Cleansing (general)

"Cleansing" is not a disease but a term for supporting the body's own detox systems (liver, kidneys, gut, lungs, skin). Very few "detox" regimens fundamentally change this process.

Plants and herbs that help

Lemon, Supports digestion and fluid intake.
Dandelion, Supports both liver and kidneys.
Nettle, A traditional nutrient-rich "spring cure" herb.

Recipes

Drink

Morning detox drink

The simplest recipe in the whole apothecary. The juice of half a lemon in a glass of lukewarm water, drunk on an empty stomach. Let me be honest about what it does and does not do: it does not detoxify anything. The liver and kidneys handle that themselves, and they need no help from a lemon. The word detox is marketing. But that does not make it pointless. You get fluid after eight hours of sleep, in which you lost half a litre simply by breathing. You get vitamin C. And you get a moment where you stand in a kitchen and do something for yourself before the day starts demanding. The last is probably the most important.

3 minutesEasy

Tea

Nettle tea

Nettle is the plant everyone knows from being stung and almost nobody thinks of as food. That is a shame, because it is one of the most nutritious plants growing wild in Denmark: iron, calcium, potassium and a good deal of silica. The tea tastes green and faintly of hay. Not bad, just honest. It moves water, so drink it in the morning. Drink it in the evening and you will get to know your nightly route to the bathroom rather well.

12 minutesEasy

Drink

Green smoothie

A green smoothie is not a cure. It is a meal, and a good one. Let me say it plainly, as I did with the morning drink: it does not cleanse anything. The liver and kidneys handle that themselves, and they need no help from a blender. The word cleanse comes from an old notion that the body stores something up that must be flushed out. It does not. What it does is something else and more down to earth: you get greens, fibre, potassium and fluid in one glass, at a moment when you would probably otherwise have had none of them. If you use plantain instead of spinach, you get a plant from your own lawn instead of a bag from southern Europe. The taste is a little coarser. The apple handles that.

10 minutesEasy

Warning

Be wary of marketing that promises "cleansing" of undefined "toxins" in a few days, rarely backed by science.

The content here is general knowledge and folk herbal lore, not medical treatment. In illness, pregnancy, breastfeeding or alongside medication: always talk to your doctor first.