To Cleanse or not to Cleanse?

When I was a new into the whole natural health world, there was a lot of emphasis on the need to purify the body in order to achieve health.  When I lived in Oregon in the 1990s and early 2000s, "Detoxing" and juice fasts were all the rage.  There were even centers for "Colonic" therapy in which people would make an appointment for an enema in order to achieve the goal of ridding the body of "toxins".   

While I never considered getting an enema, which felt unnecessarily invasive to me, I did take part in what I would now consider a pretty horrible way to engage in a spring cleanse.  Following a strict protocol, I followed Dr. Haas' method of drinking a blend of maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice for a 10 day "fast".  In between drinking the "meal replacement", the instructions included drinking saline solution to stimulate bowel function and faster detoxification.   I, of course, roped Eric into my experiment so we did this together.  

What followed was an excellent lesson in the need to consider each person individually by considering people's health status, constitutions and lifestyle before making recommendations, especially for such aggressive therapies.  Twenty-five years ago I was a bike commuter and probably rode at least 10 miles a day with as many as 40 miles on a day when I went plant exploring. In addition, constitutionally I have always been dominated by the element of air.  One of my best and oldest friends and amazing astrologer Magali Morales once commented that she didn't know how I managed to stay grounded on earth with how much air is in my chart.  In Ayurveda, I am considered "Vata".  Vata people are fast talkers, creative thinkers, prone to depression and indecision, metabolize quickly and tend to be thin. 

As you can imagine, we responded a bit differently to the fast. By day 5 or so, I was feeling depleted, low energy and decided that while I didn't want to totally bale on the plan and eat solid food (especially since this was my idea after all), I knew I needed more nutrition, so I started drinking herbal teas and oat water. Not as good as actual food, but at least I wasn't experiencing a gag reflex with oral intake.  Eric on the other hand, felt rejuvenated and more alive and could have kept going beyond the recommended 10 days. 

 So what was the lesson here?  That, as David Winston always says, "Herbalists treat people not disease".  Everyone is different.  Some maybe need more of a push and others need more pull.  When it comes to the extra heaviness that the end of winter leaves us with, the traditions of people all over the world of GENTLE fasting is absolutely beneficial.  But to do it in a heroic way that seems to emphasize the impure in our bodies isn't the way that I prefer.   I'd like to think of it more along the lines of the wise women traditions, promoting open channels and supporting normal eliminative processes by eating locally grown veggies, greens and especially, local weeds.  Let your body do what it already knows how to do.  

Eric, on the other hand, is what would be considered "Kapha". Kapha people are slower moving but steadfast and hard workers, slow to speak but deeply penetrating when they do, are loyal friends and partners, make nurturing parents, and tend toward heaviness, with slower metabolism and often having difficulty with weight gain. They embody the energies of water and earth.

My favorite herbs for supporting metabolic health are just starting to pop right now!  Dandelion, nettle, and chickweed are some of the early spring greens that you can likely find almost anywhere in the United States in spring.  In fact, these plants all grow around the world in temperate regions.  Now is the time to sign up for a local herb walk and get familiar with what's growing near you. In the coming weeks, I'll write a bit more about some different spring greens and what to do with them as they pop up! Stay tuned as I wax poetic about everything Dandelion next week!