9 Useful Cleansing Teas
Mar16

9 Useful Cleansing Teas

I have made prune tea where I placed 2 prunes in a mug of hot water, and enjoyed every drop.  I have made apple tea, where I put a few slices of apple in a cup of hot water with a dash of cinnamon.  The soft apple slices left at the bottom sure taste nice.  Cardamom tea is made with 3 cardamon pods in a cup of hot water.  Fennel tea is made with a teaspoon of fennel seeds in a mug of hot water.  Here are more teas with their stories and ways to make them.

 TAHEEBO TEA,  ESSIAC TEA, GREEN TEA,  GINGER TEA, PEPPERMINT TEA, CELERY TEA,  DANDELION ROOT TEA,  MARIGOLD TEA, WATERMELON SEED TEA

Pau d’Arco or Taheebo Tea

Pau d’Arco is the name of the bark that comes from the Taheebo tree, which grows in Argentina and Brazil.  Most health food stores carry the loose prepackaged bark.  In folklore, taheebo tea has been believed to have anti-microbial properties that act as strengthening and cleansing agents.

Refreshing tea, slightly bitter, but add maple syrup or honey if necessary. Great for controlling candida, boosting the immune system, as a general body detoxifier and as a general body tonic. Drink hot, or cold with ice cubes and a lemon slice.

  • 3 heaping tablespoons of dried bark
  • 10 cups water

Boil for 5-15 minutes and let cool.
Pour the tea (with bark) into a large glass container and store in the fridge.
Drink a cup of this tea two to eight times a day.

Essiac Tea

Blood cleansing Tea – See the Full Recipe Here

Rene Caisse, a very caring nurse from the town of Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada was one of the very first freedom fighters in the field of alternative healing. It was in the 1920’s. She fought the medical establishment, believing that there should be no suppression of non-toxic alternative therapies when established medicine’s toxic procedures have failed.

She never divulged her secret formula to the researchers and medical establishment, but tirelessly worked with patients in her own home including those that were referred to her by doctors. One MD said to her “Miss Caisse, I will not say you have a cure for cancer. But you have more evidence of a beneficial treatment for cancer than anyone in the world.”

She faced opposition, threatened with arrest and imprisonment. She said “I never dreamed of the opposition and persecution that would be my lot in trying to help suffering humanity with no thought of personal gain.”

Renee Caisse died in September, 1978 at the age of 90 years old. Her recipe has been handed down and this is a generally accepted version of it.  Essiac Tea Recipe Here.

Green Tea

A great Chinese tradition, as well as a highly acclaimed cleansing tea, used for disease prevention, anti-aging and longevity.

Some of the health benefits of this all-round cleansing Green Tea are:  antioxidant called EGCG (EpiGalloCatechin Gallate) which is more effective than Vitamin C and E and has been found to aid in reducing cancers of the bladder, colon, pancreas, esophagus, rectum and stomach as well as chronic lymphocytic leukemia,  lowers bad (LDL) cholesterol and improves the good cholesterol (HDL), reduces high blood pressure, lowers blood sugar, helps protect the liver, aids in dental health, and boosts immune function.

Here is how to brew a perfect cup of green tea.  The goal is to get the best flavor at the same time as retaining the maximum health benefits of the Green Tea.

  • Use 1-2 teaspoons of good quality green tea leaves
  • Fill the kettle (or pot) with cold water and bring to a boil
  • After turning off the kettle (or pot), allow it to stand for up to 3 minutes to lower the temperature a little
  • Pour the heated water over the tea bag or tea leaves, and allow to steep for up to 3 minutes.  If using a tea bag, remove the bag.
  • Allow the tea to cool for 3 more minutes.  Drink the tea.  You can drink 2-5 cups per day.

Tips on making cleansing Green Tea:

  1. Do not over brew the leaves
  2. You may make 2-3 more pots of tea from one batch of leaves.
  3. Do not pour boiling water on the leaves directly as the tea will be bitter
  4. For variety, add honey, sliced ginger, fresh lemon or mint.
  5. Try iced tea with honey and ice cubes.
  6. Best green tea is made with the dried leaf tea.  Avoid green tea bags if possible.

Ginger Tea (also a cold-cleansing tea)

Ginger tea has a spicy, invigorating taste, yet it is soothing and calming to the stomach.

Ginger has been used as a home remedy for flu and cold, to help with travel and motion sickness, indigestion, nausea, and also to ward off a sore throat. Ginger is also used in cleansing the kidneys.

Some other benefits of ginger is that it increases circulation, improves digestion, helps with the nervous system, and is a general immune booster. Teas that bring a host of health benefits like this are what we call cleansing teas.

The benefit of drinking Cleansing teas is that it helps to cleanse out the toxic residue from your system and aid the body in healing itself.

Ginger Tea Recipe

Ingredients:  Water – 4 cups
2 inch piece of fresh ginger root
Optional:  honey and lemon slice

Peel the ginger root and slice into thin slices.
Bring the water to a boil in a pot.  Add the ginger.
Cover and reduce to a simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Strain the tea.
Add honey and lemon to taste.
Note:  If you are making ginger tea as a home remedy during cold and flu season, sweeteners are not recommended.

Peppermint Tea

Peppermint has a fresh, lively taste. The dried leaves from your own herb garden make a wonderful tea.

Peppermint is naturally caffeine-free. Someone has called Peppermint  “The Ultimate Internal Body Workout”!!  The cleansing benefits are usually in the following areas:  improving digestion, soothing the stomach, helping diarrhea and intestinal colic, for a sore throat, heartburn, as well as antioxidant properties.  Here are some more areas that are reported to be helped:  toning of the internal organs such as the liver, intestines and nervous system, help with halitosis (bad breath, a sign of toxicity), dermatitis and itching associated with eczema, menstrual cramps, anti-viral (including herpes) and headaches.  No wonder drinking the tea is a great cleansing idea.

I personally drink peppermint tea as an after-dinner digestive aid, for stomach gas, as a breath freshener, and as a relaxer.

Peppermint Cleansing Tea

  • Place ¼ cup mint leaves in a pot
  • Pour boiling water over the leaves
  • Steep for 10 minutes
  • Strain out the leaves when you pour your peppermint tea.

Optional: add honey or maple syrup as a sweetener.

Celery Seed Tea (Kidney Cleansing Tea)

Celery Seeds are best known for being a great tasting herb in potato salad or grandma’s relish.  Celery Seeds have also been helpful for people suffering from kidney problems and acts directly on the kidneys as a natural diuretic (eliminates water from the body) and helps to eliminate toxic buildup in the joints.  Celery seeds have been used for Urinary Tract disorders because of its anti-bacterial properties, for headaches, and for gout.

Celery seeds are full of potassium and natural organic sodium, which help the body to cleanse wastes from areas such as the skin, bowels and kidneys.  It helps the acid-alkaline balance in the body and is helpful for cleansing from excess uric acid.  Do not drink this tea if you are pregnant.

Directions:
1 tbsp celery seeds (ground or cut)
1 pint of boiling water

Steep and then let cool.
Strain and drink.
Drink 3 cups a day for 3 days a week.
Best if made fresh.

Dandelion Root Tea: Get your Cleansing Dandelion Tea recipe here

Marigold Tea (Calendula Tea)

Calendulais used externally in salves and oils, for conditions like inflammation, burns & cuts, eczema and other skin conditions.  Calendula tea is used internally as a healthy tonic to aid in digestion, help with stomach ulcers, cleanse the body, reduce fevers and infections, and even help menstrual cramps. The flavonoids in the marigold petals are the active ingredients in this remedy.

This is a perfect tea for the Do-It-Yourself person.  Marigolds grow easily in the garden, and you can pick the petals fresh for tea, or use petals you have dried yourself.  Make sure your marigolds are not sprayed.

Method:

  • Place 2 teaspoons of fresh petals, or 1 teaspoon of dried petals per cup of water.
  • Place the petals in a cup and pour boiling water over.  Cover and let steep for 15 minutes.  Adjust the strength for your taste – add more petals if you like it stronger.
  • Strain and press the petals to drain the tea.  Add honey to taste and enjoy.  Drink 1 or 2 cups each day.

Note:  You could be allergic to this tea if you are allergic to daisies or ragweed.

Watermelon Seed Tea

(Recipe by Cayce)
Who could have thought that watermelon seed tea would be a great cleansing tea for cleansing and purifying the kidneys and bladder?  Now is the time to collect all those seeds and get ready to make your cleansing tea.

Cayce, a health enthusiast, recommended Watermelon seed tea for kidney stones, to stimulate under-active kidneys, and to help with circulation.

Instructions:
1 Tablespoon Watermelon seeds, ground or chopped up.  (Buy large watermelons and harvest the seeds)
1 pint of boiling water

Directions:
Steep.  Let it cool.
Strain and drink.

  • Make this tea fresh each time
  • Drink once a day, 3 days per week.
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4 Lymphatic Cleanse Recipes
Feb16

4 Lymphatic Cleanse Recipes

The Lymph system is the body’s drainage system.  The lymph system helps to pick up waste, toxins, pathogens, and even cancer cells to take back to the blood stream, for removal from the body.  It also helps distribute oxygen and nutrients to the cells of the body.  The Lymph system does not have a pump of its own.  Retaining fluid causes congestion where the nutrients do not move to the cells, and the waste is not filtered out.  

1.  Lymphatic Cleanse Bath Recipe
(from a friend, Gail)

Ingredients:
1 cup baking soda
1 cup Epsom salts (USP Grade)
Tub filled with hot water – as hot as you can comfortably soak in.

Procedure:
Soak in the tub for 20 – 30 minutes.
When you come out, relax and sweat it out.

Helps your lymphatic system, blood circulation, and skin detox.

When you get out of the tub, wrap in a blanket and let your body sweat and detox even more.

2.  Epsom Salts Cleanse Bath Recipe  
(from a mother of an autistic child)

Ingredients:
1 cup Epsom salts  (USP grade)
Tub filled with hot water – as hot as you can soak in

Procedure:
Soak in the tub for 20 – 30 minutes

This bath is a simple, effective way to supply the body with magnesium and sulphur, which are absorbed well through the skin.
It is great for autistic children in that they are generally lacking in magnesium and sulfur, and have difficulty metabolizing them.

Try this bath if you have cramps or restless leg syndrome.
Take it right before bed time.
May help with insomnia.

3.  Skin Brushing – Dry Brush Massage

Brushing your skin is both cleansing and detoxifying to your lymph system, and also increases circulation.  Brushing your skin also removes dead skin cells and debris that clogs your pores.

Some have called the lymph system the body’s “third lung”.  The lymph system works along with the kidneys and liver to flush out toxins and wastes from the body.   It does not have a pump of its own like the heart, so it needs to have exercise and induced circulation to help it to work properly.   Oxygenation from dry skin brushing and exercise makes the lymph system work.  Dry skin massage also makes a difference to the quality of the skin of your entire body.  Every time I have done this, my body feels fresh and rejuvenated.

Dry brush massage is done before you wash, bathe or shower.  Also, the brush and the skin are both dry when you do the dry brush massage.  Don’t make the mistake of trying to brush in the shower like I did!  The bristles were getting soft, and I wondered why it wasn’t working quite right!

You use a long-handled, natural bristle brush, which is usually found in the natural food store or health section of your department stores.  By the way, a long-handled dry brush makes a nice gift for a special occasion, or in a gift basket.  I received my first brush as a gift from my daughter!

A brush is a personal item, and usually not shared with other members of the family.  You need to wash the brush every few weeks.

How to brush the skin:

  • Do not brush your face or other sensitive areas of your body.
  • Circular brush strokes will be focused towards the heart.
  • Starting at the soles of your feet, work your way up your body.
  • Brush your legs, your front and your back.
  • Brushing should be done as vigorously as you feel comfortable.
  • Brush your hands and your arms.
  • Brush your neck (back and front) and your scalp.


Why brush your skin?

  • dry brushing keeps your pores open and removes dead layers of skin
  • stimulates your circulation and your nerve endings
  • helps to make you look and feel younger!

4.  Exercise

  • Deep Breathing – Reduce stress at the same time!  Deep Breathing is great because it can act as the pump for the lymphatic system, and help in moving out the toxins and transports oxygen and nutrients to the cells.  Method:  Breathe deeply into the diaphragm.  Think – below your lungs, expanding your rib cage as you breathe in.  Hold it, then gently breathe out while you contract your rib cage to expel all the air.  Begin deep breathing again and continue for 5 minutes – every day.  I personally practice this while walking.
  • Rebounding – This is useful for those who cannot walk.  A small rebounder is like a mini trampouline, and if you cannot bounce gently yourself, someone else can even bounce you as you sit on it.
  • Regular Aerobic Exercise and Walking – 1/2 hour per day is great for the lymphatic system.

Other Tips for Lymphatic Cleansing

  • Laughter – This is another form of deep breathing.  Watch a funny movie, invite fun friends over and really laugh, or find a way to laugh deeply and heartily.  It will help enhance blood circulation and deep diaphragm movement that will help the lymph flow.
  • Castor Oil – Castor Oil can help the the lymph fluid to flow and help with clogged lymph nodes.  Castor oil applied topically is known for enhancing circulation and also affects tissues and organs under the skin.  Make a castor oil pack by soaking a few pieces of cloth or flannel in castor oil.  Place it on the body, cover it with a piece of plastic, and then a hot water bottle on top of that for warmth.  Leave it on for 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Areas of the body that typically respond to castor oil packs are the liver area or abdomen, painful joints like the knees or muscles, or to help digestion or constipation.  You can re-use the castor oil pack many times, but keep it in the refrigerator between uses.  Wash off the body gently after applying the castor oil pack using a diluted baking soda and water solution.
  • Underwire or Tight Bras – avoid tight and constrictive undergarments.  Switch to sports bras and looser clothes that allow your body to breathe and lymph to flow.  When the lymph system is restricted through tight clothing the lymph system cannot move properly.  Recommended reading on this topic is the book “Dressed to Kill”.  I suggest this especially for those with breast lumps and cancer.
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