Recipes With Lemon Cleansing

Lemon cleansing is an easy and effective way to cleanse the colon. The Master Cleanse, popularized by Stanley Burroughs in the 1970s, is a lemonade made from lemons, cayenne pepper and maple syrup.

Other variations of this cleansing lemonade has sprung up since then. You could use a variation by using raw apple cider vinegar and the juice of lemons, limes or grapefruit. The idea is to use a drink that will soften the waste in the colon and prompt bowel movements to cleanse the gastrointestinal tract.

Why Use Lemons?

Lemon juice helps the liver secrete bile and to also break up waste in the colon that has been there "in storage" for some time. The Master Cleanse is popular as the lemonade is easy to prepare and most people find the taste pleasant.

Lemons also help stimulate the kidneys and is a diuretic. In addition to releasing waste from the colon, releasing excess water will help reduce water retention.

Lemon Cleansing Recipes

Try different versions of the classic Master Cleanse: combine one to two tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar with 12 ounces of filtered water. Drink in the morning to help move the bowels. The apple cider vinegar is an alkaline drink and counters acid-forming foods such as red meat, fried foods and sugar.

Or, try the juice of a lemon or lime with the juice of half a small grapefruit, a very small amount of stevia (plant-based sweetener) or a very small amount of agave nectar, in 12 ounces of filtered water. The citric acids are balanced by the agave or stevia.

Cautions

The Master Cleanse was traditionally done as a fasting drink: no other solid foods were taken until there was no visible white coating on the tongue. That was the signal that the stomach has returned to an alkaline balance. (In Chinese medicine, such as acupuncture, the acupuncturist will ask to look at your tongue to see how your digestion is doing.)

Do not fast on a simple lemon drink unless your physician gives you her approval. If you have a history of diabetes, heart disease, liver disorder, eating disorders or are taking any prescription medication, get medical clearance before doing a liquid fast.