15 Foods, Herbs & Spices to Cleanse Your Body from Toxins

Considering all the toxins that we ingest on a regular basis, it only makes sense to make an effort to rid our bodies of the harmful agents that can wreak havoc on our health.

While you may have heard about various detox cleanses that constitute little more than drinking special fluids and severely limiting food intake, you don’t have to starve yourself or deprive your body of the nutritious foods you love in the name of detoxing.

Instead, all you need to do is incorporate a few healthy foods, herbs and spices into your diet to cleanse your body from toxins.

Turmeric

Prevalent in mustard and curry, turmeric is a wonder spice that absolutely must be included in your daily diet. Luckily, it’s rather simple to include in many dishes, and only requires a few dashes in order to take effect in your body.

Turmeric is known to have beneficial effects in the liver, helping this vital organ function more properly to more efficiently rid your body of toxins.

As if that wasn’t enough, turmeric also possesses potent anti-cancer properties that can help not only slow the growth of cancer tumors, but also ward off the development of the disease (1).

Simply add it to your salads, soups, meats and fish dishes, and your liver will thank you.

Dandelion

Dandelion root is a herb that helps to boost the production of bile in order to break down fats and expel cholesterol from the body.

Research has shown that dandelion root extract can successfully combat liver fibrosis through the inactivation of hepatic stellate cells, which are the key cell type involved in liver fibrosis (2).

Dandelion also helps to improve the overall health of the liver by increasing the regenerative capabilities of the organ.

Lemons

Loaded with all sorts of amazing antioxidants and nutrients, lemons have the incredible capability of stimulating the liver to get rid of harmful toxins from the body.

The first thing you should consume in the morning is a glass of warm water infused with juice squeezed from a lemon to help put your body in a more alkaline environment.

This simple beverage also helps to release enzymes to help make toxins more easily soluble for elimination from the body.

The vitamin C that’s featured in lemons also helps to detox the liver through the production of glutathione, a detoxing protein (3).

Ginger

Not only is ginger exceptionally good at relieving nausea, it also has excellent cleansing effects in the body. This spice helps the body more effectively absorb vital vitamins and minerals from foods consumed (4).

In this way, the body is better able to replace the toxins eliminated with nutrients that it needs to be healthy.

Rosemary

Not only does rosemary bring out incredible flavors in many foods, it also has wonderful detoxing properties that help rid the body of harmful agents.

Whether you add it to food items or simply add it to water with a mixture of other spices is up to you, but it’ll do the job just the same.

Rosemary is loaded with antioxidants that assist the body in fighting off dangerous free radicals that can damage cells (5).

Ingesting just enough rosemary can even help to reduce the odds of developing cancer and heart disease, and helps ensure the body functions well in general.

Garlic

Sulphur is an essential mineral that assists the body in eliminating toxins, and raw garlic is full of it (6).

While stimulating the liver to produce enzymes that gets rid of toxins from the blood, garlic is also able to ensure the intestines are void of any harmful bacteria and viruses.

Ancient cultures have included garlic in their natural medicines for centuries, and for good reason. It’s able to neutralize the effect of germs in the body that would otherwise make our bodies sick.

Cayenne Pepper

In addition spicing up foods, cayenne pepper also has the capability of helping to cleanse the body. It’s one of the few ingredients added to famous liquid cleanses, such as the Master Cleanse, which helps to speed up the metabolism and therefore promote weight loss.

Cayenne pepper aids with digestion and encourages trapped toxins to leave the body (7). Without proper digestion, toxins can remain in the body longer than necessary.

Cayenne pepper helps improve digestion so that such toxins don’t stick around longer than needed.

Sarsaparilla

This herb has detoxing and anti-inflammatory properties to help make the liver function optimally.

Sarsaparilla is able to grab onto toxins and entice their elimination through perspiration, and promotes healthy kidneys by encouraging toxins to leave the body through increased urination thanks to saponins in the herb (8).

Almonds

Just a few almonds a day can help to cleanse fatty deposits around the liver that have accumulated through poor diet. Research has also found that the vitamin E ingested through almonds can help lower the risk of developing liver cancer (9).

Cumin

Prevalent in Mexican dishes, cumin has detoxing effects on the body thanks to its ability to aid digestion, which is crucial in the detoxing process (10).

A slow and ineffective digestive system will do nothing but trap toxins in the body, leading to feelings of bloating and lethargy. If the body is unable to release toxins, it will likely reabsorb them.

Cumin helps to combat this issue by improving the functionality of the digestive tract and ridding toxins from the body for good.

Flaxseed

Loaded with omega-3 fatty acids that help encourage the elimination of sugar from the blood, flaxseeds are also high in fiber, which binds to toxins and eliminates them from the body (11).

Avocado

Whether you consume them in guacamole, sliced on salads, or on their own, avocados are wonderful foods to help improve the digestive system.

Avocados are rich in fiber, which is essential for keeping the digestive tract flowing and cleansing the colon.

Burdock Root

The burdock root has polyacetylene, which is believed to provide this root with antibacterial and antifungal properties (12).

This herb is used to clean the liver and gall bladder, and its inulin compound supports probiotic growth in the colon.

Studies have shown that animals exposed to toxins and treated with burdock root tea were protected from cellular damage, and showed lowered liver damage from such chemicals.

Cilantro

Cilantro helps the body eliminate mercury and other harmful heavy metals that can wind up in the bloodstream through ingested food or polluted air (13).

Artichokes

Artichokes assist with optimal liver function, which can help the body eliminate unnecessary toxins.

They also boost bile production, which is important in the breakdown of food and other substances to extract their nutrients to be used by the body.

Sources:

1. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/05/04/curcumin-turmeric-benefits.aspx
2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20561925
3. http://wellnesswithin.org/2013/09/lemon-water-a-morning-tonic/
4. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/265990.php
5. http://bodyecology.com/articles/rosemary_super_antioxidant_memory_booster.php
6. https://authoritynutrition.com/11-proven-health-benefits-of-garlic/
7. http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/benefits-of-cayenne-pepper/
8. http://www.naturallifeenergy.com/herbs-sarsaparilla-benefits/
9. http://www.cancernetwork.com/liver-gallbladder-biliary-tract-cancers/high-vitamin-e-intake-may-lower-liver-cancer-risk
10. http://www.thealternativedaily.com/many-health-benefits-cumin/
11. http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-flaxseed-oil.html
12. http://www.altmd.com/Articles/Burdock-Root–Encyclopedia-of-Alternative-Medicine
13. http://www.naturalnews.com/027434_cilantro_natural_detox.html