Cleansing week
Detox or body cleansing can be done in many different ways, but here we are going to use a few short steps and do it thoroughly.
It’s very good to use this cleansing week and say goodbye to coffee, sugar, tobacco or other similar stuff, for good. If you take herbs during this cleanse the whole process will become much easier.
Two days before Step 1 it’s good to eliminate the following from your diet:
- Coffee
- White grains
- Processed meat products
- Alcohol
- Salt (reduce)
- Smoked products
It’s also good to take it easy these days, go swimming, to the sauna, destress and relax your muscles so the toxins will flow out of them, we don’t want to hold it all in, definitely not.
While doing this you will be able to:
- Cleanse the body
- Rejuvenate the body
- Increase energy
- Increase the zest for life
- Cleanse the skin
- Increase flexibility
- Increase creativity
- Increase productivity
- Improve memory and concentration
- Lower blood pressure (if needed)
- Increase the sensitivity to your senses (sound, sight, smell)
- And if needed, lose weight
Step 1:
It’s good to wake up and do a Sun Salutation in the morning for maybe 5 – 10 minutes. Later on you can add a Headstand or Shoulderstand.
Day 1:
Breakfast:
Green shake:
2 celery sticks
3 kale leaves or other leafy greens
½ avocado
½ lime
½ cucumber
1-2 tbsp. oil (coconut, flax seed or olive)
Water (just up to the ingredients in the mixing bowl)
⅛ tsp. Himalaya salt or other kind of natural salt
Put everything in a blender and blend well (if you are using herbs they can be added to this mixture, as well as any oils you are taking).
Midmorning snack (optional):
Herbal tea – Stinging Nettle, Chamomile, Dofri, Suttungamjöður, Triphala (tastes bad) or other kinds of cleansing teas.
My advice is to use either Suttungamjöður or Triphala for the whole week. It‘s very important to have regular bowel movements during the cleanse so you either need to laxative herbs or enemas.
Lunch:
Vegetable salad:
80% vegetables – all vegetables are allowed except for mushrooms. Use the same proportion of lightly steamed or finely grated vegetables (e.g. broccoli, cauliflower, rutabaga, carrots) and fresh leafy greens. Use your imagination and remember that there are all manner of vegetables available.
20% almonds/hemp seeds/sunflower seeds/sesame seeds/pumpkin seeds – the seeds should preferably be soaked for 6-8 hours before eating.
Dressing (optional) – lemon juice and a good vegetable oil with herbs.
Midafternoon:
Nuts/vegetables/fruits
A cup of a good cleansing tea.
Dinner:
Cooling Kichadi (Kitchari)
½ cup basmati rice
¼ cup mung beans
1 tbsp. burdock root
1 ½ cup green string beans
2 tbsp. butter or ghee
½ tsp. fennel seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tbsp. amaranth (optional)
1 piece kombu
6 – 10 cups water
½ tsp. sea salt
1 tbsp. coriander powder.
The beans need to be soaked for 12 hours before use. Rinse the rice and the beans until the water runs clear.
Heat the oil on medium, add fennel and cumin seeds and heat for a few minutes. Add rice and beans and heat for a few minutes more. Add burdock and heat for a minute. Add 6 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add kombu, amaranth and salt and then turn down heat to low. Let it simmer for 1 – 1 ½ hour and add water if needed. When 10 minutes are left of the cooking time add green string beans. Add coriander powder just before serving the dish and season with fresh coriander leaves.
This dish is extremely blood cleansing. The burdock cleanses the kidneys and liver while the green string beans are diuretic. The mung beans and rice are suitable for everyone and are the foundation of Indian Panchakarma cleansing treatment, where herbs are added to suit each individual. The recipe itself can be molded as needed and different spices used.
If you don’t need a cooling treatment you can use ginger, black pepper, garlic or cardamoms for their warming effects.
Day 2:
The same as day 1.
Step 2.
Here the fasting begins. You can drink whenever you feel hungry if 3 hours seems like too long.
You can make the juices beforehand.
Don’t take any supplements or medications during fasting (if you use any medication contact your herbalist or doctor for instructions).
Day 3:
Choose one of the following juices for fasting. If you don’t want to use the same juice the whole day you can use more than one. The whole day requires 2 liters of juice as well as 1 liter of water mixed together.
- Cucumber, celery, some leafy greens and lemon juice (1 tsp. per glass)
- Carrot, celery and beetroot juice
- Mixed organic vegetable juice (ready-made) of a good quality.
- Whole rice – for those who are scared of juicing you can eat plain boiled rice, unseasoned, and just eat until you feel full.
7:30 – 3 dl of juice
10:30 – 3 dl of juice and perhaps some herbal tea
13:30 – 4 dl of juice
16:30 – 3 dl of juice and perhaps some herbal tea
19:30 – 4 dl of juice
22:00 – 3 dl of juice
Day 4 and 5:
The same as day 3.
Step 3:
Day 6 and 7:
Here you break the fast. Do the same as on day 1.
It’s important to have the following things in mind during fasting:
- Sleep is very important – go to sleep no later than 22:30
- Do some stretching exercises or yoga
- Find a sauna or steam bath and sweat a little
- Remember to get plenty of rest and relaxation
- Go for light walks outside
- Take a bath – use salt, kelp, herbs or essential oils to boost the cleansing process
- Dry brush your skin
- Calm your mind. Use mindfulness or meditations
- Drink pure water
- Decision – Determination – Positivity – Go through the whole process with an open and positive mind
- Enemas or herbs that cleanse the colon (e.g. Vaðgelmir)
GOOD LUCK
Kolbrún Björnsdóttir
Herbalist in Jurtaapótek