THE BASIC CLEANSE
By Walter Last
This is recommended at the
start of any health improvement program and also from time to time thereafter,
say once a year. It is designed to clean out and sanitize especially the
gastrointestinal tract, the liver and the gall bladder. Eat apples only for the
first three days, as many as you like. Granny Smith apples are usually
preferable, but if you feel that they are too acid for you then use a sweeter
variety. If organic apples are not available, you may remove the skin and core
of commercial apples.
In the evening have a hot
castor oil pack on the liver and upper abdomen: Coat the area liberally with
castor oil, cover with a woolen cloth folded in several layers and keep warm
for one to two hours with a hot-water bottle. This greatly increases the blood
supply to these areas and stimulates liver and bowel activities. At bedtime
take one or two tablespoons of olive oil. Shake the oil in a jar together with
some lecithin granules, a teaspoon of Epsom salts to relax the gall bladder,
and some fresh citrus juice.
However, on the evening of the
third day take half a cupful of olive oil in this way. Then lie down
immediately on your back or right side. The next morning take a tablespoon of
Epsom salts and after the first bowel movement look in the toilet bowl for
gallstones. There may be hundreds of little greenish wax balls of different
sizes floating on top of the water. However, sometimes gallstones appear only
after repeated cleanses.
First thing in the morning of
the first to fourth day take a glass of water with a crushed clove of garlic
and about 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt (more or less to cause a good bowel
clean-out within a few hours). If you cannot take Epsom salts then try another
strong herbal laxative instead. If you have trouble taking raw garlic, you may
fill it into empty gelatin capsules.
Half to one hour after the
Epsom salt and garlic take a large dose of acidophilus-bifido,
either as high-potency capsules or powder or as a self-made ferment such as
Kefir or fermented sauerkraut.
If you do not have the time or
energy for the full cleanse, then you may now return to your normal diet and do
the rest at another time. However, continue for several weeks taking
acidophilus culture before meals. Otherwise, from the fourth day on stop using
the apples, Epsom salt and garlic and for another five days drink only freshly
pressed vegetable and grass juice, although this may be flavored with apple or
some other fruit. In addition to the grass and vegetable juice or instead of it
blend fresh green leaves (e.g. spinach) at high speed in water or another
suitable liquid, flavor, and drink without straining.
Dilute the juice with pure
water for a total diluted juice intake of about 3 liters. In addition, every 3
hours or 5 times daily take a heaped teaspoon of psyllium
hulls together with 2-3 teaspoons of ground linseed. Mix in a glass of water
and drink immediately followed by some more water. The linseed should be
freshly ground in a blender or coffee grinder and refrigerated.
On the morning after the last
juice day or possibly already at bedtime the night before take a tablespoon of
Epsom salt in water or generally enough laxative to produce a strong bowel
clean-out during the morning. You may sit on a bucket to investigate what has
come out; often there are long strings and parts of compacted matter looking
like sections of bowel.
Additions and Alternatives
Preferably take a spoonful of
lecithin granules, kelp as powder or tablets and possibly digestive enzymes
together with the juices. With every glassful of juice you may take 2 or 3
tablets such as pancreatin, bromelain
or mixed enzymes. Alternatively and even better, use mature green pawpaw if
available, when it just turns yellow inside and the seeds are already black.
You may make a smoothie by blending it with some vegetable juice or yoghurt.
Use up to half a medium-size pawpaw a day. You could also use some of the bitter
juice of pawpaw leaves or immature fruit but this may need to be flavored and
well diluted.
There are many possible variations
of this Basic Cleanse. For instance if you do not have a juice extractor, you
may either continue longer with apples or have a few small raw salads instead.
If you cannot get organic apples but have plenty of good grass and vegetables
for juicing, then you may extend the juice and blended green leaf schedule from
5 to 8 days, but also have the castor oil packs, olive oil, garlic, Epsom salts
and acidophilus during the first 3 or 4 days.
Another possibility,
especially good for those with raised blood pressure, is to use freshly pressed
and diluted lemon juice instead of the vegetable juice and possibly instead of
the apple days as well. Use psyllium hulls and ground
linseed as for the last 5 days of the Basic Cleanse but instead of vegetable
juices drink the juice of 5 to 8 lemons diluted to 3 or 4 liters with pure
water. You may do this for the full 8 days or just instead of the vegetable
juice for the last 5 days. If doing this for the full 8 days, then use castor
oil packs, olive oil, Epsom salts, garlic and acidophilus as described for the
apples days.
Another alternative is to use
an isotonic saltwater flush instead of the Epsom salt flush. This may not be
suitable if you are rather constipated and overweight or with high blood
pressure and weak kidneys. To one liter of warm water add 9 g or 1-heaped
teaspoonful of sea salt and a crushed clove of garlic and drink this within 5
minutes. If this does not produce a good bowel flush within a few hours, then
you may have to use the Epsom salts the next time.
Another often recommended additive
is Bentonite, powdered absorbent clay. This helps to
remove plaque or old coating from colon walls and also absorbs toxins. Each
time you use the ground linseed and psyllium add
either 1 teaspoon of powdered or 1 tablespoon of liquid Bentonite.
Allergy Testing
It is advisable to increase
the variety of food very gradually while doing some allergy testing at the same
time. Start with foods that are not likely to cause allergy such as cooked and
raw vegetables, rice and other non-gluten grains. Leave any processed food,
wheat, oats, rye, barley, citrus fruit, tomatoes, egg, yeast products and cows'
milk products for later testing.
Keep a diary of the tested
foods and any reactions, such as nausea, pain or discomfort and also record
your pulse rate before and after eating a test food or meal. Usually the pulse
rate rises slightly 30 to 60 minutes after food intake. If it rises much more
than after eating just unflavored rice or steamed vegetables, then there may be
an allergy. The stronger the rise in the pulse rate, the stronger the allergy.
Allergy testing may not work if you are exposed to tobacco smoke or use coffee,
tea or other drugs. For more information on food allergies and allergy testing
see also Addictions & Allergies in HEALING FOODS.