The Master Cleanse - 10 days
Written by Millie Lytle BA, ND, C. Ht.
The master cleanse is a simple liquid-based cleanse. Drink as much of this as possible. You don’t want to get hungry, light-headed or dehydrated on this diet. If you’re hungry you may not be using enough maple syrup and lemon. make it more concentrated or drink more often, at least 4-5 liters per day.
Four ingredients:
organic lemons. contain the bitter principle to stimulate liver and gall badder cleanse, contain vitamin C, water, bioflavenoids, sugar, electrolytes. They are stimulating and brighten mood. 2 tablespoons
grade C (dark) maple syrup. This is the last tap, the lowest sugar content and the highest mineral content. It is sweet, nourishing and satisfying. 2 tablespoons
Cayenne pepper: contains vitamin C and bioflavenoids. provide warmth, heat to stimulate blood circulation and detox through the lymph and skin. 1/2 teaspoon
pure water- spring, boiled, filtered, distilled (contains no minerals..not as good). 1 litre
The master cleanse can be drunk hot or room temperature.
it is a 10 day mono diet, meaning you don’t eat anything else while on it. this is optional. you could also take in vegetable broths, pure organic vegetable juices (lemon, beet, carrot, cucumber, celery, ginger, garlic, greens, cayenne), herbal teas, pure water and psyllium husk to bulk up stools.
except warm Epsom salt water is also part of the traditional cleanse. Add 1 tablespoon of the salts into a liter of warm water dissolve it and drink it first thing in the morning everyday. it causes bowel movements.
I would also recommend drinking herbal teas such as nettle, licorice (not with hypertension), dandelion, hibiscus, and alfalfa.
On the last 2 days of the cleanse you can boil some vegetable: greens, roots, tubers and add them to water. drink the broth only for 2 days, on the third day start eating the vegetables.
Gradually add solids back to your diet, in the order that they are least to most difficult to digest. Day 11 of the cleanse start eating vegetables from the broth.
On day 12 add some grains such as brown rice in the soup and some fruit into your diet.
Day 13, add some legumes (beans/split peas).
Day 14 you can add meat or dairy
Day 15 back to normal diet, though hopefully healthier than you had been eating before
Warning: this diet requires a person who can rest and relax throughout it. You may not be able to operate machinery, drive, or work properly on this diet; though if you can’t then you need to drink more of it!
This diet is suitable for strong energetic people with healthy constitutions. The Kapha sort in ayurvedic medicine; a little extra body weight, especially in the shoulders, belly and bottom.
This diet is not suitable for sickly or thin people who have difficulties with blood sugar regulation, diabetes, have an active cold or flu, people who need to work full days, people who need to do physical labor or operate machinery.
The body is in a state of change and purging while on this diet, so one needs to respect these new parameters and live a slower lifestyle while on this diet.
mild exercise such as walking, stretching and yoga may be done on this cleanse, as long as you are used to exercise.
Side effects: symptoms of detox such as itchy, watery eyes, skin irritations, loose stool, constipation, irritability, mood changes, fatigue, lethargy and headaches may all accompany the first few days of the cleanse. The more you need to detox, the more of these symptoms you’ll feel.
Desired effects: From at least, day 4 onward, energy should be high, feeling a little bit lucid, but strong and relaxed with good skin and clearness of mind and spirit. Some weight loss is inevitable and usually gained back once cleanse is over.
Proceed with caution but if you are in the position to do it and fit the profile then it’s an excellent cleanse.
Written by Millie Lytle BA, ND, C. Ht. and republished with her permission.