke leaves increases bile secretion, protects the liver from damage, reduces cholesterol, improves digestion and cleanses the blood. Globe artichoke leaves contain a wide range of chemicals such as flavonoids and phenolic acids, which are thought to be responsible for its activity.

Dandelion Root and Leaves

Dandelion leaves are the richest nutritional source of potassium.

Dandelion is considered by gardeners around the world to be a weed and an unwelcome pest. Despite its bad reputation, the entire plant is a rich source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and natural plant chemicals that promote health and wellbeing. For detoxification, both the leaves and the roots can be used. Traditionally the leaves have been used as kidney tonics, blood cleansers and diuretic, while the roots are for stimulating liver cleansing, improving the flow of bile and stimulating digestion. In a study in the "Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology" in 2001, dandelion root tea was found to significantly stimulate liver detoxification enzymes.

Burdock Root

Burdock root can be used in various ways to benefit from its detoxifying characteristics.

Burdock root can be used as both a vegetable and medicine with its rich spectrum of nutrients including antioxidants, vitamins A, B, C and E, iron, calcium, silicon and sulfur. The dry weight of the burdock root is comprised of 12 percent protein and 70 percent carbohydrates, with the remaining weight being water, essential plant oils and mineral ash. According to Gillian Painter, author of "Materia Medica for the Southern Hemisphere", the roots of the burdock plant contain chemicals such as arctiin, essential oils and alkaloids that stimulate detoxification through the liver, kidneys and skin.

Nettle Leaves

Nettles contain therapeutic amounts of magnesium, iron, calcium, and vitamins A and K.

Nettles provide an uncomfortable sting when fresh, but when made into an herbal medicine, offer a nutritious and healing detoxification remedy. The leaves of the nettle plant are used in a wide range of medical conditions such as gout, allergic rhinitis, arthritis, skin inflammation, urinary tract infections and kidney disease. Nettle stimulates the removal of metabolic waste from tissues and flushes these toxins from the body by increasing urination. In a study in the "World Journal of Gastroenterology" in 2005, researcher Mehmet Kanter and colleagues discovered nettle was also a liver protective agent, preventing chemical damage to liver cells in animals.

References

• Lesley Braun, Mark Cohen; "Herbs & Natural Supplements"; 2010
• Gillian Painter; "Materia Medica of the Southern Hemisphere"; 1998
• Dr Sandra Cabot; "The Liver Cleansing Diet"; 1997
• PubMed: Effect of herbal teas on hepatic drug metabolizing enzymes in rats.
• World Journal of Gastroenterology: Hepatoprotective effects of Nigella sativa L and Urtica dioica L on lipid peroxidation, antioxidant enzyme systems and liver enzymes in carbon tetrachloride-treated rats