Detox foods are right in your pantry or backyard!
Detox foods are not hard to find. You can pull your weeds and eat them too! A dandy detoxifier that is right at your fingertips is dandelion - those stringy-looking weeds with puffy tops that every gardener works hard to get rid of every spring. DANDELION usually gets a bad rap when you research it. In search engine results, the top seven or eight search keywords always seem to turn out to be "kill dandelions," "how to kill dandelions," "get rid of dandelions," etc. Not a very welcome reception for one of nature's potent detox foods! For now let's put aside the gardener's disdain for this wonderful healing plant and consider its many good points. Dandelion is one of the best and most potent detox foods. It has long been prized in Chinese medicine for its healing abilities, especially its ability to dispel heat, reduce inflammation and infection, and detoxify and cleanse the liver. Its recorded use in Chinese medicine dates back to the 7th century A.D. when it was widely used for fighting infections such as boils, carbuncles, bronchitis, tonsillitis, and clarifying the skin, bile ducts and gastrointestinal tract. It is today used in China as a treatment for mastitis (swollen or inflamed breasts). That remedy is below. Dandelion is used in powdered form, or in water or alcohol extract, or as a juice. It can be plucked from your backyard and boiled and it makes an ideal green vegetable loaded with minerals and cleansing properties. Its bitterness can be offset by adding some potato to the water and I have often added strained tomatoes, which cuts the bitter flavor too. This combination of tomato and dandelion is surprisingly tasty and not as acidic as it may sound. Detox foods can be tasty as well as healthy! Another way to use the healing power of dandelion is to pull the entire plant out of the ground, boil it in 3 cups of water down to 1-1/2 cup, strain, cool and drink the liquid. If desired you may add a teaspoon of honey to the liquid while still hot, to quell the taste. This drink helps to alleviate mastitis and other cystic conditions of the breast. It is also an excellent potion for gall bladder inflammation or discomfort. Dandelion wine is also a very healing drink for the G.I. system, liver and gall bladder, and delicious too! A delicious alcoholic beverage that is also good for you is a real win-win in our book! Gardeners who cannot bring themselves to appreciate dandelion's fine qualities, take heed: in Nature's world there is truly something for everyone. If you don't wish to sample the culinary benefits of dandelion, keep a bit of it around your yard anyway. The milky white exudate from the stem of dandelion makes a great instant poultice for snake bites or insect stings! Silymarin is a liver-friendly herbKnown in former times as "Marian Thistle," silymarin, or milk thistle as it is commonly called, is another wonderful detoxifying herb known for its ability to flush out toxins and cleanse the liver. In biblical times silymarin was used to both prevent and cure disease through its antioxidant properties. Modern research has discovered a use of the herb as a possible anti-cancer agent.Silymarin is a tall plant with a single stem that may reach as high as 10 feet, where it branches out at the top. It flowers a deep purplish-red in color and its leaves bear white spots.Silymarin is rich in flavonoids, and can be somewhat expensive due to the fine distillation process involved in extracting these active ingredients. It is a known liver detoxifier and also helps the liver to heal from the damaging effects of alcohol or drug abuse. Milk thistle can be easily found on the shelves at your local health food store.  But the most potent detoxifier is ...There is a wonderful little herb that everyone knows quite well, especially lovers of Italian food. It's garlic and it owns the undisputed title of being the world's most powerful detox foods. Garlic is now used mainly for cooking, but in former times it was actually worn in the clothing to ward off colds and flu. It is an antioxidant and an antibacterial. Researchers have found that it helps to lower cholesterol and boost the immune function. It cleanses the blood, in both people and animals. Dog lovers will be glad to know that a little bulb of garlic can drive worms out of their dog's intestinal tract! Take a small bulb of raw garlic, wrap it in cheese or another dog treat and feed it to your dog. Worms and parasites hate the smell and will vacate the dog's body via their feces. It also helps digestion so it wouldn't hurt to put a little in your dog's food every now and then. So next time you eat in an Italian restaurant, don't fear having "garlic breath." You have just eaten one of the world's strongest detox foods and you are actually cleansing your mouth, teeth and gums while giving your digestion some needed assistance. And don't forget the doggie bag. Detox diet plans
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