FEELING sluggish after indulging in turkey, chocolates, wine and cookies during the festive season? Have the holidays left you with ill effects to our health? Do you know that bloating, blemishes, tiredness, lack of energy, dull hair and skin, bad breath and digestive disorders can all be signs of excess waste or toxins in the body?

It is not unusual for toxins to build up in your system after the New Year celebrations. These have a disruptive effect on your health as liver detoxification slows down.

Toxins are poisonous substances that are chemically unstable in the body.

They are an accumulation of normal body by-products that haven't been eliminated.

Toxins get accumulated through environmental pollutants (cigarette smoke, exhaust fumes), alcohol, food additives, chemicals, heavy metals and pesticides.

For instance, a high consumption of alcohol can leave toxins that lead to lasting damage such as cirrhosis and liver dysfunction.

A detoxification plan is thus needed to get us back on a healthy track. It is important to follow the detoxification plan (detox, rebalance and reshape) at least once a year or any time if you are feeling lethargic and have poor digestion or elimination.

Herbal detox: milk thistle, dandelion and organic spirulina

Organs of detoxification are the liver, kidneys, large intestines and the skin. A main focus of naturopathic detoxification routines is improving liver function with targeted food and herbal medicines.

Herbalists the world over have held dandelion in high regard for centuries. Dandelion root has an extremely high nutrient content.

Human and animal studies show that dandelion increases bile flow and helps get rid of liver congestion, bile duct inflammation and gallstones.

This herb can be best combined with other liver herbs such as milk thistle for better effect.

Silymarin, which is found in the herb milk thistle, is known to protect the liver by altering and strengthening the structure of outer cell membranes of liver cells.

It prevents toxins from entering the liver cells and stimulates the regenerative ability of the liver.

Silymarin, as an antioxidant, may also reduce damage caused by free radicals and drugs.

It increases the glutathione content of the liver by 35 per cent in healthy subjects.

Glutathione is responsible for detoxifying a wide range of chemicals. It gives the liver an increased capacity for detoxification reactions.

Organic spirulina is ideal for those undergoing a detox programme. It is low in fat and calories, with no cholesterol content, making it suitable for weight- control.

The pigment chlorophyll in spirulina helps in detoxification. Many health professionals also advocate the use of spirulina during juicing (sprinkled onto vegetable and fruit juices and broths) as it provides the vital nutrients such as the B vitamins and calcium.

Apart from that, the bioavailability of iron in organic spirulina is important to those on detox programme or dieters who are on low-calorie diets and prone to iron deficiency.

Remove with juices

For many years, fresh fruits and vegetables have been used by natural therapists to help cleanse and restore the body to good health.

Consuming only fresh, diluted juices from various fruits and vegetables for a day or more is a safe and helpful form of fasting.

Start with well-tolerated vegetables such as celery, cucumber and fennel. Dark-green leafy vegetables such as spinach, pegaga (pennywort), parsley, lettuce and cabbage can be considered too.

Fresh fruits and vegetables juices should be drunk on the day they are made, preferably right after juicing to ensure maximum nutrient content.

Here is a detox recipe you could try on yourself and your family.

DETOX COCKTAIL

2 green/red apples

2 celery sticks

1/2 cucumber

1/4 lemon, peeled a few mint leaves



Method

Blend all the ingredients together with two cups of purified water. For a bit of colour, you may add a carrot.

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