Natural Cleansing Herbs for Your Colon, Liver, and Kidneys

If you want to cleanse and detoxify your bodily systems naturally, there are several effective herbs that you can take to perform a cleanse.  The colon, liver, and kidneys are organs commonly targeted by cleansing, and there are herbs and remedies specific to each bodily system.*

Colon

For cleansing the colon, try the following herbs or foods:

•  Prune juice: Okay, so prunes are not generally considered herbs per se but, like all medicinal herbs, they are the fruits (plums) of a plant (the plum tree), and their cleansing ability is very good.  Drinking prune juice and/or eating prunes relieves constipation, and can be very cleansing to the colon.

Flax seed (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

• Flax seeds: A tablespoon of flax seed three times a day, ground or whole, will help cleanse the colon.  If you have ever mixed flax seeds with hot water, you know how this works.  The water, in which flax seeds are steeped, becomes a thick, mucilaginous mass.  If you tend to have intestinal irritation, use ground flax seed.  Note, though, that you must drink a lot of water for this to work.  Flax is so effective at creating bulk in the intestines that it can create a blockage without proper water intake.

• Psyllium: Like flax seeds, psyllium seeds need a lot of water to work.  Those wishing to benefit from psyllium may take 3-10 tablespoons of the tiny seeds each day.  Psyllium also creates bulk in the intestine, moving toxins and waste out.

• Senna: The leaves and seedpods of senna are used for internal cleansing.  A popular remedy for constipation, be aware that senna can be unpleasantly powerful in its effects.  Senna contains anthraquinones, a very effective laxative.  Other herbs with anthraquinones are aloe, cascara sagrada, and buckthorn (to name a few).

•  Rhubarb: Once again, crossing the herb-food line is this laxative plant.  Rhubarb has fiber, and it also contains a laxative chemical similar to anthraquinones.

Liver

• Milk thistle is an excellent liver-cleansing herb.  The best way to use milk thistle is by taking capsules, since the most effective part of the plant are the seeds.  Milk thistle helps protect the liver from damaging toxins, and also helps the liver to remove toxins from the body.

Kidneys

• Dandelion root and leaves are very effective diuretics, thus helping to flush out the kidneys and the system in general.  Try cooking young dandelion leaves as a potherb or taking capsules of the dried root.  Dandelion root that has been roasted and ground can be drunk as a cleansing, coffee substitute.

• Cranberry is a well-known bladder infection fighter.  Because it prevents bacteria from adhering to the walls of the bladder, it has a cleansing effect (the bacteria get flushed out).  Blueberries work well for cleansing, too.

* Note: Information provided here is not designed to treat or cure any disease. Be sure to consult your personal physician before attempting any type of cleanse or detox.