PREPARE YOUR OWN DETOX WATERS

If you feel your impurities are located in either the bowel, urinary tract or the skin, you can follow these special recommendations while preparing to detox and during the actual self-detox program. You can also follow these recommendations whenever you feel toxins building up in that particular area.

1. Detoxifying the Bowel

Constipation or irregular bowel movements causes the malas (body waste such as fecal matter) to be reabsorbed by the body. This creates toxins in the rasa dhatu (nutritive fluid), the rakta dhatu (blood), and from there the other dhatus. Regular bowel movements is the primary day-to-day detoxification channel.

If the stool is very dry or slow, try adding more ghee to the diet and drink Herbal Water for Constipation. Add spices to your food, using the Herbal Spice Mixture for Slow Bowel Movement. This will also support digestion and liver function. Eat foods with more soft fibers such as oatmeal, tender leafy greens, summer squashes, and cooked or soaked prunes and figs. Avoid a Vata-aggravating diet or drying diet, and avoid drying foods such as crackers, dried cereal, raw foods and any foods that are trying for the bowel. Take Psyllium Seed Husk (take one t. soaked in one cup of warm water before bed) to scrub out the bowel.

Herbal Water to correct Slow Bowel Movement

1/4 t. whole fennel

1/4 t. marshmallow root

2 leaves mint

Boil two quarts of water. Add the spices and let steep. Sip warm throughout the day.

Herbal Spice Mixture to correct Slow Bowel Movement

1 t. turmeric powder

2 t. ground cumin

3 t. ground coriander

4 t. ground fennel

Mix the spices in a jar and store.

When preparing vegetables or grains, sauté 1 t. of spice mixture in Ghee until the aroma of the spices is released. Add vegetables and grains and sauté the mixture, or drizzle the Ghee and herb mixture over the veggies and grains. You can also add the sautéed mixture to dhals and soups.

2. Detoxifying the Urine

The kidneys and urinary tract form an essential purification system in the body. If you do not have a diagnosed problem with the prostate, kidneys, or water retention, but even so you feel that you are retaining water and that the flow of urine is not quite normal, you can detoxify the urine and kidneys using Herbal Water to Detoxify the Urinary Tract. You can also add some white daikon radish to your vegetables, as this helps purify the urine and normalize its flow, so you're not retaining any toxins. It does this without irritating or adding pressure to the urinary tract.

Herbal Water to Cleanse the Urinary Tract

1/2 t. whole coriander

1 t. whole clove

1/4 t. whole fennel

2 tablets of Genitrac

Boil two quarts of water. Add the spices and two tablets of Genitrac. Allow the herbs to steep and the tablets to dissolve. Sip warm throughout the day.

3. Detoxifying the Skin

If you harbor toxins under the skin or in the fat or blood tissue, this will manifest as excessive oiliness, breakouts or extreme photosensitivity. For this situation, drink Herbal Water to Detoxify the Skin every day. Also use the Detoxifying Spice Mixture for the Skin on your vegetables and grains.

Herbal Water to Detoxify the Skin

2 pinches of Indian Sarsaparilla

2 pinches of Manjistha

1/4 t. whole fennel

2 leaves of mint

Bring two quarts of water to a boil. Add the spices and let steep.

Sip warm throughout the day.

Spice Mixture for Detoxifying the Skin

1 t. turmeric

1 t. cumin

4 t. coriander

6 t. fennel

1 t. fenugreek (if you don't like the smell of fenugreek, then use

black pepper instead)

Mix the spices together and store them in a jar. When preparing vegetables or grains, sauté 1 t. of spice mixture in Ghee until the aroma of the spices is released. Add vegetables and grains and sauté in the mixture, or drizzle the Ghee and herb mixture over the veggies and grains. You can also add the sautéed mixture to dhals and soups.