According to Ayurvedic doctors, internal cleansing is an essential step in getting toxins out of the body. Liver and intestinal cleansing periodically is essential. Please do not do a cleanse if you have a weak liver or colon. It is best to consult your physician if you have any health conditions before starting a cleanse.
By Amber Vitse, Ayurvedic Practitioner
(Editor’s Note: If you do not know your constitution, also known as your Dosha, take the test by clicking here).
Wake before 7am, sleep before 10pm. If awake between 3 and 6, this is the best time to meditate
Use a body brush or loofah to exfoliate your skin
Implement Abyangha—self massage with oils. Use a moderate amount of Cooling oil (click here on Abyangha instruction if needed)
Step into lukewarm bath or gentle shower. Pat dry with soft towels, apply more oil if weather is especially dry cleanse the mouth and teeth with mild paste, mint helps
Engage in team sports to promote cooperation, or hiking to enjoy nature. Avoid saunas, steam rooms, sunbathing, and hot tubs.
Dress in colors that mitigate Pitta and promote meditation: blues and greens
If it is difficult for you to breakfast early, try starting with a liver flush: juice of one lemon or lime, 1 tbs. Olive Oil, ½ apple or pear, blend and drink.
A Pitta dominant individual tends to have looser, more frequent stools, thus Triphala is used only to temper the intestinal activity. Try 1 capsule with each day. If, during the cleanse as your body is adapting, your bowel movements become slower, you can increase to 2 capsules per day. If you are skipping days, not having bowel movements, Triphala can be used at night before bed as well: 2 capsules at once with warmed rice or soy milk or room temperature water. Drink plenty of fluids—water or herbal tea. Do not start the liver cleansers if your bowels are not moving regularly. Remain on the Triphala throughout the cleanse if you continue to have difficulties with sluggish bowels, hard feces or difficult movements, or skipping days.
Start with 1 capsule at night with fennel, mint, or coriander tea. Then add 1 capsule in the morning with the same tea. This can be taken along with the liver flush described above. If feeling well, increase to 2 at night, then 2 in the morning as well. This should be sufficient for most. If you are a sensitive person, keep the dose lower, or keep it to once a day. Taking it at night allows it to facilitate liver cleansing while you are sleeping—when the liver does most of its work and the body is fasting. After 2 weeks, move on to the Picrorrhiza.
Start in the same way, but take it as a food. Use the same tea, or combination, add a bit of sweetener. These carry it into the tissues. This herb is a protector and rebuilder of liver tissue. You can work up to taking 1-2 capsules with each of 3 meals per day. Do this for 2 weeks, or continue for a month if you’d like.
Do not fast if underweight. Kichadi or Kichari is your best cleansing food while remaining nourished—Blend of White Basmati Rice for Pitta, Mung Bean, and spices. For recipe click here.
