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.
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, better still, 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 the bitter juice of pawpaw leaves or immature fruit but this may need to be flavored and well diluted.
There are many variations of this Basic Cleanse possible. 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 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.