How to Cleanse the Lymphatic System

Lymph fluid carries toxins out of our cells and tissues to our eliminative organs. Cleansing your lymph system once or twice a year will help ensure good health, clear skin, weight management and a strong immune system.

If your diet is heavy in congesting foods or if you get little physical activity, a more frequent lymph cleanse is a good idea.

What you'll need

Lymph cleansing tea. Make your own using a blend of herbs from the list below. Cleavers is one of the most gentle and effective of the herbs, so be sure that is in your blend. If you prefer to use a pre-blended tea, there are a number of lymph cleansing teas on the market.

• burdock root
  
• cleavers
  
• dandelion root
  
• echiacea
  
• goldenseal
  
• myrrh
  
• nettles
  
• oregon grape
  
• parsley
  
• red root
  
• yellow dock

Lymph cleansing fruits. You will begin each morning with lymph cleansing fruit juice. Have lemons on hand as well as fresh

• grapefruit
• oranges
• grapes
• apples

Lymph cleansing vegetables. Throughout each day of your lymph cleanse, you will eat fresh, raw vegetables and drink the juice of these vegetables. Ideal vegetables for your lymph cleanse diet are:

• kale
• chard
• collards
• mustard greens
• spinach (sparingly)
• dandelion
• broccoli
• radish
• carrots
• green lettuce
• avocado

Before you begin

During the week prior to your lymph cleanse, gradually eliminate fatty and fried foods, all processed foods, refined sugar and flours, and pre-packaged foods. Increase your vegetable intake and be sure your bowels are moving properly. If you need to, take an enema or use a natural laxative to empty your colon.

On the day of your lymph cleanse

Morning. Drink lemon water when you first wake up and begin your day. Squeeze half a lemon in 6 oz of water, room temperature or heated. Follow that with a glass of fruit juice and some tablets of chlorella or spirulina for protein. If you prefer, you can blend powdered chlorella or spirulina in your juice.

Mid-morning. Drink another glass of fruit juice, ideally using a different selection of fruits. To prevent a rapid spike in blood sugar levels, take a tablespoon of flax seed oil or add ground flax seeds to your juice.

Lunch. Have a raw vegetable salad with dark green leafy vegetables and others noted on the list above. Sprinkle flax seeds on your salad or slice a quarter of an avocado on top or flavor with herbs, lemon juice and coconut or flax seed oil.

Mid-afternoon. Drink a glass of vegetable juice.

Dinner. Have another raw vegetable salad and a glass of vegetable juice. Eat no later than 6 pm.

All day. Drink your lymph cleanse tea between meals and juices as desired, up to 6 cups of tea. Hydrate with water throughout he day. Be sure to drink at least 1 gallon of liquids each day.

After your cleanse. Be as gentle coming out of your cleanse as you were going in. Don't eat heavy, congesting foods for at least 4 days. Make a commitment to reducing your intake of these foods as part of your permanent dietary regimen.

See Also:

Lymph Cleansing Foods and Herbs
What is the Lymphatic System?
The Liver-Lymph Cleanse