If you're looking to do a gentle cleanup for your internal systems, we have some Spring detox herbs that are excellent for this. It's been raining a little bit in Southern California. And with all this rain, we have some beautiful, little, happy Spring greens that are sprouting up everywhere, and they are amazing for cleaning out your internal systems.
Our Springtime weeds such as Cleavers and Nettles are excellent ways to rebuild the body
while letting go of things that weigh us down. Especially after the heavy foods of winter, it's a great time in Spring to detox and flush out accrued metabolic wastes that are left in your system.
These Springtime detox herbs are known as lymphatic alterative herbs. These are herbs that move waste out of the system via the Lymphatic System. They help to drain out all that stagnant lymph that's been accumulating all winter long.
Many of our spring weeds are also diuretic herbs. These are herbs that move waste out of the system via the Urinary System by increasing urination. They are often quite nutritive as well, meaning they gently move toxins out of the body while also rebuilding and nourishing our bodies at the same time.
Just a warning for our diuretics: they do make you pee more, so they're not always recommended during a long road trip or right before you go to bed. But otherwise, they're fabulous herbs to have on hand.
If you want try some gentle herbs to clean things out, you might want to start with just trying one or two herbs a time and see how they make you feel.
In our Herbs for the Body class, this is something we practice all the time. We take time in class to really sit with just one herb at a time. We learn to listen to our bodies so that our bodies can let you know if a certain herb feels good or not, if you like it.
So often, getting to build a one-on-one relationship with plants is what herbalism is all about for us herb nerds. But it's also how you really fine tune what herbs work best for your specific body.
Just because an herb is good, doesn't mean it works for everybody.
Here is one of my favorite Springtime Detox formulas:
1 Part Dandelion Leaf
1 Part Cleavers
1 Part Horsetail
1 Part Calendula
1 Part Nettle Leaf
To make a tea of these herbs, combine that formula into that ratio. This can be 1/2 a teaspoon of each herb or as much as 2 ounces of each herb, depending on how much you want to make.
This formula is best as an overnight infusion. I like to use 1-2 tablespoons per cup or 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of herbs per quart, depending on if you're making a big batch or a small batch.
Then, just pour hot water over the herbs and let it steep covered overnight. In the morning, you can strain it and drink it iced or hot. It's up to you. The extra can be stored in the fridge for up to three to four days.
If you're new to herbs, I always like to give people a little precaution going in: Just because herbs are natural, doesn't always mean they're safe for everybody.
We always recommend checking in with your doctor to make sure it's okay for you to be taking herbs. If you're on medications or you currently have a serious health condition, wait and check in with your health professionals FIRST before trying herbs.
For everyone else, try things out with some precaution. Take a slow, gentle approach. Try a little bit, see how it feels for your body. If it doesn't feel good, stop right there. But otherwise, dive in and start exploring more and seeing how herbs feel for you after taking them for a couple of weeks.
If you're interested in learning more herbs for your body, we actually have an Herbs for the Body course. You can take this class a-la carte, and it is also part of our Herbal Apprentice Program.
We take a deep dive in the Herbs for the Body course on how to use herbs for each body system. We try them out one-on-one, one at a time, to really build relationships with each herb and figure out how to gently support your body in a holistic way.