I will admit to be a bit of a rebel in the holistic healing world.  When a new client comes in I do not automatically recommend an herbal cleanse or a fast.  I prefer to take a few appointments to work slowly and methodically with dietary changes and a few well-chosen supplements to begin to alter the chemistry of the body very gently.  Cleansing is a labor-intensive activity.  If a body is not well supported then doing too stringent of a cleanse can cause the loss of vitality, stress and further weakening of organs, and produce results exactly opposite to what was being sought originally.

 In working with foods as cleansing agents it is important to take into consideration not only the condition of the body, including stressed, weakened, or malfunctioning organs, but also the season, the weather, and the climate.  Indeed, the season, the weather, and the climate should all be considerations in our everyday choices of foods.

 I live in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies.  We usually say, with our tongues planted firmly in our cheeks, that we have nine months of winter and three months of bad sledding.  While this is an exaggeration it does help to define the climate differences that exist.  Many books about cleansing are written in California, Florida, or Hawaii.  Those climates produce fruits and vegetables that are very different from what we grow here and may be different from what grows in your climate, too.  Any fruits and vegetables that are produced both there and here usually come at different times of the year.  As you study this article you will need to think critically about what grows in your climate and when it grows in your climate.  Your daily diet and cleansing programs should use foods that are in their proper season of harvest and proper storage life.

 The earliest springtime fruits and vegetables in your climate will usually be cleansing in nature.  Vegetables that are harvested in the heat of the summer are usually cooling.  Autumn harvested vegetables will begin the winter building process, and vegetables that store well in a root cellar are the builders and heat generators.  By using vegetables in their natural season and their proper climate we will reap the benefits of a natural cycle of building and cleansing.

 Think about the following list of fruits and vegetables.  Do they grow in your climate?  If they do you can usually consider them a helpful food in their natural harvest season.  If they don’t grow in your region, you may be able to use them for a short period of time as a part of a food fast/cleanse. 

 In a food fast/cleanse, the client is careful to choose foods that are healthful.  Consuming primarily vegetables for one to two weeks, while focusing on climate based cleansing vegetables, is a fabulous way to rest the digestive tract somewhat, cleanse tissues, and lay a foundation for building and strengthening the body.  If fruits are used they should not be taken with the vegetables, and should be climate based.  Whether the vegetables and fruits are cooked or not will depend on the weather and the strength of the digestive tract. Always cook (steam) the vegetables or fruits in cool or cold weather or if the gastro-intestinal tract is compromised in any way.  In hot weather and with a strong gastro-intestinal tract the vegetables and fruits may be eaten raw if desired.  I also believe, as the result of my work with clients that food fasts/cleanses should be done with whole foods and not with juices.  Whole foods have a balance that is destroyed when juicing occurs.  Vital fibre and nutrients are discarded.  Juices may be more beneficial for severely weakened people but dosage and choice of juice must be carefully monitored.

Using Dr. Bernard Jensen’s writings as a guide I would like to look at several foods that have cleansing properties.  Again, as you study this list, ask yourself if this food grows in your climate.  Foods that do not grow in your climate may be used for short periods of time to aid in cleansing, but it is my opinion that the best cleansing uses foods from the client’s climate.

Apricots have a laxative effect and are very alkalizing.

Beets are high in minerals, clean acid out of the bowel, cleanse the gall bladder, liver, eliminative system, digestive system, lymphatic system.

Cabbage can be used as packs for eczema, varicose veins, and leg ulcers; Taken by mouth aids in correcting constipation.  Raw cabbage in the diet keeps the skin clear.  Raw sauerkraut juice combined with tomato juice makes a strong laxative.

Celery is a good blood cleanser, neutralizes acids, halt fermentation, aids digestion, may need to be steamed for people with sensitive gastro-intestinal tracts.

Cherry, especially black cherry, excellent laxative, gets rids of toxic waste, alkalizing.

Chicory as an enema increases peristaltic action.

Cucumber purifies the bowel.

Currants (red), for dysentery.

Dandelion greens cleanse the liver, help the flow of bile, relieve eczema and skin rashes.

Elderberry is a good general tonic cleanser especially for the reproductive and glandular system.

Figs are laxative due to mucin and pectin

Grapes, especially concord grapes, laxative due to high magnesium content, cleanse the liver, eliminate hardened deposits, use as a pack for tumors.

Leeks loosen phlegm in the throat and sinuses, blood purifier.

Lemon aids body in getting rid of toxic materials especially in the liver, eliminates catarrh.

Mango is a disinfectant in the body, blood cleanser, helps eliminate body odor.

Parsley is a blood purifier and bowel stimulant.

Parsnips improve peristalsis in the bowel.

Pomegranate is slightly purgative.

Raspberries are general cleansers of the mucus membranes; remove catarrh and toxins.

Squash (winter) promotes bowel peristalsis.

Strawberries are a general tonic, especially for the intestinal tract.

Turnips are cleansing for catarrhal conditions, including bronchial and throat.

 In our cold climate, a food fast/cleanse during the winter would consist largely of steamed or souped carrots, onions, leeks, squash, turnips, beets, parsnips and cabbage.  These ingredients would have stored well in a root cellar.  If a particular focus was needed, perhaps bowel cleansing, we would focus more on squash, parsnips and beets.  In the summer we would eat a lot of strawberries, raspberries, and dandelion greens.  Every climate has vegetables and fruits that are indigenous to it that should be used not only as food but as medicine also.

JudithCobb